Our plumbers love a good bath as much as the next homeowner, but we don’t want your stress-free night to turn into a total drain catastrophe. Bath bombs are hugely popular for stay-at-home spa nights. It’s a nice idea: after a long day, you de-stress with a few fizzy bombs in the bath and a good book.
Certain bath bombs, however, can be more stressful to deal with than they are stress-free. The ones that may seem more fun pose a greater risk to your drains. So, which types of bath bombs are safe? The Bacon team is here to sort out your bath bombs and your drains.
Types of Harmful Bath Bombs
The more fun, the better, right? Bath bombs can definitely be a fun way to level up your bath. Not to mention, they can have skincare benefits and lovely scents, but even the least assuming ones can cause clogs in your tub’s drain. Avoid these categories when buying your bath bombs.
Glitter: A sparkly bath bomb may have some cool effects, but the tiny glitter specs are not meant for your drains. Glitter doesn’t biodegrade like organic matter, which means it can clump with hair, oils, and other films that don’t drain easily.
Oils: Certain oils and butter are great for the skin but don’t mix with water. A good rule of thumb is if it doesn’t dissolve naturally in water, it can’t go down your shower drain. Some bath bombs release salts, which can soothe muscles. Since salts dissolve in water, they aren’t an issue. Oils are a major clog starter, so avoid bath bombs with these types of ingredients.
Florals: If you wouldn’t flush a plant down your toilet (please don’t), you shouldn’t try to drain flower petals. The appeal of flower petals in the bath is understandable. If you do use a bath bomb with flower petals, take them out before draining the water.
Additionally, ingredients like cornstarch will only be a nuisance to your drains. Bath bombs can be great, and with a little consideration, they don’t have to be a point of stress further down the line. If you’re set on using any of the above types of bombs, you’ll probably be in for more work than relaxation.
Glitter and florals can be captured with a cloth as your water drains. Either keep the bath bomb in a nylon cloth when dissolving it or hold down a cloth or extra-fine mesh covering around your drain.
Take it from Bacon; you’ll be much happier when you don’t have to deal with clogged drains.
