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Does Hair Naturally Dissolve in the Drain?

Posted on: July 12, 2023

Closeup of a woman brushing her hair in the bathroomPulling out globs of slimy hair from your drain can be pretty gross, but what happens to the hair that makes it past the drain screen?

Will Hair Naturally Dissolve in The Drain?

Hair can take up to two years to decompose, so it’ll be in your drains for a while.

The situation can get pretty hairy if those strands tangle with soap scum and other elements that wash down your drains. Single strands can suddenly become a bundled hairball stuck in your drain.

How To Remove Hair Clogs in Your Drain

We don’t recommend waiting for that hair clog to dissolve naturally since that can lead to drain backups. You can attempt to clear hair clogs on your own with these tips:

1. Boiling Water

Boiling water won’t dissolve your hair, but it might dissolve the soap scum that is keeping the strands of hair from sliding down the drain.

2. Baking Soda & Vinegar

Pour 1 cup of baking soda into the drain. Wait a few minutes, then pour 1 cup of vinegar in too.

After a few hours, the mixture will create a chemical reaction to break down the hair. Flush thoroughly with water to clear the clog.

3. Grab & Go

Sometimes, the clog is close enough to the surface that you can reach into the drain with your hand or an auger to grab and remove it from the drain.

How To Prevent Hair Clogs

The best way to make sure you don’t have a slimy hair clog in your drain is to prevent hair from going down your drain in the first place.

That can include installing a drain cover, removing hair from your sinks and showers before it reaches your drain, or routinely flushing your drains.

Schedule Professional Drain Cleaning in Baltimore

If you have tried all these tricks and they still don’t work, the professionals at Len The Plumber Heating & Air can help with your icky hair clog problems so you don’t have to.

Contact us online or call (800) 950-4619(800) 950-4619 today to schedule drain cleaning. We can get you out of that hairy situation with same day service seven days a week!

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