How to Give Your Dog a Bath Without Clogging the Drain

If you have a dog, you probably think about this every time you go to give them a bath. Dogs with longer, thicker coats can especially be prone to clogging up the bathtub drain every time you bathe them. 

Fortunately, there are a few ways to prevent this from happening so you don’t spend an unnecessary amount of money to call out a plumber to unclog it for you. 

Follow along, you might find one of these ways to be your lifesaver!

Groom Your Dog Regularly

This is more of a preventative method that you can do before actually giving your dog a bath. Brushing your dog beforehand can save you from an enormous amount of hair going down your drain. If you’re maintaining your dog’s coat by having them groomed regularly, this can also help lower the amount of hair in the tub that could clog the drain. 

Brushing your dog thoroughly before a bath can reduce the amount of hair that will have the chance to go down the drain.
Brushing your dog thoroughly before a bath can reduce the amount of hair that will have the chance to go down the drain.

Watch for Hair While Draining the Tub

Sometimes, just catching the hair before it hits the bathtub drain will work tremendously for preventing a clog. The easiest way to do this is to keep your hand close to the drain so while the water is draining, you can catch any hair that comes down with the water. 

how to use drain snake - hair clogged drain
Too much hair down your drain can result in your stopper looking like this. Try to reduce the amount of hair doing down your drains.

Use Wet Wipes

This option is great because you probably have a pack of wet wipes around your house right now. Keep in mind that wet wipes are not meant to be going down any drain. Grab one, and use the wet wipe as a shield around the drain. Put the plug to the drain on top of the wet wipe and leave it that way until you’re ready to drain the water. Once you pull up the plug to drain the water, hold the wet wipe there until the water has drained completely. 

While the water drains, the wet wipe is catching all of that extra hair from your dog after the bath. Once it has finished draining, you can dispose of the wet wipe and even use another wipe to pick up all of the excess hair that is around the tub. 

Note that wet wipes are being used to catch hair in this situation. Wet wipes are terribly bad for your drains and should never be flushed or put down any type of drain.

Use a Commercial Strainer

These are used to help protect your drain from hair going down after a bath and causing a clog. Don’t worry, if you have a pop up drain, there are special strainers for this kind as well. Depending on the circumstances of the type of drain you have, you can find a commercial drain strainer for any drain in your home.

A drain strainer like this one can prevent so much hair going down your drain. Invest in these if you often give your dog a bath in the tub.
A drain strainer like this one can prevent so much hair going down your drain. Invest in these if you often give your dog a bath in the tub.

Use a Homemade Strainer

The best homemade strainer is using mesh around your drain. Using mesh is basically a DIY commercial strainer. You can either use something heavy to hold the mesh in place while the water drains from the tub or you can just hold it there with your hand. Both really easy concepts, both definitely worth it to prevent your drain from clogging up with dog hair after a bath!

Mesh is a great way to make a homemade strainer!
Mesh is a great way to make a homemade strainer!

Bathe Them Outside

This is the tried and true answer to keeping dog hair out of your tub drain. Bathing them outside although might not be as easy or convenient, it definitely keeps the hair out of the drain. Also, this can really only be done during the warmer months. On the positive side, at least there’s no mess to clean up after bathing them outside!

You can always give your dog a bath outside. Of course, this only really works during the warmer months of the year.
You can always give your dog a bath outside. Of course, this only really works during the warmer months of the year.

Bathe Them in a Container

Depending on the size of your dog, using a container with some soap and warm water in it can be an easy way to bathe your dog and keep the hair out of your tub drain. This can be more convenient than having to constantly run the hose outside and waste water if you were to bathe them outside. 

If you have an extra container that will fit your dog inside, you can use that as a DIY bathtub for them!
If you have an extra container that will fit your dog inside, you can use that as a DIY bathtub for them!

Final Thoughts 

In conclusion, there are quite a few ways to prevent dog hair from clogging up after giving them a bath in your tub. They’re all really easy to implement before bathing your dog. Save yourself the hassle from having to call a plumber and use these tactics instead! You’ll be thanking me later. 

Call 1-Tom-Plumber

Don’t hesitate to contact us here or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you need any help with your drains or need a drain cleaning service. 1-Tom-Plumber’s certified team of plumbers and drain technicians respond immediately to any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, or water damage problem. 


We also handle the excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines. Our immediate-response team is available every day and night of the year, even on holidays.

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