Shower Drain Clogged? How to Clear Hair and Standing Water

A shower drain clogged with hair and soap is usually something you can clear yourself with a pair of gloves, a plunger, and an inexpensive hand snake. This guide from Repipe Solutions, a licensed Houston plumbing company, walks through how to fix a clogged shower drain in the right order, what standing water is telling you, why a shower drain can smell even when it drains fine, and the signs that the problem is not in the shower at all.

Why Is My Shower Drain Clogged?

• Hair. This Old House names hair and soap scum buildup as the most frequent cause of a slow-draining tub or shower. It collects at or just below the drain cover and tangles with soap and conditioner residue.
• Soap scum and body products. Oatey lists soap scum, skin cells, bath product residue, and hard water mineral deposits as the usual buildup behind slow shower drains.
• Hard water scale. The USGS explains that hard water moving through pipes over time leaves scale that narrows the inside of the pipe. Houston’s main water system averaged 135.5 ppm total hardness in the 2025 Houston Water Quality Report, which falls in the USGS “hard” range of 121 to 180 mg/L.
• A problem further down the line. Roto-Rooter also lists cracked drain pipe and tree roots. Those are not shower problems, and we cover how to spot them below.

Slow Drain, Standing Water, or Something Bigger?

How the shower behaves tells you roughly where the clog is and what to try first.

Safety Before You Start

• Wear rubber gloves. Home Depot recommends gloves for every method, and eye protection for drain openers.
• If you already poured in a drain cleaner, do not plunge. Drano warns never to use a plunger during or after its Max Gel product, because the chemical may still be sitting in the drain.
• Never mix products. Drano also warns that combining its gel with other cleaners can cause hazardous fumes or a violent reaction. If you call a plumber, tell them exactly what is in the drain.
• Watch the hot water. Standing water mixed with boiling water can scald. Only reach into water that is cool enough to touch.

Shower Drain Clogged With Hair: Pull It Out First

1. Remove the strainer. Some unscrew with a screwdriver and others pry up. Home Depot advises prying carefully so you do not scratch the shower floor around the drain.
2. Look in with a flashlight and pull out any visible clump with a gloved hand or needle-nose pliers.
3. Reach deeper with a hook. A plastic barbed drain stick (often sold as a zip tool) or a straightened wire hanger with a small hook bent into the end will grab hair a few inches down. As Angi describes it, wiggle the hook until it catches the clog, then pull it out slowly. Oatey cautions against forcing a hanger too deep, which can damage the pipe.
4. Throw the hair in the trash. Do not flush it.
5. Run hot tap water for a minute to rinse loose residue and check the flow.

To keep it from coming back, put a hair catcher or drain screen over the opening and empty it often. Both Home Depot and Roto-Rooter list this as the main way to prevent repeat hair clogs.

Clogged Shower Drain With Standing Water: How to Plunge It

1. Take the strainer off so the cup sits directly over the opening.
2. Seal the overflow if you have a tub and shower combo. This Old House says to stuff a wet rag into the overflow hole while you plunge. Otherwise the pressure escapes through it instead of hitting the clog.
3. Make sure the cup is covered. Home Depot says to have enough water to cover the lip of the cup, and a little petroleum jelly on the rim helps if the cup will not seal.
4. Plunge hard. Roto-Rooter recommends 10 to 15 strong strokes, repeated three or four times before moving on.

If the water drops but the shower is still slow, there is more hair below. Move to the snake.

How to Clear a Clogged Shower Drain With a Hand Snake

A hand snake (small drum auger) reaches through the trap where a hook cannot. Mr. Rooter notes basic hand snakes are inexpensive at a hardware store. Home Depot’s method:

1. Feed the cable into the drain until it stops at the clog.
2. Turn the handle clockwise to hook the clog, and keep feeding it.
3. When the resistance lets up, give it one more full turn.
4. Turn counterclockwise and pull it back out slowly so you do not lose the clog.
5. Clean off the cable, run hot water, and replace the strainer.

Do not force the cable if it will not turn a bend. Oatey cautions that mechanical tools can sometimes push a clog further down the pipe, and if the clog persists, it is time for a plumber.

Does Boiling Water Work for a Clogged Shower Drain?

Many guides say to start with boiling water. Be careful with that advice. Home Depot says boiling water is only for metal pipes and warns against pouring it down PVC, which heat can damage. Charlotte Pipe, a major PVC pipe maker, rates its PVC drain pipe for use where temperatures will not exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Boiling water is 212 degrees. Many homes have plastic drain lines, so check what yours are made of before you pour.

Boiling water also does very little to a wad of hair, which is what clogs most showers. A safer option for soap residue is the one Bob Vila describes: up to a quarter cup of dish soap followed by hot water. On PVC, use the hottest water from your tap instead of a kettle. Baking soda and vinegar can loosen light buildup and freshen the drain, but Oatey notes these home mixes may open a blockage only partly.

Why We Tell You to Skip the Chemical Drain Cleaner

If a chemical drain opener does not clear the clog, you are left with a drain full of chemicals that you cannot safely plunge and that a plumber has to work around. Roto-Rooter notes that chemical cleaners can corrode pipes with repeated use. We explain how each type of pipe reacts in why chemical drain cleaners are bad for your pipes.

Shower Drain Smells but Is Not Clogged?

A shower can drain perfectly and still smell like sewer gas or rotten eggs. Every shower has a trap, a curved section of pipe that holds water to block gas from the drain system. The Texas edition of the 2021 International Residential Code requires each fixture trap to hold a water seal of 2 to 4 inches. When that seal fails, you smell it. This Old House lists the common causes:

• A dry trap. Guest showers that sit unused let the trap water evaporate. Run the shower for a few minutes. This Old House suggests doing it every two weeks or so in a bathroom that rarely gets used.
• Biofilm. Hair, skin oils, and soap in a warm, wet trap feed bacteria that form a slimy film and give off a rotten egg odor. Pull the strainer, scrub what you can reach, and flush with baking soda, vinegar, and hot tap water.
• A blocked vent. If the plumbing vent on the roof is clogged, draining water can pull the trap dry. That needs a plumber or a roof access snake.
• A cracked drain pipe under the shower can let gas, and water, escape below the floor.

If the smell comes with damp flooring or stains outside the shower, the issue may be a leak rather than a drain clog. Our shower pan leaking guide covers how to tell.

When the Clog Is Not in the Shower

A main line clog usually shows up first at the lowest fixtures in the house, and the shower is often one of them. No amount of plunging the shower will fix that. Signs the problem is further down:

• Water comes up in the shower when you flush a toilet or run the washer
• Several drains are slow at the same time
• Toilets gurgle or bubble while the shower drains

If you see these, stop running water and call a plumber. Our guide to drain line vs sewer line problems explains the difference, and if the toilet is also acting up, see what to do about a clogged toilet.

What It Costs to Have a Plumber Clear a Shower Drain

If the camera shows the clog is in the main line instead, clearing it costs more, usually $350 to $650 with us. Full details are on our Houston drain cleaning page. Either way, you get a written price to approve before any work begins.

When to Call a Plumber

• Plunging and a hand snake have not cleared the standing water
• The shower clogs again within a few weeks of clearing it
• Water backs up into the shower from a toilet, sink, or washer
• More than one drain is slow or gurgling
• You poured in a chemical cleaner and the drain is still holding water
• A sewer smell stays after you refill the trap

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a toilet plunger on a shower drain?

Yes. Roto-Rooter says a flange toilet plunger works in a shower or tub. Cover the overflow on a tub and shower combo and keep the cup under water.

Is boiling water safe for a clogged shower drain?

Only if the drain pipe is metal. PVC drain pipe is rated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit by Charlotte Pipe, well below boiling. On plastic pipe, use hot tap water and dish soap.

Why does water come up in my shower when I flush the toilet?

The toilet and shower share a drain further down. When that shared line or the main sewer line is blocked, flushed water backs up into the lowest opening, which is often the shower. That calls for a plumber, not a plunger.

Can I plunge after using a drain cleaner?

No. Drano warns never to use a plunger during or after its gel, because the chemical may still be in the drain if it did not clear. Tell your plumber what you used.

Why does my shower keep clogging with hair?

Usually because the last clean only cleared part of the clump, or nothing is stopping new hair. Snake the drain to get the rest, then fit a hair catcher and empty it regularly.

Shower Drain Still Clogged? Get It Cleared in Houston

If the hook, plunger, and snake have not done it, or the shower is backing up from somewhere else, Repipe Solutions can clear it. We offer same-day drain service across Greater Houston, use a sewer camera to find the real cause, and give you a written price before we start. See our drain cleaning services in Houston or contact Repipe Solutions to schedule a visit.

Featured photo: “Shower drain” by Wonderlane via Openverse, licensed under CC BY 2.0, converted to WebP.