You pull the plug and the water just sits there, or it takes half an hour to go down. A slow bath is nearly always hair and soap caught in the plughole or the trap, and you can usually clear it in a few minutes.
Clear the plughole first
- Lift out or unscrew the plug. Click-clack and pop-up plugs usually unscrew anticlockwise.
- Pull out the hair. A cheap plastic drain snake is the easiest way. Wear gloves.
- Run hot water for a minute to see if it drains better.
If it's still slow
- Plunge it. Cover the overflow hole with a wet cloth, put a little water in the bath, and pump a plunger firmly over the plughole.
- Bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Half a cup of bicarbonate, then a cup of white vinegar. Leave for 30 minutes and rinse with hot water.
- Clean the trap. The trap is under the bath, behind the bath panel. If the panel comes off easily, put towels down, unscrew the trap and clean it. If it's tiled in, leave it to us.
When it's a bigger problem
If the basin, shower and toilet are slow too, or water gurgles or comes up somewhere else when the bath drains, the blockage is further down in the shared waste pipe or drain. See our guide to a gurgling drain or our blocked drains service.
For a slow shower, the same steps apply. See blocked sink or shower drain.
Common questions
Why is my bath draining so slowly?
Almost always hair and soap caught in the plughole or the trap under the bath.
How do I unblock a bath without chemicals?
Pull the hair out with a plastic drain snake, plunge with the overflow covered, then try bicarbonate of soda and vinegar.
When is a slow bath a plumber's job?
When other drains are slow too, water gurgles or comes up elsewhere, or the trap is behind a tiled panel.