How Removing your Stuck Shower Head?

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Use a wrench or pair of pliers to remove the shower head. Often, you can rely on simple tools, such as wrenches or pliers, to loosen your stuck shower head. When one method does not work, try the next method. Cover the fixture’s connector or plumbing nut with an old cloth to protect the metal. Grip the connector or nut with a wrench or pair of locking pliers.


First, turn the wrench or pliers clockwise in an attempt to break the rust or mineral deposits. Turn the tool counterclockwise to loosen and remove the shower head. Apply a rust, calcium, and lime remover to the shower head. Treating the rust and mineral build-up with chemicals may loosen the connector or nut.


Read the instructions on the bottle of rust, calcium, and lime remover. Apply the product as instructed. Allow the product to sit for the allotted time. Scrub off the product with a wire brush, removing the rust, calcium, and lime in the process. Wipe the shower head and shower arm clean.


Apply penetrating lubricant to the shower head. Penetrating lubricants, like WD-40 and Liquid Wrench, can work wonders on a stuck shower head. Apply one coat of the penetrating lubricant to the connector or nut. Allow it to sit for two hours. Apply a second coat of the penetrating lubricant to the connector or nut. Allow it to sit for two hours.


Cover the connector or nut with a cloth. Grip the fixture or nut with a wrench and attempt to loosen the shower head. Consult your kit’s directions for the exact drying time for your specific finish. If you don’t let the finish dry long enough, you could end up with streaks and bubbles in the new coating and you will need to start the process over again.

How Preparing to Remove Your Stuck Shower Head?

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Determine why your shower head is stuck. When a shower head is in excellent condition, you should be able to remove it with your hands. If this is not possible, you will need to remove the shower head through other means. Before making any further attempts to remove your shower head, evaluate the fixture to determine why it is stuck:


Search for signs of rust—is there an orange or copper colored ring around the shower head’s connection to the shower arm? Search for signs of mineral build-up—is there a white ring around the the shower head’s attachment to the shower arm? If there are no signs of rust or mineral build-up, it is likely that your shower head is attached too tightly.


Turn off the water supply. Typically, if you are removing your shower head by hand, it is not necessary to turn off the water. Removing a stuck shower head, however, presents more challenges and risks. Therefore, it is advised that you shut off the water source. The water valves may be located in one of two places: Under the bathroom sink. In the basement directly below the tub.


Prepare your work space. Throughout this process, you will work with tools and chemicals that could damage your shower or tub. To prevent damage, cover the floor of your shower or tub with a thick work blanket. You will also handle small bits and pieces. To prevent the loss of parts, stuff a cloth down the drain.


Some kits may come with a spray-on finish. If you use a sprayer instead of a brush or roller, try to spray evenly and in 1 direction. Make sure your walls and fixtures are well-protected by tape where there is a risk of paint spray hitting them. Let your bathtub sit for 2-3 days before you use it. The new finish needs to set completely before you run water over it.

How Dissolving Hair with Chemicals?

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Purchase an enzymatic drain cleaner to dissolve hair. Purchase a drain unclogging formula that is specifically made to dissolve hair and soap scum. Typically, these types of solutions contain bacteria like bacillus that is intended to feed on hair. Enzymatic drain cleaners are also gentle on pipes and bathroom surfaces.


Check the ingredients list. Caustic drain cleaners made with sodium hydroxide (and other alkaline ingredients) will dissolve soap scum but not hair. While most enzymatic drain openers are free of harmful toxins, always check the label to see if you need to wear protective clothing.


Wear protective clothing, if necessary, before opening the bottle. Refer to the instructions on the bottle about whether or not you need to protect your eyes and skin. If you’re not sure, better to be safe and wear glasses and gloves anyway. If you don’t have protective goggles, sunglasses will work just as well.


Stand outside the shower and pour the cleaning solution down the drain. Pour a slow and steady stream of the solution down the drain until half or all of the bottle is gone. You don’t need to remove the drain stopper. Refer to the instructions on your particular cleaner to see how much you should use. For heavily clogged drains, you might want to use the whole bottle.


Make sure there is no standing water in the shower or tub. If there is, wait until it has drained away before you pour in the formula. Let the unclogging formula sit for 2 hours or for the recommended time. Allow at least 2 hours for the drain opener to dissolve all the hair and grime in the pipes. Refer to the instructions on the bottle to see how long the manufacturer says to let it sit.

How Removing Hair with a Hanger?

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Bend a wire hanger into a straight line, leaving a small hook at one end. Use your hands to bend a wire hanger as flat and straight as you can. Grip one end of the hanger and make a small curl—small enough so it can fit into the drain and, if applicable, through the strainer below the drain stopper. You may need to wear work gloves to give you some traction.


Don’t worry if there are a few slight bends in the hanger, just try to get the center part it as straight as you can so it can fit down into the drain. Create a half-square-shaped handle on one end of the hanger. Bend one end of the hanger into a shape that looks like half of a square (or the big dipper). Make a total of 4 90-degree angle bends in the following order: the first to the right, the second upwards, the third to the left, and a final one back upwards.


This end will act as a twisting handle. Remove the drain stopper with your hands or a screwdriver. Insert the tip of a screwdriver into the head of each screw and twist to the left to loosen them. Set the free screws someplace away from the open drain (like the bathroom floor) so there’s no risk of them falling in. Cover the holes with tape if you’re worried about accidentally dropping the small screws down the drain.


If you have a shower and tub combination, you might be able to take out the stopper by pushing it down and twisting it to the left. Insert the long end of the tool down into the drain. Place your right hand on the handle that you made and use your left hand to guide the long end down into the drain. Insert it as far as it will go or until the bottom of the handle is 4 inches (10 cm) to 6 inches (15 cm) above the drain opening.


Turn the tool clockwise while moving it up and down for 1 minute. Hold the tool by the handle with your right hand and use your left hand to rotate the top end in a circular motion. Push and pull the tool up and down into the drain as you twist it around. Moving the tool up and down will help the curled end of the wire collect as much hair as possible. Do this for up to 60 seconds or until you feel that the tool isn’t meeting any resistance from grime and hair.

How to Clean Hair Out of a Shower Drain?

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Unclogging hair from the drain can be gross, but sometimes you have to do it! You can use a snaking tool specifically made for hair clogs or make your own using a wire hanger. Using chemical drain cleaners is also an option if you’d prefer to not mess with tools. If your drain is still clogged after you’ve removed all the hair you can, you may need to contact a plumber.


Use a screwdriver to remove the drain guard. If your shower drain has a guard, you’ll need to take it off to access the actual drain pipe. Insert the tip of a screwdriver into each of the screw heads and twist to the left to loosen them. Then, remove them and set them aside. If the screws are smaller than the holes on the drain, place painter’s tape over the holes to prevent the screws from falling in.


If you have a tub and shower combination, you might be able to remove the drain guard by pressing the guard downward and twisting it to the left. Use pliers or tweezers to remove any visible hair towards the surface. If you see any obvious globs of hair gathered at the top of the drain pipe, use pliers or tweezers to dig it out. Discard the grimy hair into a plastic bag for an easy cleanup.


If possible, use an old pair of tweezers that you don’t use for other purposes. Insert a plastic snake tool all the way into the drain pipe. Insert the end of a plastic drain snake into the pipe until the small handle is at the top of the drain opening. The snake tool looks like a long zip tie with small thorns and a handle on the end. Be careful handling it because the thorns are sharp!


You can buy plastic unclogging tools online or at any home hardware store. If the tool resists going down, try rotating the angle at which you’re pushing the tool into the drain. Pull it out slowly, wiggling it as you pull upwards. Grasp the tool’s handle with your thumb, index, and middle fingers and slowly pull it out of the drain. In order to grasp the most hair, it may help to wiggle and twist it around as you pull it out.

How to Seal Around a Basin or Bathtub with Silicone?

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Learn how to seal a basin or bathtub using silicone or caulk. This process of silicone sealing stops water penetration into joints around wash basins, bathtubs or shower trays. Prepare the area. Remove any old silicone from the work area. This can be done with a utility knife. Any contaminants like oil and grease could prevent the silicone from bonding so clean the area thoroughly with alcohol.


Load the silicone gun. With a knife, cut the tip at 45 degrees, keeping the hole fairly small. This will give you better control over the amount of silicone released. The opening should not be so big that a bead cannot be formed, and it should not be so small that caulk tube seems highly pressurized. Pop the silicone seal. Most tubes have a thin barrier inside the tube to prevent the caulk from curing.


Many silicone guns have a tool to do this built on them. However, if yours does not, then a long nail or something similar will work. Load the tube of silicone into the gun. Test the sealing. Silicone sealing can be tricky. Hold the caulk gun over trash and depress trigger to move caulk forward, filling the tip. Caulk should flow out, not squirt or drip. Release the trigger lock to relieve the light pressure inside the tube.


You may want to first practice on a test piece if you have never done it before. Use the corner of a cardboard box. This will give you a feel for the gun and the rate of the silicone flow. The tip should be slightly above the surface, nearly touching. As you begin to press the trigger, watch the flow of caulk. With one steady motion, move the caulk gun straight along seam, creating a uniform bead.


Before flow stops, quickly release the trigger and begin to press again as you continue to create a uniform bead the entire length of seam. Do not stop until you reach the corner. Begin to gently apply seal around the desired area. For best results, hold the gun at a 45 degree angle. You want to apply the caulking in an even and steady manner. Be careful not to apply too much as it can be tricky to remove the excess.

How to Remove Black Flaking in a Jetted Bathtub?

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By the time you see any type of flaking coming out of the jets of a whirlpool bathtub. it’s already too late. The flaking are remnants of bacteria, mostly harmful, condos that have now decayed and are ruining your visual of a relaxing spa bath. Don’t use bleach. First things first, we don’t use bleach because over time it will breakdown gaskets, bushings, etc.


We also won’t use any dishwashing detergent since it will put a coating layer on the flaking we are trying to remove. Fill the jetted tub up with warm water 1″ about the highest jet. Add a non toxic bio cleaner to the water per the instructions on the cleaning product label, normally it is 1 teaspoon or 1 capful, depending upon the bio cleaner.


Run the jets, turn off the air valve if you have one, on high for 10-15 minutes. This allows the bio cleaner to scrape off the gunk (flakes) that are solidified on the pipe and jet walls. Bio Cleaners use special properties that are ecological, green and non toxic and have the capability to eradicate bacteria, algae, mold, mildew, dead skin, soaps, and other gunk in the piping and remove them to the sides of the tub.


When you have completed the 10-15 cleaning cycle, remove 2 inches (5.1 cm) of water, clean the “ring around the tub”, refill with 2 inches (5.1 cm) of water and repeat the process. You will have to add more bio cleaner in as well. To maintain a clean jetted tub, you really need to clean it once a week, preferably after a bath to save on water.


Paint on 2-3 coats of the new finish with a brush and roller. Always paint in 1 direction when you apply the new coat to your tub. Roll on the new finish to the floors and sides in even back-and-forth rolls until the flat area is completely covered. Fill in the corners and curves of the tub with even back-and-forth brush strokes. Let each coat dry for at least 30 minutes before you put the next coat on.

How to Make a Bathtub Tray?

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Making a tray for your bathtub is a pretty basic DIY project requiring very little carpentry know-how! The first step is to simply purchase a piece of lumber large enough to fit your tub and hold all of your bath gear. If you want to be fancy about it, you can create holders for specific items by purchasing an extra piece of wood, cutting holes out of it, and then attaching that to your baseboard.


Or you can keep it simple by sticking to just 1 piece of wood. Either way, it’s only a matter of sealing your wood, sticking some grippers to the bottom, and attaching a pair of handles if desired. An older clawfoot tub may not support a tray without it falling in. Add support legs to the ends of your tray so it braces against the side of the tub.


Purchase lumber cut to size. Bring your tub’s measurements to the store. Select the size board you need (for example, a 1” x 10”). Ask the staff to cut it down to size to match the width of your tub. When you bring it home, double-check that the board rests on both sides of your tub’s rim. If you are creating holders, remember to ask for a second board of equal size.


To avoid confusion, remember that lumber sizes are H x W (for example, 1” high and 10” wide). Therefore you are cutting the board’s length to match your tub’s width. Add an extra half-inch (1.25 cm) or so to each measurement to make sure the object has adequate room to fit. For square or rectangular holders, use a table saw to cut them. For circular holes, attach an appropriately sized hole saw to a screw gun.


Attach the 2 boards. First, sand the edges of each cut with sandpaper so they’re smooth, as well as the top of the base board. Then place the top board on top of the base board so they line up evenly. Use drywall screws to screw them together around all four sides. Make sure your screws aren’t so long that they poke through the bottom of your base board.

How Adding the Finishing Touches?

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Stain and finish your wood. First, smooth the board’s surfaces and edges with sandpaper and then clean away any sawdust. Then apply stain to match the color of your bathroom’s other wooden features, if desired. Once it dries, add a coat of wood finish (or, to make things simpler, use an all-in-one stain and finish mix to eliminate a step).


Skip the stain if you want to, but definitely seal the wood with a finish to protect it from moisture. Steam from your bath may warp unprotected wood over time. Use a rag or brush to apply either one. When you do, brush or rub with the board’s grain, not against it. Allow the stain to dry overnight before adding finish. Do the same after adding the finish before proceeding to the next step.


Wear protective gloves when using stains and finishes. Also, use a drop cloth or similar material to protect surfaces in your work area. Add handles. Attach handles to the top of the tray, if desired, for easy transport. Use cupboard pulls or any other type of handle that suits your taste. Follow their directions for installation, since each type of hardware may have its own specific instructions.


However, bear in mind: Cupboards pulls as well as other forms of handles may require you to screw through the bottom of the tray, rather than the top. If so, expect the screw heads to project out of the bottom once they are screwed in. Even if you use flatheads, this may result in the screw heads scratching the rim of your tub.


To avoid this, create a pilot hole by attaching a countersink bit to your screw gun. This will cut both a pilot hole for the screw as well as a slight divot in the wood’s surface that will fit the screw head. Attach grippers. Minimize the chance of your tray slipping off the tub’s rim due to moisture and anything else that may make it slippery, like bath oils.

How Creating Holders?

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Decide which objects need them. If you’ve decided on creating holders in a second piece of wood, consider what you intend to bring into the tub with you. Out of those, decide which would be most disastrous if they were to fall into the water (or even out of the tub entirely). These could be: Paper materials, like books or magazines. Glass objects, like a mug or wine glass. Open flames, like candles.


Map out their placement. Depending on what you’re creating holders for, think about where on your tray is best to place each object. Consider what else you will be holding on your tray and how often you will be reaching for each item. Also consider which of your hands is dominant and most likely to do all the reaching.


Placing a holder for a candle toward the back of the tray is always a good idea. This way you won’t be reaching over an open flame for anything else. If you’re right-handed, placing a cup holder on the right side and a candle holder on the left is advisable since you will be reaching for your cup more frequently than the candle, and vice versa if you’re left-handed.


Also keep in mind that your hands and arms will probably become wet at some point. So if you’re creating a holder to place a book after reading, set this toward the rear or to the side of your cup holder so you don’t drip water over it when you take your next drink. A hole 3⁄4 inch (19 mm) deep with a slot 1⁄2 inch (13 mm) thick can hold most wine glasses so they don’t spill.


Mark and cut your top board. First, designate 1 piece of wood to be the base of the tray and set it aside for now. Use the other piece as your topper. Now, for each object that will receive a holder, measure its bottom. Use these measurements to trace an outline on your topper to then cut out with a saw.