Speed Up Your Slow Draining Bathtub with 5 Easy Tips

A slow draining bathtub can be a frustrating problem. Have you ever found yourself standing ankle deep in water when you're taking a shower, not running a bath? Many people have. Ideally, cleaning your bathtub drain should be a regular part of your household cleaning routine. But the fact is most people won’t do anything about their drain until there’s a problem. However, there are also a number of ways you can unclog the drain yourself without resorting to harsh chemicals or an expensive plumber.

Here are 5 quick Tips:

Tools Checklist:
Pot/Kettle and hot water □
Rubber Gloves □
Round plunger □ Bucket □
Coat hanger or thin wire □
Vinegar □
Baking soda □
Plumbing snake □

Tip 1: H2O
Water that’s hot but just short of boiling can clear drains that aren’t fully clogged. Allow a pot or kettle to heat just shy of boiling. Carefully pour the contents directly down the tub drain. Allow it to stand for 15 minutes and follow up by using a round plunder on the tub drain. Repeat twice if necessary.

Tip 2: Unstop the StopperThe stopper on the tub drain should pull out or screw out easily. Remove it and clean the underside where debris will have accumulated. With this out of the way, take a bent coat hanger or piece of thin, rigid wire and poke it down into the drain, pulling up any hair and/or other items that are usually responsible for some of the clog. Continue this process until drain is unclogged. .

Tip 3: Old Faithful: The PlungerA plunger is the first tub drain clog remedy for most people and every home should have a round plunger that can be used on sinks and bathtubs. With the drain stopper removed, press it down around the tub drain to form a seal and plunge up and down several times. You can create a vacuum and make the plunger more effective by blocking off the tub overflow. Repeat if necessary. Where the clog isn’t too bad, heavy plunging will usually clear it.

Tip 4: A little Vinegar Goes a Long WayIf you like to Go Green, this is an easy way to fix the problem without pouring anything toxic down the drain. In a pitcher or large cup, combine 1/3 cup vinegar with 1/3 cup baking soda. The mixture will immediately begin to fizz. Pour it down the tub drain as quickly as possibly to allow the mixture to react with the clog. Allow to stand for 10 minutes then flush with hot water. You'll be able to see if the treatment has cleared the clog successfully or not. Repeat as necessary to remove the clog completely.

Tip 5: The Plumber SnakeIf you have regular problems with your drains, this may be one snake you want to consider keeping in your house. It’s a steel cable with a spring that can be extended down the drain of a sink, tub, or toilet and is around 15 to 25 feet long. You can buy one at most local hardware stores. For this you should have a pair of rubber gloves, a rag and a bucket of warm, soapy water to clean up the mess. Cleaning out a drain at home using a plumber's snake isn't difficult, but it can be messy.

Remove your bathtub stopper and feed the snake down the drain slowly. Don’t be alarmed if it feels like it hits something. This may just be a bend in the pipe. Continue to push and turn the cable and it should go past the bend. Next, reverse the rotation of the snake and pull the coil out of the drain.

The next time your shower turns into bath time because of a slow drain give one of these tips a try! Need an easy fix tip for something else? Email Aeschlimaneasyfix.com. Look for our updates on twitter and facebook for more easy fix tips!

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