We all shave regularly, and it’s healthy to do so. Coincidentally, we do it mostly in our washrooms and are often tempted to flush the excess hair down the drain. But you’ve to ask first, can hair clog a toilet?
Hair can clog the toilet if it gets caught in the drain’s imperfections and rough edges or rolls into a ball and becomes more extensive. Usually, the bigger the hair roll, the more waste it attracts and the bigger the clog gets.
What’s even alarming is the fact that human hair doesn’t decompose or dissolve easily. It may take some time before that happens, and you cannot survive with a blocked toilet.
Not only does such a toilet become smelly, but it also becomes unusable with time. Cost-wise, it becomes expensive to repair if the damage is extensive.
The good news is that things don’t have to get to such a point, especially when you avoid flushing hair down the toilet. But still, you can unblock a hair-clogged toilet, and I’m going to show you just how.
But before that, let’s talk more about how hair clogs your toilet.
Can Hair Clog a Toilet? If Yes, How?
Hair generally clogs the toilet, albeit bit by bit. But before it happens, a tone of events take place, which includes:
a) Hair Clings onto the Drains Imperfections
Hair usually gets caught on imperfections on the drain pipes. From dents to rough edges, hair easily gets trapped and catches the waste that flows through the drain.
b) Hair Rolls into A Ball
Hair also rolls into a ball that catches everything going down the drain, including human waste. As it does, the ball, which is now a clog, becomes bigger the more you flush the toilet.
c) Hair Decomposes Slowly
The other issue is that even though hair decomposes eventually, the decomposition is much slower. So, hair is likely to clog your toilet for a long time.
Is It Safe to Put Hair in The Toilet?
Sadly, hair doesn’t dissolve into the toilet wastewater quickly and also takes time to decompose. Meanwhile, it traps water and everything that goes through it, resulting in a giant clog.
The problem with the clogging is that it attracts bacteria, which are likely to create a foul smell, making your toilet very uncomfortable.
Bacteria don’t just make your toilet smelly but can also cause infection when you use the toilet in its condition.
Lastly, if your toilet drain is hair-clogged and you cannot unclog it, the chances are that the damage is extensive, extending to the septic system. In that case, you have to repair the system, and that is often expensive.
How Do You Unclog a Toilet with Hair in It?
Given the risks that come with flushing hair down the toilet, it’s essential to know how to unclog your toilet. But more importantly, you should avoid washing human hair down the toilet.
Here are six ways you can unclog a hair-clogged toilet:
1. Hot Water Flush
In case of a minor hair clog, you can pour hot water down the toilet to remove the hair clog. Generally, you need to pour boiling water into the drain and allow it to sit for some time before flushing normally.
If the clog doesn’t dislodge, add some dishwashing water before again flushing with hot water. That should work, but if it doesn’t, grab the plunger.
2. The Plunger
The chances are that you have a plunger in your toilet, which should come in handy when dealing with a clog.
Here’s how to go about it:
- First, shut off the valve that feeds the toilet bowl to stop the bowl from filling up
- Remove excess water from the towel bowl
- Warm the plunger by soaking it in hot water
- Put the plunger gentle on the toilet hole and ensure it forms a good seal
- Push down and pull back the plunger at least 4-5 times to unclog the toilet
- If the toilet doesn’t unblock, repeat the process
3. The ‘Snake’
I’m not talking about the creeping creature here but the toilet auger. With a toiler auger, you can get rid of the blockage in the deepest ends of your toilet drains.
You need to insert it into the drain and use it to dislodge the clog.
While it’s possible to make the ‘snake’ using wire, you can buy a commercial one online, and a perfect recommendation is the Rigid 59802 Toilet Auger (View on Amazon).
This toilet auger comes with a solid stainless steel rod that promises to dislodge the biggest and stubbornest clogs.
4. Baking Soda + Vinegar
If you are dealing with a stubborn clog, a mixture of baking soda and vinegar will do the magic. You need to:
- Prepare a mug each of baking soda and vinegar
- Start by pouring baking soda into the toilet
- Follow it up with vinegar and allow the mixture to act
- Watch out for bubbles, as they are a sign that the combination is working
- Try flushing hot water down the drain after 30 minutes of the mixture working. That should dislodge the clog
5. Soap + Baking Soda
You can also use baking soda and dishwashing soap if you don’t have vinegar.
Here is how to go about it:
- First, pour a cup of baking soda into the drain
- Follow it up with a quarter cup of dishwasher soap
- Allow the mixture to sit for at least 5 minutes
- Flush the drain with hot water to dislodge the clog
6. Use Drano
A Drano, which is a commercial clog remover, is effective against the severe clog. So consider it for unclogging hair clog in your toilet, and I recommend the Drano Max Gel Drain Clog Remover.
This Drano is gentle on your pipes and generally acts in minutes. More importantly, it’s effective against human hair clog and other stubborn clogs.
Relevant: Can You Leave Drano Overnight?
What Should You Do with Human Hair?
Since it’s not advisable to flush human hair down the toilet, consider getting rid of it in any of these methods:
a) Throw it (Trash it) – The Non-Environmentally Friendly Approach
The simplest way of getting rid of human hair is to put it in a trash bag alongside your other wastes.
While this may not be environmentally friendly, it allows you to get rid of human hair seamlessly without risking clogging your drain.
Besides, most trash collectors sort the trash according to compostable and non-compostable options. Thus, the hair may not end up messing up the environment.
b) Compost it – The Environmentally Friendly Approach
Most people don’t know it, but human hair alongside pet fur is compostable. When it composts, it’s a rich source of nitrogen that could benefit the soil. That’s more important if you grow some herbs or flowers.
So, if you have the space, consider composting your hair. It’s an environmentally friendly approach.
Does a Hair-Clogged Toilet Eventually Unclog Itself?
Given that human hair dissolves slowly in wastewater, it’s likely to dissolve and unclog eventually. That, however, doesn’t mean that you have to sit back and wait for things to happen. It could take forever for the toilet to unclog itself.
Besides, there are risks associated with using a clogged toilet, such as infections and bad smells. So, you cannot wait for the toilet to unclog itself. You have to do it using the tips shared above.
People Also Ask
1. Does Human Hair Clog Toilets?
Human hair can clog a toilet in different ways. For one, it can roll into a ball and trap everything that flows through the drain when you flush. Secondly, it can hold onto imperfections on your drains like rough edges and dents and trap waste when you flush the toilet.
2. Can A Little Bit of Hair Clog a Toilet?
Generally, it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit of hair or too much of it. A little bit of hair will slowly roll into a ball and trap waste, which makes it more extensive, and the bigger it becomes, the bigger the clogging.
3. Is It Bad to Put Hair in The Toilet?
It’s generally a bad idea to put hair in the toilet as it can clog it, leading to expensive repairs, bad smell, and the growth of pathogenic bacteria. So, you should instead compost or trash your hair as that’s safer.
4. Will Flushing Hair Down a Toilet Clog It?
Yes, flushing hair down the drain will clog it. For one, hair takes time to dissolve in water or decompose, which means it may stay in your gutters for a long time. When it does, it’ll roll into a ball that traps everything that passes through it, resulting in a bigger clog.
5. Can Hair Clog a Sewer Line?
As long as you flush hair down the toilet, it’s likely to end up in your sewer line and clogging it. Overall, that reduces the performance of your sewer system and could even result in expensive repairs.
6. What Happens If You Flush Hair Down the Toilet?
Usually, hair clings onto rough spots, dents, and other imperfections in your toilet drain, and that allows it to trap waste flowing through it. Overall, the more waste the hair traps, the bigger the clog gets.
Also, hair can form a ball that becomes bigger by trapping waste flowing through the drain. In the long run, that also blocks your toilet.
7. Does Hair Decompose in The Drain?
Hair decomposes eventually in the drain, but it may take a long time as the process is generally slower. So, instead of allowing your hair-clogged drain to unclog itself, it’s advisable to unblock it. If you can’t, then you should call an expert.
8. How Do You Dissolve Hair in A Drain?
You can dissolve hair in a drain using vinegar and baking soda in equal measure. In that case, you need to pour baking soda and follow it up with vinegar. Then allow the mixture to settle for 30 minutes before flushing with hot water.
Can Hair Clog a Toilet? Closing Thought:
Undoubtedly, hair clogs the toilet, though bit by bit, and could lead to an extensive clog which could make your toilet smelly and unsafe. So, you shouldn’t flush hair down the toilet. You should instead trash it or compost it.
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