How to clean a shower drain and stop the smell

To clean a shower drain, take off the cover, pull out the hair with gloved fingers or a plastic drain tool, scrub the cover and the drain opening with a toothbrush and bathroom cleaner, then flush with very hot water. The whole job takes about 10 minutes, and doing it once a month keeps both clogs and smells away.

What do you need?

• Rubber gloves
• A plastic drain hair tool, the flexible barbed strip sold at hardware stores
• An old toothbrush or grout brush
• A bathroom cleaner, or warm water with a squirt of dish soap
• A screwdriver, if your cover is screwed down
• Baking soda and white vinegar, for the monthly flush
• A paper towel or small bag for the hair

How do you clean a shower drain step by step?

1. Take off the cover. Lift it out if it sits loose. If it's screwed in, unscrew it and put the screws somewhere they can't roll down the drain. Linear drains usually lift out with a flat screwdriver at one end.
2. Pull the hair. With gloves on, pull out what you can see. Then push the drain tool straight down, twist it a few times and pull it up slowly. Repeat until it comes up clean. This is the step that fixes a slow drain.
3. Scrub the cover. Spray it with cleaner, let it sit for five minutes, then scrub both sides with the toothbrush. The underside is where the slime builds up.
4. Scrub the drain body. Work the brush around the inside of the opening and the rim as far down as it reaches.
5. Flush. Run the shower as hot as it goes for a minute or two to carry the loosened grime down.
6. Put it back. Replace the cover and the screws.

How do you get rid of a shower drain smell?

Usually the smell is the hair and soap film you just pulled out. If it's still there after cleaning, try this once a month:

1. Pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain.
2. Follow it with a cup of white vinegar and let it fizz for 15 minutes.
3. Flush by running the shower as hot as it goes for two minutes.

If the shower in a guest bathroom smells and nobody uses it, the trap may have dried out. Run the water for a minute and the smell usually goes.

What should you not do?

• Don't mix drain products. Never pour vinegar or anything else on top of a chemical drain cleaner that's already in the pipe. The fumes and splash-back are dangerous.
• Don't pour boiling water down the drain. Very hot tap water is enough, and boiling water can soften plastic pipe joints.
• Don't force a stuck cover with a screwdriver against the tile. You'll chip the tile or the finish. Spray it with a little penetrating oil, wait, and try again gently.
• Don't rely on a chemical cleaner for hair. Hair clogs come out with a tool.

When should you call a plumber?

If the water still drains slowly after you've pulled the hair and flushed, the clog is further down. The same goes for a smell that comes back within days, a sewage smell, water backing up in another drain when the shower runs, or gurgling. Those need a plumber.

How do you keep the drain clean?

• Put a hair catcher over or in the drain and empty it after every shower or two. It stops hair at the surface, where it's easy to deal with.
• Brush hair before you shower, not in it.
• Give the cover a quick scrub when you clean the shower each week.
• Do the full clean and the baking soda flush once a month.

For the rest of the shower, see our guides on cleaning bathroom tiles and cleaning a shower head.

What a house cleaning covers

Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, cleans the bathroom fixtures and drains, along with the tub, shower and tiled walls, the shower door glass and tracks, and the floor.

On Deep Cleaning, PureRenewal, the fixtures and drains are descaled and polished, and the tub, shower and tiled walls are scrubbed with the soap scum and grout treated. Every item on the list is cleaned whether or not it looks like it needs it.

FAQ

How do I clean a shower drain without removing the cover? Push a plastic drain hair tool down through the slots, twist and pull to bring the hair up, then scrub the cover in place with a toothbrush and flush with hot water. It works for light buildup, but taking the cover off is the only way to reach the hair that collects just below it.

Why does my shower drain smell? Usually it's soap scum, hair and skin oils rotting in the first few inches of the pipe. Clearing the hair and scrubbing the drain body handles it. If the smell comes back within days, or you smell sewage, call a plumber.

Does baking soda and vinegar unclog a drain? It loosens light film and freshens the drain, but it won't move a hair clog. Pull the hair out first, then use baking soda, vinegar and very hot tap water as a monthly flush.

Are chemical drain cleaners safe to use? They're harsh on older pipes, on finishes and on skin, and they can splash back. Read the label, check that it's safe for your pipes, and never mix one with another product. A hair tool does the job without them in many showers.

Does a house cleaning include shower drains? Standard House Cleaning cleans the bathroom fixtures and drains, and Deep Cleaning descales and polishes them.

Book a cleaning

We clean homes across South Jersey and Central Jersey. Book online at tinascleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (609) 831-4455.