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A dirty bathtub drain can create horrible odors and clogs in your tub. For that reason, you should regularly maintain it by flushing it with boiling water and cleaning it with baking soda. If you've let the gunk build up, however, you may have to clear a clog by plunging the drain or manually removing the gunk from the pipes before you can clean it. Luckily, cleaning your bathtub drain is simple, as long as you follow the right steps and have the right equipment.
Things You Should Know
- Pour boiling water down your bathtub drain to easily dissolve soap scum and debris that's clogging it.
- To deodorize your bathtub drain, pour baking soda down it and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- For stubborn clogs, you may need to use a drain snake or plunger .
Steps
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Open your drain stopper. Hit the switch on your tub or unscrew the drain stopper to an open position so that water can go down your drain. If water is slow, or your tub fills up and doesn't drain, your drain has to be unclogged before you can clean it.
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Boil a pot of water. Bring a 2 L (8.5 c) pot or kettle of water to a boil on your stovetop. The hot water will be able to flush away any loose hair or soap scum in the drain. [1] X Research sourceAdvertisement
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Pour the water down the drain. If you have metal pipes, you can pour the boiling water directly down the drain. You should do this at least once a week to flush out built up soap scum and gunk that's left over from bathing. [2] X Research source
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Remove your drain stopper. Tubs have different types of drain stoppers depending on what kind of tub you have. Some stoppers, like a push-pull stopper, will require you to remove screws in your drain, while others simply require you to unscrew the stopper to pull it free. To clean the inside of your drain, you'll need to completely remove the drain stopper. [3] X Research source
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Pour a cup (180 g) of baking soda into the drain and let it sit for 20 minutes. Use a measuring cup to measure out a cup (180 g) of baking soda, then pour it down the drain. As the baking soda sits, it should absorb the unpleasant odors coming from the drain.
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Remove the gunk from the inside of your drain with a bottle brush. Get a bottle brush that is at least 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) in diameter and stick the brush end into the vertical pipe connected to your drain. Move the brush up and down while rotating it to remove the gunk from the inside of your drain. Pull all of the dirt and hair out of the drain with the brush. [4] X Research source
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Flush the drain with a pot of boiling water. Fill a large pot with boiling water and pour it down your drain to flush all of the baking soda down the drain. Once you’re done, you may need to repeat the steps to fully deodorize your drain. [5] X Research source
- You can also boil vinegar instead of water to further deodorize your drain.
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Remove the drain stopper. Remove the drain stopper completely by either pulling it out or by removing the screws that are in the face of the stopper. To pull the gunk and hair from the drain, you'll need to make sure that you can access the vertical pipe that runs from your drain. [6] X Research source
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Remove gunk and hair with pliers or a plastic snake. You can purchase a plastic snake that has teeth on it from a home improvement store or you can use pliers. Work your tool into the drain and try to snag any grime or hair that's caught in the drain. Carefully pull the hair and gunk from the drain with your tool and use your fingers to pull the rest of it out. Continue doing this until you've removed all the built up hair from the drain. [7] X Research source
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Rinse and wipe down the bathtub. Dispose of any hair or gunk in a waste bin and run water into your bathtub. Make sure that the water flows down the drain before wiping down the tub and getting rid of any excess debris that you pulled up from your drain.
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Remove the overflow drain faceplate. To plunge your drain, you'll also have to remove the faceplate from the overflow hole. The overflow hole usually has a metallic faceplate with screws and is usually under the spout for your bathtub. Use a screwdriver to remove the screws from the faceplate and then remove the faceplate itself. [8] X Research source
- On certain tubs the overflow drain will have a switch to open or close the drain on your bathtub. In this case, you must remove the entire drain attached to the overflow faceplate.
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Fill the overflow hole with a damp rag. Filling the overflow hole with a rag will create the suction that's required to clear drains with the plunger. Shove a cotton towel or rag into the hole and try to make it as air-tight as possible.
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Fill the tub with water. If the tub isn't already filled with water, fill it up with 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) of water. Take extra care to not overflow your bathtub.
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Plunge your drain. Plunging helps free any obstructions that may be in the pipe. Place the plunger over the drain and press up and down on the handle. After 30 seconds of plunging, see if the drain flushes normally. If it does not, continue repeating the process until the tub drains.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionThe hole in which dirty water pass through in the bathroom is called what?CageyCatTop AnswererIn tubs and sinks, you will see a hole that typically has a metal ring around it. That hole is called the drain. Water, dirty water, and small bits of debris pass through the drain (example, dirt from your hands in a sink). From your apt or home, the drain water flows (usually from gravity) into a main plumbing line, which goes to a city sewer or to a holding tank if the home is not connected to city sewage.
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Tips
- If your bathtub is draining slowly, you can try a commercial chemical drain cleaner as an alternative to using a plunger or a drain cleaning tool. You can buy these cleaners at most hardware or home supply stores. Follow the directions on the packaging carefully, and never mix drain cleaners with other cleaning solutions.Thanks
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Warnings
- Never pour bleach down your bathtub drain. Doing so can gradually damage and weaken your pipes over time.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://brendid.com/how-to-naturally-clean-a-clogged-drain/
- ↑ http://lifehacker.com/5824780/how-to-unclog-a-drain
- ↑ https://www.plumbingsupply.com/how-to-remove-a-tub-drain-stopper.html
- ↑ http://www.askthebuilder.com/shower-drain-odor/
- ↑ http://housewifehowtos.com/clean/how-to-clean-stinky-drains/
- ↑ https://www.homerepairtutor.com/unclog-bathtub-drain/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuXvZM--HRc
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVC0jecDN9U
About This Article
Article Summary
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To clean and deodorize your bathroom drain, remove your drain stopper and pour 1 cup of baking soda into the drain. Let it sit for 20 minutes to absorb the odors. Then, use a bottle brush to remove the gunk from the inside of your drain. Make sure to move the brush up and down while rotating it to help pull out all the dirt and hair. Finally, flush the drain with a pot of boiling water. If you need further deodorizing, try flushing with a pot of boiled white vinegar. For advice on clearing stubborn clogs from your drain, read on.
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Reader Success Stories
- "Thanks. I was able to get the plug out and unclogged but it still wouldnt drain. I unscrewed the overflow plate because I was going to use the plunger. There must have been a vapor lock because as soon as I removed the plate it drained better than it ever has!" ..." more
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"Thanks. I was able to get the plug out and unclogged but it still wouldnt drain. I unscrewed the overflow plate because I was going to use the plunger. There must have been a vapor lock because as soon as I removed the plate it drained better than it ever has!"
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"Thank you so very much, my spouse was unable to clear the drain and had a meeting to go to, so I was able to quickly and efficiently clear and clean the drain on my own."
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"Making sure the plug was put in tight after pouring the vinegar. Flushing with boiling water also. "
