WHY DOES HAIR KEEP STICKING IN PLUMBING DRAINS?

Hair sticking in your plumbing drains is one of the most common causes of drain clogs in shower, and in some bathroom sinks. You may find yourself pulling and tugging on the hair that escalates there every month or so and wonder why on earth it can’t just wash on down the drain. After all, it’s not like you have a few of hair falling out every time you shampoo and shaving only normally cuts off small sections at a time.

What most people don’t know about hair is that it’s constructed with tiny scales all along the hair shaft. It’s naturally created this way as it grows in length. Think of the scales of a fish for a bit. When you slide your finger along fish scales in the direction of head to tail, it’s very smooth. But slide your finger the other way and you know there are scales that stop you every step of the way.

Hair is constructed very similarly in that in one direction it’s smooth but the other it will stick to just about any surface. These scale like parts of the hair shaft are what makes the hair want to stick to itself and other things, especially when wet. Add to that some small soap pieces from your bar soap leftovers that always seem to slip on down the drain and you have a clumpy mess of sticky substance in your drains before you know it.

What To Do About Hair Clogs In Your Plumbing Drains
You can’t very well stop losing your hair when you shower, so that’s out of the question if you want to keep your plumbing drain clogs from hair at a minimum. You can, but, purchase a drain filter or strainer that is built to keep out hair and other such debris.

Your bathtub probably already has a strainer or some other plug available, but it may not sufficiently blog hair. You can do a search on the Internet for bathtub or sink hair catcher and find any quantity types that will fit your home’s bathtub and other plumbing drains.

You should also get a drain cleaner that’s made of plastic and looks like a tiny jigsaw blade with a small handle on one end. This mini tool is great at catching on to sticky hair wads in your drain and pulling them up. They are perfectly made of a flexible plastic material and have little barbs or teeth that will grab the hair which won’t hurt your drain system at all.

You will probably need to clean out your plumbing drains this way every couple of months, depending on how many people use the shower, tub, or sink. If you ever wind up with a drain clog from hair or other materials, never use a drain cleaner. Try the plumbing drain cleaning method above and if you still can’t remove the clog, call us and we’ll clear out your plumbing drains well. Call our plumbing repair team at Elizabeth Drain Service today!


If you are looking for plumber in Elizabeth New Jersey or other plumbing services, please call Elizabeth Drain Service at (908) 988-0365.

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​​​Elizabeth Plumbing and Drain Service
362 Elmora Ave. #323, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07202
(908) 988-0365

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