Maintaining facial hair can be an important daily routine for many people, but when shaving or trimming hair over a sink or in the shower, the potential problems it can cause with your plumbing can be both annoying and costly.
When shaving or trimming each morning, there are a few ways you can help reduce or prevent the chances of hair clogging the drain and in turn save money over costly professional plumbing maintenance.
Consider Dry Shaving and Trims
Instead of lathering up your face and beard before shaving or trims, consider keeping everything dry. A dry sink can be a great place for hair to collect, and allows for easy and muck-free collection of the hair so it can be tossed into a trash can.
Alternatively, you can place a paper towel or other liner in the sink to make cleanup a breeze. After you are done trimming or shaving, simply fold the paper towel or other liner to keep the hairs secured and toss it in the garbage.
Use a Bowl for Water
Instead of letting water run continuously as you shave, consider using a bowl in the sink instead. While you can put the stopper in the sink and use it that way, the shed hairs will separate to the bottom and will be the first to go down the drain when the plug is pulled.
By having a bowl in the sink instead, you can easily swirl it around before sending it down the drain. This keeps your trimmed hairs and the shaving cream spread out instead of in a single lump and will help prevent clogs.
After dumping the bowl in the sink, let hot water run down the drain for a short time to help push everything through the system and prevent hair clogs from getting started.
Use Clog-Removing Products
Whether you dry trim or wet shave, chances are that some hair will end up going down the drain. As a regular part of sink and plumbing maintenance, use a baking soda and vinegar mixture in the drain to help dislodge hair clogs that may be forming.
Start by pouring one-half cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by one cup of white vinegar. Allow the mixture to foam up in the drain for 5 to 10 minutes before running hot water from the tap into the sink for at least 30 seconds.
This will help remove scum and some mineral build up, as well as excess hair that may be clinging to the walls of the pipes along the way. If you need something a bit more aggressive, there are a variety of chemical drain cleaning solutions on the market.
If liquid solutions don’t seem to help, try using a drain auger or hair snake. These products can be fed into the pipe from the drain opening and will grab onto hair and pull it back out so you can throw it in the trash.
Need More Help?
If you’re dealing with a chronically troublesome drain, you might have an issue with your sewer line. With affordable sewer inspections in Walnut Creek, Orinda, Martinez, and more, help is never far away.
