Depending on the thickness and length of the hair on your legs, it could potentially clog your drain if you rinse your razor and let the hair go down the drain. But what should you do with your hair after shaving your legs?
An easy way to dispose of your hair after shaving your legs is to line a sink with paper towels or some other liner and shave your legs over that. Then gather the liner and hair, and throw it in the trash. You can also install a drain filter to catch and empty your leg hair after you shower.
You’ll want to keep reading if your drain has ever clogged due to your leg hair. This article discusses how to dispose of your hair after shaving your legs and what to do if you clog your drain with your hair.
1. Install a Drain Filter and Empty It After Every Shower
The simplest way to dispose of your leg hair is to place a drain filter in your shower or tub to catch the hair you rinse off your shaver. You might have seen these in the plumbing section of your local hardware store. They look like small mesh strainers with a wide lip around the edge and fit in the drain opening.
They also work like a strainer, keeping hair and other things from going down the drain. After shaving your legs in the shower, pick up the filter, and empty it into the trash.
2. Shave Your Legs Over a Lined Sink
If you have longer and thicker leg hair, you may consider lining your sink with a towel or paper towel and using an electric shaver to get most of the hair off your legs. This keeps the hair from going down the drain and provides a simple way of disposing of most of your leg hair.
3. Sit on a Sheet and Use a Bowl of Water
If your leg hair is fine and short already, you could get away with using a bowl of water, shaving cream, and a sheet. Spread a sheet you don’t care about on the floor, and get a bowl of warm water, your shaving cream, and your shaver.
You’ll also want some paper towels that you can throw away later.
- Sit on the sheet and shave your legs.
- Wipe the shaving cream and hair off your shaver onto the paper towels, and then rinse your shaver in warm water. Repeat until you’re finished.
- Pour the warm water over your legs in the tub while sitting on the edge of the bathtub.
- Throw the paper towels with most of your leg hair in the trash.
What Happens if You Clog Your Drain With Hair?
It could be that your drain is already clogged with hair. What should you do? Hair that comes from your legs will be too small to pull out with a coat hanger or your hands. But, it could become trapped on longer strands of hair, so you might be able to pull out most of it with a coat hanger.
Here are the steps you need to take to unclog your drain:
- Unbend a coat hanger and create a curved end to collect the hair. Push this end down the drain, and move it around to catch any hair stuck there. This should be enough to open the drain.
- That should free the drain, but try using a sink plunger if it doesn’t. Position the plunger tightly over the drain and slowly work it up and down to create a strong suction. Then pull the plunger up.
- If neither of these options works, you’ll want to try a sulfuric acid drain opener. This should only be used as a last resort, as this is a very dangerous chemical. Before using, put on long kitchen gloves that go past your elbow and eye protection. Pour the recommended amount of the cleaner into the drain and wait 15-20 minutes. Then flush with cold water for 10 minutes.
Important: If you splash any of this on your skin, place a large amount of baking soda mixed with water on the area to neutralize the acid. Let it sit until the baking soda stops fizzing, and then wash it with soap and hot water.
After clearing the clogged sink, pour baking soda over the area where the acid touched and let it sit for a while. Once it’s stopped fizzing, clean the entire surface with a scrubbing sponge. Rinse thoroughly.
Conclusion
Shaving your legs should be a simple process that doesn’t need to clog up the drain. If you shave over paper towels or use a drain filter, you can easily throw away your hair after shaving. Be sure to throw out the used water down the toilet if it doesn’t have too much hair, as this could also clog your drain.