I cleaned my shower, now it won't drain, what gives?

September 5, 2020 4:02 PM

Before cleaning my shower, the drain was working just fine, no problems at all, and I didn't see any hair in the shower. I used 3 products to clean my shower: Kaboom mold and mildew, comet limescale remover, and scrubbing bubbles mega shower foamer. The cleaning was uneventful, now 4 hours later I took a shower and the shower drain is almost not draining at all. What did I do? How can I fix this??? Thanks!
posted by maxexam to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

Maybe a partial blockage shifted and became a full blockage. I would try to snake something down into the drain to try to break it up. A length of curtain wire is one option you might have. Your drain may have a way to unscrew the middle (there may be a couple of notches for a flat screwdriver) to give better access to the drain.
posted by pipeski at 4:22 PM on September 5, 2020 [2 favorites]

Probably the scum from the cleaning products accumulated on an existing clog that wasn't fully blocking the pipe. Get a Zip-It and shove it in there, they're like five bucks and work incredibly well.
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:29 PM on September 5, 2020 [20 favorites]

I like to preface the zip-it work with a kettle of boiling water and wait 5-10 minutes, it tends to soften everything in the cloggy area so it moves more easily. Don't skip the wait, though - you do not want to suddenly free a blob of boiling pipegunk into your face.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:35 PM on September 5, 2020 [19 favorites]

I was also going to suggest boiling water. I never had success with the zip-it thing (I think my drains are shaped weird or more likely, I just don't know what I am doing.) But pouring kettle after kettle of boiling water down the drain has done the trick for me more often than not. Sometimes accompanied by a little plunging after the first couple of kettlefuls.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:39 PM on September 5, 2020 [6 favorites]

Oh, and in case it isn't obvious, bail out the standing water in the tub before you start pouring the boiling water in the drain.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:40 PM on September 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

I've had remarkably good luck with this stuff: Green Gobbler.
posted by aramaic at 4:41 PM on September 5, 2020

If it will eventually drain, pour baking soda and then vinegar down the drain. The fizz will tend to loosen things up.
posted by rudd135 at 5:24 PM on September 5, 2020

Worth trying a plunger. You might need to do some of that other stuff later on anyway, but often a plunger will get it draining again.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:34 PM on September 5, 2020 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I went to lowes and bought a knock-off zip-it. I also used vinegar and baking soda. I also used a pot of boiling water for good measure. Furthermore I used a plunger. Water is flowing great now. I'm not sure which one did the most of the work, but it's fine now!
posted by maxexam at 5:35 PM on September 5, 2020 [25 favorites]

Well done, Ripley.

Actually trying to help: Plastic zipits can break and now you've got a clog of ick *and* a sizeable piece of plastic rattling around in your pipes.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:23 PM on September 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

If you're using bleach and/or lye-based caustics: please use eye prot. Never mix bleach and ammonia in any way, shape or form. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
posted by sourcequench at 8:01 PM on September 5, 2020 [5 favorites]

A mini plunger has worked well for me in the past. Wear gloves, eye protection, and a face mask to avoid getting splashed with corrosive cleaning solution.
posted by metasunday at 6:23 AM on September 6, 2020

Also, if you try all these methods with no help, do you use an external plug or an internal plug operated by a toggle? If the latter it could be broken or jammed up inside, easy to check by taking the screws off the overflow and pulling the whole works out.
posted by InkaLomax at 11:39 AM on September 6, 2020

I've also found that Palmolive liquid dish detergent (not dish washer) unclogs drains and toilets. After plungering doesn't.
Look forward to trying the boiling water.
Love these easy fixes!
posted by Mesaverdian at 12:56 PM on September 7, 2020