Figuratively and literally — and we need your help.
Last week our bathtub drain started acting up. Having grown up with three sisters, I’m used to occasional hair clogs in the shower, so at first it didn’t seem like a big deal. Then, after one post–basement-painting shower, the drain went from slow to completely stopped: water refused to go down at all.
Annoyed but not panicked, we tried a series of familiar unclogging techniques:
- Fishing around with our fingers (gross, we know) removed a decent-sized hairball, but it didn’t restore drainage.
- Plunging dislodged a few unpleasant surprises, yet the water level remained unchanged.
- Our 25-foot drain snake (auger) was tried next; it did nothing, which wasn’t surprising given our expectations.
- We attempted the boiling water trick that saved our kitchen sink last year. After five pours, we only ended up adding more hot water to the tub.
- Following a suggestion from readers, we tried a half-cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar. We watched the fizzing mini-volcano, let it sit for five minutes, then flushed with hot water — still no improvement. A second attempt produced nothing but chemistry-class memories.
- Sherry even tried a $3 “Zip-It” tool recommended online. It didn’t pull out the epic hairball shown in some viral videos — our tool came back relatively clean — which left us both relieved and frustrated.
Hope returned when we spoke with a hardware-store expert. He suggested a biodegradable enzyme cleaner, Roebic Laboratories Bacterial Drain Cleaner. The instructions called for mixing two tiny capfuls into about 12 ounces of warm water and dumping it down the drain to sit overnight. The next morning the 12 ounces had drained away, so for a moment it seemed promising — until the tub immediately started filling up again when we ran the faucet.
After two nights using the Roebic solution and more showers that turned into baths than we care to admit (each time manually bailing water into a bucket), we’re close to calling a professional plumber.
But before we do, we want to check in with you: have you solved a stubborn bathtub clog that wouldn’t budge? We’re open to reasonable DIY fixes and would love any proven tips or techniques you’ve used. Share what worked — mechanical methods, products, or specific steps — so we can try one more time and so others with similar drainage issues can benefit.
We’d really prefer to DIY this and claim victory over the clog that won’t quit, so please send your best advice. Fingers crossed for round six!
Update: We did it — we just unclogged the stubborn drain. Woohoo. Here are the details…