It may appear as the crystallized white substance on your shower floor and in the drain. And many reasons lead to such cement-like stuff in shower drain and floor.
Most commonly known as the calcium buildup in the shower drain and it’s happened to almost all households. Luckily, there are solutions that work like charms.
So, I will talk about this particular problem mentioning the possible reasons and what you can to do solve and avoid this problem. Stay with me for a while.
Why Your Shower Drain Has Cement Like Stuff?
When hard water moves through the shower drain, showerheads, faucets, and other fixtures, sooner or later, you will notice the white chalky buildup in the shower drain.
This is nothing but calcium buildup. Your shower drain has calcium buildup because you have hard water and hard water contains calcium deposits.
Not just calcium deposits, hard water contains other chemicals like magnesium, limestone, chalk, sodium, gypsum, etc. Out of these minerals, calcium and magnesium are available in hard water abundantly and are responsible for white buildups.
And those minerals don’t get dissolved easily and eventually get stuck inside pipes, showerheads, drains, faucets, etc. All these minerals build up cement-like stuff when they are not cleaned for a long time.
Every shower drain has P-Trap to keep the sewer gases away. But the calcium buildup can clog the P-Trap because your shower drain is clogged with sediment.
Even if you don’t have a hard water problem, you can still notice that cement-like stuff. This happens when the groundwater seeps through your foundation wall or slab.
To keep the shower drain functioning, the weep holes should be cleared as well. But the buildups indicate such holes are already clogged.
Some indications of a clogged shower drain with the presence of calcium buildup in water are:
- Sticky and dull hair.
- Cloths are becoming scratchy with a sour odor.
- You are having soap film on your skin after showering.
- Spots on utensils.
- Your washing machine, coffeemaker, water heater, and other appliances are running inefficiently.
Problems Caused by Cement Buildup in Drains
That hard mineral deposit substance may look harmless, but it can cause some serious plumbing headaches:
Clogged Drains – Buildup accumulation will eventually block water flow completely. This leads to flooded showers or very sluggish drainage.
Musty Odors – As debris collects in drain lines, bacteria growth and musty rotten egg smells occur.
Pest Infestations – Clogged drains attract drain flies and other pests feeding on the gunk.
Pipe Damage – Hard deposits put outward pressure on pipes and can rupture joints or fittings over time.
Expensive Repairs – If the clog gets severe enough, pipes may need snaking by a plumber or complete replacement.
Catching this cement accumulation early and removing it promptly can prevent major issues down the road.
How To Get Rid of Calcium Buildup In Shower Drain?
For this cleaning hack, we will use baking soda and vinegar to get rid of cement-like stuff and unclog your drain. Just follow these steps:
- Remove Excess Water From Pipes/Drain
There will be stagnant water in shower drains if there are calcium buildups for a while. It’s natural for any shower drain clogged with sediment.
You need to start first by removing all the stagnant water from the shower. Now, use a plunger to push the water away from the drains.
If for some reason it does not work for you, stick a scrubbing brush with a long stick and scrub the drains to brush away some mineral deposits. This will help to remove the excess water.
- Pour Baking Soda And Vinegar
Assuming there is no stagnant water in the drain pipes, it’s time to bring the big guns. Yes, pour ½ cup of baking soda into the drain holes.
Pour the same amount of any kind of vinegar down the pipe holes as well after a while. You don’t have to maintain the order of pouring vinegar and baking soda.
But mentally prepare yourself to have a fizzy effect once the vinegar and baking soda mix with one another. That means it’s working dissolving limescale and calcium buildups.
- Cover The Drain With Damp Cloth
You can’t let the gas from the drain escape. So, put a damp cloth over the drain opening to cover the vinegar and baking soda. That will prevent the gas from escaping as well because the damp cloth will create an airtight seal.
Let the ingredients sit in the covered drain for at least 10 minutes to dissolve the limescale and calcium buildups. Don’t be surprised if you hear any bubbling sounds at this time.
- Washout The Solution By Pour Hot Water
Once the bubbling sounds go away, remove the damp cloth and pour 1 gallon of hot water into the drain.
This will dislodge the remaining buildups and wash out all the dissolved calcium buildups inside the drain.
- Clean The Drains
Even after pouring the hot water down the drains, there will be some leftover buildups in the drain.
Spritz a tablespoon of white vinegar in the drain and use a sponge or brush to scrub the rest of the calcium buildups. Wipe the area for any spilled vinegar or baking soda as well.
6. Sodium Hydroxide Crystals
These strong alkaline crystals dissolve minerals when poured directly in the drain. Rinse thoroughly.
7. Enzyme Drain Cleaners
Enzyme-based cleaners break down and dissolve organic matter to keep drains clear. Use monthly.
8. Preventative Measures
Reduce future buildup by regularly flushing drains, using drain filters, improving ventilation, and installing water softeners if on hard water.
Don’t forget to clean the drain cover as well. Watch this short video to recap everything.
So, they will get rid of the calcium build up but if you leave it on the surface of the drains or plastic pipes for too long, it will cause damages to the drain.
Preventing White Chalky Buildup In Shower Drain
Getting rid of calcium deposits is a temporary solution. Without any preventive measures, it will be back soon.
A simple routine of preventive tasks will prevent such cement-like stuff from clogging your drain. Here are some tips for you to follow:
- Get A Hard Water Filter
Not just for calcium buildup, hard water can lead to other problems for other fixtures in the bathroom as well. You will see hard water stains in the toilet bowl and other places as well.
As hard water is primarily responsible for such buildups, it just makes sense to get a shower head filter like “AquaBliss High Output Revitalizing Shower Filter” to deal with the shower filter.
You don’t have to get a new showerhead; you can use that filter to your current showerhead instead. Also, you can buy new showerheads with such filters as “NOSAME Shower Head” as well.
These showerhead filters are very good at removing magnesium and calcium minerals from the water before it reaches any shower fixtures.
You can get such filters from your local hardware store or from Amazon at a very lower cost. And you can install the filter by yourself!
- Use Soft Water Instead
Hear me out first before you think it’s not a practical idea. If your area has a hard water source, if you can make deal with a soft water supplier.
There are reverse osmosis filtration systems, salt-free water softeners, potassium chloride water softeners, and so on.
Another solution is installing softening plant for your house only. Talk to a plumber and they will give you several options in this regard.
- Frequent Cleaning/Flushing
You are seeing these calcium buildups in your shower simply because you keep the shower drain uncleaned for a long time. That’s how these buildups get cement-like shapes.
So, another effective way to keep the gunk of calcium buildup in check is by flushing or cleaning the drain, pipes, and other fixtures more frequently.
Use an effective cleaning agent while flushing those pipes as well. If there is hard water in your area, the frequency of cleaning the drain should be at least once a month.
But do it once in every 6 months if you use soft water.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It’s a calcium or lime buildup mostly likely. And it happens due to the magnesium, sodium, and other substances available in the hard water.
Using vinegar and baking soda can get rid of calcium buildup in the drain easily.
Hard water containing a higher level of calcium salts and other minerals leads to calcium buildup in the shower.
Almost all the plumbers use muriatic acid to unclog drains and it should only be applied by a professional plumber.
When a professional plumber uses it to unclog the drain, it is safe. Don’t try it yourself unless you don’t have the necessary expertise. Many things can go wrong along with bursting the plastic pipes.
Calcium carbonate and limescale from hard water appear white at first. But over time, the calcium deposits mix with other sediment and turn an off-white, cream, or light gray color. As the layers harden, they form a cement-like mass coating the drain walls and pipes.
Closing Remarks
It’s not difficult to remove cement-like stuff in shower drain but it’s important to keep your drain free without using any harsh chemicals.
The right measure is not letting the calcium to buildup in the first place. Yes, it’s difficult to do that with hard water presence but you can delay the buildup for a long time with preventive measures.
Follow my preventive measures for calcium buildup and enjoy your shower!
