I unblocked my shower drain with two natural items and it worked in just an hour

Daily Mirror

3 days ago

There's truly nothing more annoying than a slow-draining plughole, especially if your shower is positioned over your bath - but there's a quick and easy fix you can try before calling a plumber
There's nothing more irritating than a slow-draining plughole, particularly when your shower is over your bath. As a child, I never imagined that adulthood would involve so much time spent unblocking drains, but it's a very common occurrence.
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Recently, I noticed the water pooling around my feet during showers was becoming increasingly deep, signalling it was time to tackle the blockage. The last time this happened, I tried various methods and even called in a plumber, only to discover a tree growing in the outside pipe was the culprit.
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This time, thankfully, the solution was simpler and involved two natural ingredients.
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Before you resort to chemical drain cleaners, consider trying a simpler, more natural solution - baking soda and white vinegar. These household staples are surprisingly effective at cleaning various parts of your home, including blocked drains.
I've used this method before to clear a blocked drain, but this time I tweaked my technique slightly after reading a tutorial by Martha Stewart. In terms of what you need, it's straightforward: a few spoonfuls of baking soda, a generous amount of white vinegar, and a clean cloth, reports the Express.
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How to clear a blocked drain
It's worth noting that this method may only be effective for minor clogs. If your drain is severely blocked, chemicals might be the better option.
But if it's only a bit slow-draining, like mine was, then baking soda and white vinegar should do the trick. When these two products come together, they fizz up and create a reaction that can 'help to break down minor clogs', according to the pros at Martha Stewart.
All you need to do is pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by half a cup of white vinegar, making sure to do this slowly. You'll see it start to fizz up everywhere, and to help get the most out of the reaction, use a clean cloth to cover it.
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Then, just leave the drain alone for about an hour so that the white vinegar and baking soda can get to work. That's the best thing about this hack - how little effort is actually involved.
When the time is up, grab a kettle full of warm water - not boiling - and pour this down the sink too. I was disgusted yet pleasantly surprised to see bits of drain debris flowing upwards and out of the plughole, so I knew the trick had worked.
And when I turned on the shower, it was clear to see whatever had been blocking the drain was no more. Water flowed down quickly and there was no dreaded pool of water post-shower.
You might need to repeat this a few times depending on how badly your drain is clogged, but it's the perfect quick and easy method to try before resorting to other means.