Using a Hemostat to Unclog a Bathtub Drain

I hate a clogged bathroom drain. I’m not just talking about a fully clogged drain. Even the slightest hint that something is keeping the flow of water from draining, like stagnant water hitting my ankles when I’m taking a shower, becomes an irritation. I want to feel clean, but how can I feel really clean when my ankles are swimming in my dirt?

I found this secret out in college. As a college student, you find new and innovative ways to live on a small budget. Cheap becomes your motto since you’ve submitted yourself to a temporary life of volunteer poverty. I lived with a roommate and we shared a bathroom with our two suite mates. Four girls used that shower everyday (At least we hope). These four girls all had long hair. You see where I’m getting at? Hair: that’s really all that clogs up a bathtub. So if there are any females sharing your tub, or any males with manes like Fabio, chances are that there’s hair down there, in your drain that is.

So, back to my cheap innovations. We were all nursing students so we had access to medical supplies. One tool stood out as a trans-industrial multi-tasker. The Hemostat is commonly used in surgical procedures to control bleeding. I remembered my mom saying they were also used in circumcision to clamp the foreskin of the penis. Anyway, I managed to see past its primary function and see its potential as my new plumber! As our instructor demonstrated its usage, I could only think of liberating my drowning ankles. I brought it home and used it like a clamp to pull out the gunk that lived in my drain. Nastiest stuff I’ve ever seen, but that was it; problem solved!

You can find hemostats online for as little as $2! They come in many sizes. Some have a curved tip, but I recommend sticking with the straight end since you’ll be going straight down your drain. They look like scissors but they clamp down like heavy-duty tweezers. They’re basically big tweezers that clamp down and stay clamped. You can even use them in any sink drain where you think the clogging is pretty close to the surface. At least this is something you can do yourself before you call a plumber. $2 is a lot less than what you’d pay a plumber to come and unclog your drain!