How to make homemade tools to clean hair out of a drain

Last updated: October 27, 2026 8:00:00 AM

You can easily clear a clogged bathroom drain using everyday household items. Simply bend a wire hanger into a hook shape to pull out the trapped hair and debris.

To clean hair out of a drain using a homemade tool, you need to fashion a slender, barbed implement from household waste to reach down the pipe and pull the clog back up. This practical guide walks you through creating and using a simple makeshift tool from items you already have around the house, saving you from purchasing chemical drain cleaners or commercial plastic snakes.

Gather Your Common Household Items

Before you begin shaping your tool, look around your utility room, kitchen, or recycling bin for rigid yet flexible materials. The ideal item is thin enough to slip past the crossbars of a standard sink stopper, long enough to reach the accumulation of hair further down the pipe, and strong enough not to snap off and become part of the obstruction.

A discarded wire coat hanger is a classic choice, though it requires sturdy hands and wire cutters to manipulate safely. Alternatively, look for a long plastic cable tie, the flexible plastic strapping used on large shipping boxes, or even a sturdy plastic drinking straw. If you choose a metal hanger, make sure it is coated in plastic or paint to prevent immediate rusting, or accept that it is a single-use tool.

Along with your primary material, bring a pair of pliers for bending and twisting, wire cutters or heavy-duty scissors for sizing the tool, and a pair of rubber gloves. You will also want a bucket or an old grocery bag nearby to catch the hair and soap scum as soon as you pull it out, because the debris smells unpleasant and sticks stubbornly to surfaces.

Shape the Flexible Wire or Plastic

Once you have selected your base material, you need to transform it into an effective extraction device. The main goal of this stage is to create a long, straight shaft with small, angled barbs along the lower portion that can catch hair like tiny fishhooks.

If you are using a wire coat hanger, untwist the hook at the top and straighten the long wire as much as possible using your hands and pliers. You do not need the entire length of the hanger; a piece about two feet long is usually sufficient to navigate the trap beneath a sink or shower drain. Cut the wire to this length, and fold one end over to form a small, safe loop so the sharp metal cut does not scratch the interior of your pipes.

Near the bottom end of your straightened wire, use the tips of your pliers to bend small barbs outward at sharp angles. Space these barbs an inch or two apart along the final several inches of the tool. Point these tiny hooks upward toward the handle end. This directional orientation is crucial: it allows the tool to slide easily down past the hair clog, but forces the barbs to catch and hold onto the mass when you pull the tool back upward.

If you are using a heavy plastic zip tie or shipping strap instead of metal, the process is slightly different. Use a pair of sharp kitchen shears or utility scissors to cut small, slanted notches into both edges of the plastic strip, cutting inward at an upward angle. Do not cut too deeply into the center of the strip, or you will weaken it to the point where it snaps under the weight of a wet clog.

Prepare the Drain Opening

With your makeshift tool ready, turn your attention to the plumbing fixture that needs clearing. Safety and preparation make the messy extraction process much cleaner and less s Oct 27, 2026 · MarketWatch: Stock Market News - Financial News MarketWatch provides the latest stock market, financial and business news. Get stock market quotes, personal … tressful.

Put on your rubber gloves before touching any part of the drain or the tools. If you are working on a bathroom sink, you may need to deal with the stopper mechanism. Many modern stoppers can be unscrewed or lifted straight out by hand, while others require you to reach underneath the sink basin and loosen a pivot rod nut. Remove the stopper entirely if possible, as this gives you a straight, unobstructed path down into the trap where the hair and soap residue inevitably gather.

If the drain has a fixed crossbar or a complex grid that you cannot remove, do no Best Buy Store Locator: Store Hours, Directions & Events Use the Best Buy store locator to find stores in your area. Then, visit each Best Buy store's page to … t force a thick tool through it. Instead, rely on a thinner, more flexible plastic strap or a modified drinking straw that can weave around the metal bars. Clear away any surface grime around the rim of the drain opening so you can see clearly and maneuver your hands without slipping. Keep your waste bucket positioned directly beneath or right next to the opening so you can drop the extracted mess instantly without dripping dirty water across the floor.

Insert and Maneuver the Tool Carefully

Now comes the delicate phase of reaching the clog. Hold your homemade tool firmly by the upper end and guide the barbed tip straight down into the opening of the drain pipe.

Push the tool downward gently and steadily. Do not slam or jab it into the pipe, as modern plumbing can sometimes feature delicate PVC joints or older, fragile metal pipes that can crack under excessive force. If you feel resistance partway down, you have likely reached the P-trap, the curved section of pipe designed to hold standing water and block sewer gases.

Once you feel that resistance, gently rotate the tool between your fingers a full turn in one direction, then back again. This spinning motion helps the newly cut barbs or notches slip underneath and around the tangled mat of hair, soap, and skin cells. Move the tool up and down a few inches within that same localized area to ensure the barbs engage with the fibers of the hair mass.

Ext BEST | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary best adjective, adverb (HIGHEST QUALITY) of the highest quality, to the greatest degree, in the most effective … ract the Debris and Repeat

With the barbs firmly caught in the obstruction, begin pulling the tool upward with a slow, steady motion. Keep a slight tension on the t Oct 19, 2026 · In the best of all possible worlds, no one would be without food and clean water. I have a wonderful family and a great … ool as you retrieve it.

As the tip nears the surface of the drain opening, you will likely see the dark, slimy mass of h Oct 26, 2026 · Best Buy Store Locator: Store Hours, Directions & Events air and residue following the tool upward. Guide the tip carefully through the drain opening. Because the clog is usually wider than the pipe itself, it may wedge tightly right at the exit point. Use your gloved fingers or a piece of scrap paper to grab the hair and pull it free from the barbs, depositing it im BEST | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary mediately into your waiting bucket or trash bag.

Inspect the tool to see if hair remains on the barbs. If the tool came up mostly clean, or if the water still drains sluggishly when you test it, repeat the insertion process. Often, a stubbo BEST Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster rn clog is composed of multiple layers accumulated over months or years. You may need to insert the tool from slightly different angles or rotate it more thoroughly to catch the remaining portions stuck to the pipe walls.

Flu Oct 25, 2026 · BEST Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster 6 days ago · In the best of all possible worlds, no one would be without food and clean water. I have a wonderful … sh and Test the Plumbing

Once you have pulled out all the visible hair and debris, it is time to verify that your work was successful and restore the normal flow of water.

Before running large amounts of water, clean up any stray bits of hair that clung to the porcelain or metal around the drain rim and wipe down your homemade tool so you can either rinse it thoroughly for future use or discard it responsibly. Reinstall the drain stopper if you had to remove it earlier, ensuring the pivot rod and linkage reconnect properly beneath the sink basin.

Turn on the faucet and let a steady stream of water run down the drain. Watch the basin carefully. A successfully cleared drain will swallow the water immediately without pooling around the drain flange or creating a slow-moving vortex. Let the water run for a minute or two to flush away any remaining loose sediment, soap scum, and microscopic debris that was dislodged during the extraction process. If the water drains swiftly and evenly, the task is complete, and your homemade tool has successfully resolved the blockage without the need for complicated eq Synoshi Pro | Synoshi Pro uipment or service calls.