Drain cleaners?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Drain cleaners?

    Well, our bathtub drain seems to have gotten a bit "slow," I suspect probably from hair buildup, even though we have a built-in filter thing. I'm not wildly experienced with such things so I was hoping you good folks would have some advice - should I talk to our apartment managers and see if they can get someone to snake it, or should I buy an "over the counter" solution like Drain-o? Anything in particular I should buy/avoid?

    Thanks in advance! I'm just scared of breaking the pipes :-p 

    • Gold Top Dog
    If it's just slow, I would Drain-o it first. I have long, thick hair, so I clog drains a lot :)

    My favorite kind of Drain-o I don't think is made by Drain-o. I think it's Liquid Plumber? It's the kind that is in two separate compartments of the bottle and you take one cap off and combine them as they go down the drain. It makes lots of amusing foam.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I am the master at clogging drains with my freak-hair. I use liquid plumber (the most expensive one- it might be called max or something) about every 2 months. If it's really clogged though, i took a wire hanger and straightened it out and dig in the drain and pull wads of hair out. If you do this though, make sure you have a strong stomach because wet hair makes me gag. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    I think you can also use vinegar & baking soda to unplug your drain.

    • Silver

    I don't know if you have access to a hose but I take my outside hose and stick it down the drain with a rag on top  to stop the water from backing  out. My brother was a plumber and he taught me that trick. I do it now at the beginning of every season to prevent clogs.

    • Gold Top Dog

     Thanks, everyone! Nope, no hose, but that's a good idea! I tried the baking soda and vinegar since I had it at home already, and if that doesn't work I'll go for some liquid plumbing assistance. Stick out tongue Thanks a bunch!

    • Gold Top Dog

    Our tub gets clogged routinely, since I have long stringy hair, DH is a hairy beast (lol), and sometimes the dogs have to be washed in the tub.  We use one from the grocery store, not the cheapest, but not the most expensive.  It has worked fine every time.  Let it sit for a few hours, then flush for a few minutes with hot water. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    I like the gel stuff, maybe its made by drano, comes in a red bottle.  let it sit for a while and rinse with hot water.

    Or, I ask DH to go fish the wad of hair out ;)

    • Gold Top Dog
    I get Lye from Home Depot. It's a crystal and it works really well, you just have to be really careful using it. I run hot water first, let it drain down, even if it takes a little while, then I pour the lye in and a little bit of water on top and let it sit. After a while I run lots of hot water and voila ~ clog gone!