A bath that takes ages to empty rarely blocks all at once. It gets gradually slower as hair and soap build up, until one day the water barely moves.
The usual causes
- Hair caught in the plug or waste, especially with pop-up or click-clack plugs, which have more parts for hair to wrap around.
- Soap, bath products and skin oils that stick to the hair and harden.
- Limescale in the trap and waste, common in hard water areas.
- A shared waste with the basin or shower, so a blockage in one affects the other.
Clear the plug first
Many click-clack and pop-up plugs simply unscrew. Turn the plug anticlockwise (with it in the open position), lift it out and clean off the hair. Older plug-and-chain wastes may have a grid you can clean with an old toothbrush.
Use a plunger properly
The overflow hole is the reason many people find plunging a bath does nothing: the pressure escapes through it. Block the overflow with a wet cloth held firmly in place, put a few centimetres of water in the bath, then plunge the waste firmly.
Clean the trap
If you can get to the bath panel, the trap underneath can usually be unscrewed by hand. Put a bowl and towel underneath first. Clean it out, check the seals are in place and refit it hand-tight. Run the taps and check for leaks before refitting the panel.
Hot water and hair grabbers
A plastic hair grabber can pull out hair from inside the waste, and a kettle of hot (not boiling) water helps shift soap build-up.
When it is not the bath
If the bath still drains slowly after the plug and trap are clear, or other fittings are also affected, the problem is likely further along the pipe or in the underground drain. Warning signs include gurgling, water rising in the shower or basin, and smells. See our guides to gurgling drains and bad smells from drains.
Preventing it
A hair catcher over the plug makes the biggest difference. Clean the plug every few weeks and avoid pouring bath oils in neat, as they coat the pipe.
If your bath will not clear, find out about our blocked bath service.