How to unclog a bathtub drain with bleach is a straightforward process. However, a better question might be if it is safe to unclog a bathtub with bleach.

While the properties in bleach to make it a disinfectant and a deodorant, if you have already tried to use other things to clear your drain, then you should avoid using bleach. This is because the chlorine in the bleach will have a chemical reaction with the ammonia commonly found in drain cleaners, vinegar, or even toilet bowl or window cleaners. This reaction will make a gas that is highly irritating to the lungs and is not safe to inhale.

There are, however, options for non-chlorine and eco-friendly bleach you can still use to clear a clogged drain. Even by itself, chlorinated bleach can be irritating to the lungs and harmful for your skin, so if you do choose to use it, always do so with care.

The tub’s drainage system consists of an L-shaped assembly that includes the tub drain, the overflow tube, and a stopper mechanism that is raised and lowered inside the overflow tube. The tub’s drainage assembly feeds wastewater to a P-trap, which can also be a clog location. In this Video I'll show you Step-by-Step How To Unclog Bathtub Drain in 5 minutes. Don't Call a Plumber! Do it Yourself & Save!TOOLS & SUPPLIESPlumbing Snake. If your bathtub drain is clogged, it’s usually an easy fix. Most of the time, bathtub clogs are caused by a build up of hair and other debris in the drain. To remove the clog, start by unscrewing the tub drain stopper. Depending on the type of stopper you have, you can do this by twisting it off by hand or using a screwdriver.

Using bleach to clear clogged drains

When unclogging a bathtub with bleach, first get all of the water out of the tub by either waiting until it has drained or by removing the water with a cup or bowl. Pour 1 cup of undiluted bleach down into the drain and wait for around 15 minutes. Then try to run some hot water down your drain to see if it worked.

Don’t let the bleach sit in your drain for too long if it does not seem to be doing anything because the bleach is corrosive and will eat away at the metal part of your drain. This is how the bleach clears the drain as well, especially from hair wads that might be clogging it up. It literally eats away at the hair and dissolves it, thereby making the drain clear and enabling you to use it again.

What other things can be used to unclog a drain

You can not only unclog a bathtub with bleach, but you can use other things as well, and some things like shaving cream or soap scum do not dissolve well by bleach anyway.

The first option is to try a soda like Coca-Cola and pour a couple of liters into the tub or sink. The same thing that makes soda so bubbly with also help to unclog your drain. Leave it for a couple of hours and then rinse it down with plenty of hot water.

Another option is to use a mixture of baking soda, salt, and vinegar to unclog your drain, but in order to do this your tub or sink first has to be at least fairly dry.

Once dry, place a cup of baking soda in and around the drain followed by a half a cup of salt. Then pour a cup of vinegar in the drain and around it. It should fizz up and clear the drain out on the way down. Follow with a few minutes of hot water.

Bathtub Drain Clogged Chemical

If however, you cannot get your bathtub to drain dry, or nothing you put in it is going down at all, then perhaps you should consider buying the simple tool that plumbers often use.

A plumbing snake is a long and flexible piece of metal that can be pushed down into the drain. A spike on the tip will force the way open, and by moving it up and down and back and forth, it will scrape away anything that may be clinging to the sides of your pipes. For best results follow this by pouring boiling or hot water down your drain.

What things tend to clog drains and what you can do to prevent it

Almost anything can clog a sink or a bathtub drain, but by far the most common thing is hair. Whether you are just washing your hair or you bathe your pet in the tub, you are going to have hair in your drain. If this seems to be a regular problem, consider getting a strainer to set in your drain that will catch hairs. While this will need to be dumped regularly, it is much better than having your bathtub drain clogged.

A kid’s toy is also something that also can easily clog a drain. To prevent a child’s toy from getting stuck be careful that you get all of the toys out of the tub before you let the water out, or only allow toys in the tub that you know won’t get caught. Also, try to teach your kids not to intentionally do this by explaining that it might hurt the toy.

Makeup, shaving cream, soap scum, and grease are all things that will clog up a drain as well. The key with these is not to overdo it and to always follow with several minutes of hot water afterwards to make sure that they go down instead of sticking around on the sides of your drain. If your water seems to be draining even just a little slow, do something for it before it gets completely clogged.

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It’s a common problem that we’ve all experienced. At first, your bathtub starts to drain more slowly but you tell yourself the problem will go away. Except it just gets worse and worse until one day you find it’s completely blocked.

It’s understandable that you don’t want to call in the plumber at the first sign of a blockage – it’s expensive after all – but you don’t need to wait till you have a tub full of standing water to take action. So here’s how to unclog a bathtub drain by yourself.

If you want to see a couple of techniques – including one we didn’t talk about using Coca-Cola – check out this humorous video that shows you how it’s done.

Different steps you can take

When it comes to unclogging your bathtub drain, you have several options. Here, we’ll work through them from the easiest and least drastic to the last resort.

If you have a drain to unblock, you can work through them in order – and if you still haven’t managed to unclog your drain, it probably means it’s time to call in a professional.

Note that these techniques are the same for any kind of bathtub, including walk-in bathtubs, corner bathtubs, freestanding bathtubs and any others.

1. Clean the strainers and stoppers

Many drains have some kind of cover that allows the water to pass but prevents larger objects from disappearing down the drain hole. The problem with this is that hair can become tangled up in it, eventually preventing water from passing.

This means the first thing you need to do if your drain is showing signs of being blocked is to clean this cover.

All you need to do is remove whatever strainer or stopper your drain has and clean off any build-up of hair. If the cover is not screwed down, simply lift it off and give it a clean. If it is held in place by a screw, unscrew it and do the same.

Replace it and run some water to test it. If the water drains away as it it should, you have solved the problem. If not, move on to the second technique.

2. Drain claw

If cleaning the strainer or stopper hasn’t done the trick, the next thing to try is a drain claw. This is an inexpensive tool consisting of a stick covered in small hooks that is designed for unblocking bathtub drains.

Remove the strainer or stopper as before and push the drain claw into the drain. Push it in as far as you can and then slowly pull it out again. The hooks on the stick will grab hold of any clumps of hair, allowing you to pull them out with the stick.

You can repeat the process a few times until you are no longer pulling out clumps of hair and gunk. When you are ready, refit the stopper or strainer and run some water to see if the blockage has been resolved. If not, you can move on to the third technique.

3. Baking soda and vinegar

Bathtub Drain Clogged

The next technique you can try involves pouring boiling water into the drain with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar.

First, boil a full kettle of water and pour the whole lot into the drain. If you are lucky, just the boiling water alone will be enough to shift the blockage.

If not, next, pour half a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar into the drain. Wait for 15 or 20 minutes for the mixture to act.

Boil another full kettle of water and pour it into the hole and wait for the water to drain away. Run some water to see if it has worked. You may like to repeat this process two or three times. If not, you can move onto the next technique.

4. Use a plunger

If the baking soda, vinegar and hot water mixture doesn’t solve the problem, even after a few tries, the blockage is probably more severe and the build-up more solid. This means a bit more force might be required – so the next thing to try is a good old-fashioned bathroom plunger.

Start by filling the bathtub to a couple of inches deep. Using hot water rather than cold may also help a little. Place the plunger over the hole and push it down and pull it up hard several times.

You are trying to shift the blockage with the force of the suction, so the more vigorously you do it, the more effective it will be.

If it’s working, clumps of hair and other grime will start to be sucked up out of the hole. When this happens, scoop them up out of the tub so they don’t go back into the hole and block it up again.

Bathtub Drain Clogged Home Remedy

Repeat this several times. It will probably be quite obvious if you are succeeding because you will see the clumps of hair being sucked up out of the hole and into the tub. If it works, once you have removed the blockage, the water will drain away normally.

Bathtub Drain Clogged Fix

If it seems to work partially, you may think about trying the baking soda and vinegar again, and then the plunger again several times.

If this doesn’t work, move on to the last option.

5. Chemical products

If all else fails, before calling in a plumber, you can try a chemical drain cleaner. This should be a last resort as they contain strong chemicals that are bad for the environment and that will also weaken your bathtub’s drainage system.

Choose a product that is specifically made for bathtubs, take all necessary safety precautions like wearing gloves etc., read the instructions carefully and do what it says on the bottle.

Remove standing water, pour the product into the drain and wait for the time specified on the bottle. After the time has elapsed, try running some water into the bathtub to see if it drains away. If it does, you’re in luck – and if not, it’s time to call in a pro.

Don’t leave it until it’s too late

Probably the key to dealing with blocked bathtub drains is catching the problem early. If you take action before the problem gets too bad, it will be easier to solve – but if you let the blockage build up, it will be much harder to remove.

By following these techniques, you should be able to clear most blockages – but if you still can’t manage to get the blockage to clear, you’re going to have to bite the bullet and call in a plumber.