How To Unclog a Bathtub Drain Without Harsh Chemicals

Your bathtub drain can get clogged over time with soap buildup, hair, and other debris. Luckily, you can fix a clogged bathtub drain yourself with a few household ingredients and tools.

Learn how to unclog a bathtub without using chemical drain cleaner (which can harm your health and your pipes). If the clog doesn’t clear, it can cause more severe problems, so it’s best to call a service professional like Mr. Rooter Plumbing^® as soon as possible.

5 Ways To Unclog a Bathtub

There are five ways to unclog a bathtub drain without using chemical drain cleaner, which can damage your pipes and pollute the municipal water supply. The natural methods below can clear the issue and prevent a sewer line clog, which can lead to health issues associated with sewage exposure.

If your toilet bubbles when the bathtub drains, you may have a clog further up your pipes, which often requires the help of a professional.

Method 1: Remove easy-to-reach gunk

Hair and other debris are often the culprits of a clogged bathtub drain. The best way to unclog a bathroom drain is by removing the stopper and fishing out the debris.

How to remove foreign objects from the drain:

1. Take out the stopper. If your tub has a pop-up drain plug, insert a screwdriver under the cover, loosen the screw, and remove the plug.
2. Remove the debris by hand or bend a wire coat hanger into a hook with needle nose pliers. Fish out foreign material from the drain and place it in the trash.
3. Flush the drain with hot water to ensure excess debris moves through the pipes.

If the tub still backs up, the blockage is likely located farther down, and you’ll need to try other home remedies to unclog the bathtub drain. Tackling a clog sooner rather than later helps ensure the issue doesn’t worsen, leading to problems like sewage coming up through the bathtub.

Method 2: Pour boiling water down the drain

You can dissolve soap scum and dislodge hair buildup with boiling water. If your bathtub won’t drain, this may be the solution.

How to pour water down the drain:

1. Boil a large pot of water (at least 10 cups).
2. Pour the hot water slowly down the tub drain.
3. Pour a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar to loosen the clog if it doesn’t resolve with boiling water. Let it sit for 20 minutes.
4. Flush the drain again with boiling water.

Method 3: Use a plunger

A plunger can help loosen and move a clog due to suction and pressure. If you have a bathtub that won’t drain and has standing water, a plunger may do the trick.

How to use a plunger correctly:

1. Remove the bathtub stopper.
2. Plug the overflow drain to create a vacuum. Remove the cover plate below the bathtub faucet and insert a washcloth or hand towel into the hole so air can’t escape.
3. Set the plunger over the drain and fill the tub with a few inches of hot water.
4. Apply 15 to 20 up-and-down thrusting motions to loosen and move the clog.
5. Flush the drain with boiling water.

Method 4: Use a plumbing snake

If the clog remains despite your efforts with a plunger, it’s time to break out the heavy artillery. An auger, or plumbing snake, features a long, flexible cable with a coiled spring at one end and a hand crank on the other. You can purchase or rent one for the job.

How to use a drain snake effectively:

1. Insert the cable into the drain and turn the crank until you reach the blockage.
2. Push and pull the cable to embed it into the clog.
3. Turn the crank in the opposite direction to pull the cable back out.
4. If the coiled spring comes up empty, insert it into the overflow drain to clear blockages beyond the drain trap.

If the drain snake won’t go down the bathtub drain, you might have the wrong size drain snake or there could be a large blockage.

Method 5: Vacuum the clog

The best way to unclog a bathtub drain when a plunger or boiling water doesn’t work is with a wet/dry vacuum, also called a shop vac. A shop vac can suck out a clog, making the job clean and effective.

How to vacuum a clogged drain:

1. Remove the drain stopper or strainer.
2. Insert the end of the shop vac hose into the drain.
3. Create a seal around the end of the hose with a damp rag.
4. Turn the shop vac on to the suction setting.
5. Run water slowly to aid in the suction process.
6. Change to the exhaust setting for 10 seconds and back to the suction setting if the clog doesn’t clear.
7. Turn off the shop vac once you hear the clog go through the hose.
8. Carefully remove the hose from the drain.
9. Clean up the debris with rags and needle nose pliers (if hair sticks around the drain opening).
10. Flush with hot water to ensure the remaining debris moves through the pipes.

Are Chemical Drain Cleaners Safe?

Chemical drain cleaners are generally considered unsafe, as they pose risks to your pipes, your health, and the environment. You can fix a clogged bathtub drain without chemicals, such as with baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water.

• Health risks: Chemical drain cleaners can cause respiratory issues if you inhale them, including coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. They can also cause severe burns if you touch them, digestive problems if you ingest them, and even blindness if they get in your eyes.
• Damage to your pipes: Chemical drain cleaners can weaken and erode pipes, causing them to crack or soften over time. Eventually, pipe damage can lead to water damage in your home.
• Environmental and septic damage: The toxins from chemical drain cleaners can destroy the healthy bacteria in a septic tank, harm the municipal water supply, and poison marine life and wildlife by seeping into the ground and water.

If you opt to use chemical drain cleaners, always wear safety goggles, gloves, and a face mask. Your cleaner should stay locked and out of reach of children and pets. Never mix chemical drain cleaner with other products; some combinations can create a toxic gas.

How To Prevent Future Bathtub Blockages

You can avoid a clogged bathtub drain by keeping your tub clean and limiting what items you put down your drain.

Know the signs

Your bathtub may have a clog if you notice that the water is draining slowly, you hear gurgling noises when you drain the tub, or you smell foul odors coming from your plumbing fixtures. A clog is also likely if water backs up in the tub or you experience standing water when showering.

As soon as you notice these signs, it’s best unclog as soon as you can so the problem doesn’t worsen. The longer you wait, the bigger the clog will become and the harder it will be to fix.

Clean your bathtub regularly

Rinse excess soap, grime, and hair products down the drain after showering or bathing by running the water for 30 seconds. Use a rag to wipe any excess residue down the drain as the water runs. Clean the drain once a month by pouring a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar down the drain. Allow the solution to sit for 20 minutes, then flush it with hot water.

Keep certain materials out of the tub

While it might seem like your bathtub drain can handle anything, certain materials can cause clogs. Avoid putting food, hair, trash, grass, and debris down your drain. Wash dirt and grass off outside with a hose. If you need to dump dirty mop water, pour it outside in the garden or landscaping. If you must pour the dirty liquid inside, use a fine mesh strainer to capture debris.

Add a mesh drain trap or filter

Opt for a mesh drain strainer or trap to catch everything from hair to debris and keep clogs at bay. You can find these online or at a local hardware store.

Contact a service professional

If you notice constant clogging or don’t have the time and energy to monitor bathtub clogs, contact a service professional. They can help remove debris and buildup and assess why you might be getting frequent clogs.

Contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing for Help Clearing Clogged Drains

While you should be able to unclog a bathtub, you may not have the time, patience, or ability to tackle the job yourself. Fortunately, Mr. Rooter Plumbing is here to help. We offer quick and efficient drain clearing to get your tub flowing smoothly again.

To schedule services with one of our reliable service professionals, contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing. We offer flexible service options, upfront pricing, and exceptional customer service.

Bathtub Clog FAQs

Clogs happen to everyone, so a little knowledge can go a long way when learning how to unclog a bathtub drain.

How do you unclog a bathtub with standing water?

You can unclog a bathtub with standing water using a shop vac to suction the debris or a plunger to loosen the clog. If you use a shop vac, make an airtight seal around the end of the hose with a wet rag. When using a plunger, create a seal around the drain hole and fill the tub with 1 inch of water. Thrust up and down on the plunger 15 to 20 times.

You can also unclog a bathtub drain using a drain snake or bent metal hanger to pull out any clogs or hair. You can flush the drain by pouring 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar. The chemical reaction dissolves debris, hair clogs, and soap residue. Flush with boiling water.

Does Coke help unclog drains?

Yes, Coca-Cola can help unclog drains because of the phosphoric acid that breaks down residue, hair, and debris buildup. Pour a 2-liter bottle down the drain and let it sit for one hour. Flush the drain with hot water. Coke may not remove large or extra stubborn clogs.

How do you unclog a bathtub drain full of hair?

You can unclog a bathtub drain full of hair with a metal coat hanger that’s been bent with needle nose pliers to create a hook. Remove your drain plug or filter, and send the hook down the drain to catch the hair. Pull out the hanger and dispose of the hair. Flush the drain with hot water. Knowing how to unclog a bathtub drain full of hair can help prevent larger clogs and backups in your shower.

How do you fix a slow-draining tub?

There are a couple of ways to fix a slow-draining tub:

• Remove clogs and hair buildup. You can use a plunger, shop vac, or metal hanger to pull clogs out of the drain.
• Pour a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar down the drain. Let the solution sit for 20 minutes, then flush it with hot water.

With the clog clear, your tub should drain at normal speed. If it still drains slowly, call a service professional for help.