Help me not snake the drain every day

April 1, 2014 9:47 AM

My shower has a flat drain cover that looks like this. I have a lot of hair that of course falls out when I take a shower. I wanted to get a hair catch for the drain to prevent clogs, but all the ones I can find at Home Depot have a little cup which won't work. Also, the drain cover doesn't appear to be easy to remove, as there are no screws on the top (I'm a renter, so I don't want to pry it off or anything). Do you have any ideas of what I can use instead (and how to attach it)? Some kind of mesh that would withstand daily showering?
posted by bluefly to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

If you have a Bed Bath and Beyond near you (or can order online) we got this kind:hair catcher. It sits up over the drain rather than in it and I've been very happy with it!
posted by brilliantine at 9:50 AM on April 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: OXO shower drain cover
posted by Lyn Never at 9:50 AM on April 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

I have a similar hair catcher to the one brilliantine posted and it works great. It's just a plastic thing that sits on top of the drain. Works great.
posted by bedhead at 9:51 AM on April 1, 2014

Best answer: I've tried both types of hair catchers people mentioned above and the winner is the OXO one. It let far less hair through than the other kind, and cleaning up is easy as I just lift it up and tap it against the trashcan.
posted by needled at 9:55 AM on April 1, 2014

Best answer: I have the OXO one Lyn Never posted, and I like it better than the plastic kind because it is easier to remove the hair afterward. Dealing with wet loose hair squicks me out.
posted by msbubbaclees at 9:58 AM on April 1, 2014

In addition to the catchers mentioned above, brushing out your hair immediately before going in the shower reduces the amount that goes down the drain quite a bit.
posted by Gneisskate at 9:59 AM on April 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Ah, I guess Home Depot just didn't have a good selection of drain protectors. I assumed if they didn't have anything, no one else would either, so I didn't keep searching! I do try to brush my hair before showering, but somehow even the little bit that falls out accumulates over time especially when I have visitors. Thanks!
posted by bluefly at 10:06 AM on April 1, 2014

Best answer: I was surprised at how few options my Home Depot had. The local (Ace) hardware store had better options for shower drain strainers.
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:09 AM on April 1, 2014

Best answer: FWIW, I can't be sure without checking, but I think I have the exact same drain cover, and it has little metal clips that lock it into place. It's relatively easy to pop off and on with a little effort, and let's you clean the drain out very well once it's off.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:26 AM on April 1, 2014

You could also try the drainwig.
posted by MrHalfwit at 10:30 AM on April 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

Ha, so I have used the metal mesh strainer in the first row in that Home Depot link you added, but I never realized it was a cup! I thought it was supposed to be a dome and it worked fine that way (and I didn't even have the grate over the drain like you have). It just sat there over the drain as it roughly fit in place fine, though I imagine you could epoxy on a magnet if you really wanted to get clever/diy.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 11:14 AM on April 1, 2014

You can also get the plastic one that's first on the left in the Home Depot page, and evert the cup part so it sticks up rather than down. I did that with a similar one sold by the local supermarket, and it works fine.
posted by brianogilvie at 11:41 AM on April 1, 2014

I have one over my shower that's fairly similar to the OXO one linked in the second post. The boyfriend and I have about two feet of hair between us, and mine's super dense and curly, so it sheds. A lot.

The drain catcher is a freaking wonderful invention. Every other day, I'm pulling a good golfball sized chunk from the top of the catcher and dumping it in the trash. It just rests right over our drain and it's fine enough, and slightly grooved, so the hair gets all tangled and catches in it instead of all going down the drains.

It's super easy to move and ever since I installed it, our drains have been running significantly better. I wish they made them for the sinks, honestly, because it's the best cash I ever dropped on something for the house ever.
posted by PearlRose at 12:19 PM on April 1, 2014

Response by poster: You can also get the plastic one that's first on the left in the Home Depot page, and evert the cup part so it sticks up rather than down. I did that with a similar one sold by the local supermarket, and it works fine.

I've tried that before, but it slides around when the shower is running, and stuff just goes underneath it.

I just went to the Ace Hardware and bought a drain protector almost identical to the OXO one. Also, the drain cover does have clips! So I was able to remove it and snake the drain a bit. Many thanks from a very not-handy person.
posted by bluefly at 12:24 PM on April 1, 2014