An Eco-Friendly Drain Cleaner That Works On Tough Hair Clogs

As much as dislike the idea of buying anything made of plastic, I have to admit that I caved when I found this nifty little invention with a price tag so small that it made decide it was worth a last ditch effort to avoid paying a plumber or do what I was really dreading, pouring toxic chemicals down our shower drain.

With two daughters with long hair that occupy the bathroom in distress there wasn't much question to what was causing the water to rise above their ankles while showering, creating a swampy, soapy, slimey buildup in the tub that lingered even after the water FINALLY went down.

I knew I had to find something to clear the drain, but I also knew that I wasn't going to pour harsh chemicals down the pipes. Anything that had a chance at eating away a soap-laced hairball would have to be pretty toxic and I had my doubts that it would do the job anyway, so I went in search of a eco-friendly option. Unfortunately, upon reading reviews of some of the more awesome green drain cleaners, I learned that they weren't up to the task at hand, disolving hair. Luckily, somewhere along the way in my online search efforts I found a gadget that got rave reviews on Amazon and it was CHEAP!

The Zip-It drain cleaning tool made by Cobra is nothing more than a long zip tie with sharp teeth, but for less than 5 dollars it took just minutes to rangle the hamster-sized hairball free from the drain! It was easy to insert the tool down the pipe even with the seemingly permanently attached pop-up stopper. It was kind of like fishing, -just a slight tug on the line and then voila! (Sorry I didn't take pictures to share here, but it was kind of awful, -like roadkill that you swerve to spare yourself the sight of.) I was so impressed that I immediately rinsed the nastiness off the tool and headed straight for the sink. Wow, who knew what was hiding down there? Eww! Gross! Goodbye gunk! Now our drains run quick and the sound of the water gurgling downward is pretty awesome.

Of course, I ignored the manufacturers warnings and carefully washed (err, had my husband clean) the disposable, one-time-use tool to save for future use. If you give this baby a try I highly recommend having a pair of thick dishwashing gloves and a garbage can handy. The teeth on this thing are extremely sharp and you'll have to pull the hair off if you want to use again.

If, like me, you're looking for an environmentally safe drain cleaner that works on tough hair clogs, the Zip-It totally rocks! (It also makes a great addition to your Amazon shopping cart when you're just a few buck short to qualify for free shipping.)