FlexiSnake Drain Weasel Sink Snake Cleaner, $17.95 at Amazon

You probably don’t even notice your shower drain on a daily basis. That is until you’re standing in ankle-deep water because the shower water is moving at such a slow pace down the drain that you might as well be taking a bath. Clogged drains can be caused by a number of things such as hair, dirt, soap scum, and more.

Dealing with a backed-up drain is annoying, and sometimes gross and stinky, but most clogs can be fixed, and even avoided, without calling in a professional. Here’s how to clean a clogged and smelly shower drain, as well as some products you can use to keep your showers always fresh and flowing.

If your shower overall needs some TLC, we've also got helpful guides for cleaning your shower head and glass shower doors.

One of the easiest ways to clean out a shower drain doesn’t require any complicated materials or products, just a handful of common household items to make a baking soda solution, says Bailey Carson, home care expert at Angi. Here’s what to do:

Kristiana Laugen, Home Expert at Handy adds that before you start the process, you should check what kind of pipes you have. If you have PVC pipes, which are made of plastic, you want to avoid using boiling water and instead use hot water from the sink. Once you pour in the baking soda and vinegar, you can also cover the drain with either a drain plug or a heavy towel to prevent the reaction from causing anything to overflow. 

Shower drains often get clogged over time, but one way to reduce the headache of dealing with them is to prevent them in the first place (or from happening frequently). Shower drain covers, says Carson, are a smart and inexpensive way to prevent leaks and maintain your drains and pipes. There are many types, so look for the one that best fits your tub drain and filters out your main build-up cause. For example, if you’re in a house with people with long hair, a drain cover made specifically to catch hair is your best bet. 

TubShroom Revolutionary Tub Drain Protector

If you don’t like the look of hair collecting at your drain, even in a drain protector, the TubShroom fits inside most standard-sized tub drains and collects hair around its base, hiding it from sight but also preventing it from clogging up your pipes. It’s also easy to clean — just take it out of the drain, remove the hair, and put it back.

OXO Good Grips Silicone Shower & Tub Drain Protector

For shower drains that don’t lie flush with the floor or tub, this silicone protector will grab debris and hair before it heads down the drain (it also fits flat drains as well). It’s weighted to keep it in place so it won’t slide around during your showers. 

Hair Catcher Durable Silicone Hair Stopper

Get a protector for every drain in your house, or at least have a couple on hand as backups for when you need to replace one. This pack comes with five different colored drain protectors that are durable and anti-slip. They have a raised design to trap hair and holes in the middle to keep the water flowing.

LEKEYE Shower Drain Hair Catcher

You’ll barely even notice you have a drain protector with this minimal stainless steel one. It’s rust-proof so it can keep up with your daily showers, and it has elliptical holes to help grab hair. It also has a silicone edge to secure it in place as well as block any unwanted random things from going down the drain.

Danco Tub/Drain Protector Hair Catcher and Strainer

This affordable option sits on top of the drain and has a flower-shaped design with tiny pegs to trap hair and debris. There’s a basket in the middle to grab anything the outside of the flower doesn’t catch, and there’s a finger lift built in so you don’t have to struggle with removing it from the floor.

Hair is a common culprit of clogged shower drains, and if you think that’s what’s causing yours, Carson says snaking the drain is the best way to clear the block. Simple snakes are relatively inexpensive and only take a few minutes to use.

For tougher jobs, you can try a hand-operated snake, which has spinning capabilities and may allow you to better capture and extract any gunk lingering in the pipes. Buf if your clog is being particularly stubborn, Carson suggests it might be a bigger issue and time to call in a professional to handle the job.

FlexiSnake Drain Weasel Sink Snake Cleaner

The FlexiSnake drain weasel has a thin, 18-inch flexible snake with micro hooks on the end that can wind through your pipes to help grab stuck hair or buildup. It has a rotating handle so you can twist the snake 360 degrees, and it comes with five wand refills so you can just remove the snake part and toss it in the trash after you’ve removed all the grime in your drain.

Green Gobbler Hair Grabber Drain Tool

If clogged drains happen more often than you’d like, this affordable pack of five drain tools may come in handy. Each one is made of sturdy plastic and is 22 inches long with spikes on the end to remove any drain blockages. 

Forlivese 25 Inch Hair snake Tool Drain Opener

Get those hard-to-reach clogs with this 25-inch long shower snake. It’s durable but flexible and has a barbed design to help it catch anything trapped in the drain. It has a loop at the top to make it easier to hold or hang along with your other cleaning supplies. 

Whether you have stuck hair or accidentally dropped something down the drain, this set has the tool for you. It includes three plastic drain snakes to untrap hair, a 39-inch stainless steel snake to reach deep blockages, and two 24-inch snakes with claws at the end to help grab hair or any other objects (even jewelry) that have fallen down the drain.

Drainx Pro Steel Drum Auger Plumbing Snake

Heavy-duty clogs need heavy-duty help, like this Drain X drum auger. A ¼ inch steel snake is attached to a steel drum with a knob you can manually turn to clear up the drain. It comes with a drawstring pouch to store the tool when not in use as well as a pair of gloves to protect your hands and prevent them from becoming overly dirty. 

If you go into the bathroom and notice a bad smell coming from your shower drain, you can try cleaning the drain with the baking soda solution/method mentioned earlier.

But a smelly drain may indicate that the water in your P-trap (the U-shaped pipe you see when you look under the sink) has evaporated, which can cause a buildup of unpleasant odors, says Carson.

A P-trap helps prevent deep plumbing clogs from forming and maintains a barrier between open drains and your sewage system. Because of their shape, P-traps hold a small amount of water. If the P-trap dries out, for example, if you don’t use that shower for a long period of time, sewer gases can make their way into your home, causing that unpleasant odor emanating from your drain.

Carson suggests trying running water to replenish the P-trap to keep foul smells at bay. But if this doesn’t take care of the stench, she says, you might want to call a plumber to see if you have a more serious leak or damage.