How To Close The Shower Drain To Take A Bath

Not all drain stoppers are alike. That's to say, there's more than one way to close a shower drain if you want to take a bath. First, if you have a shower-bath combo, you'll want to note which type of drain stopper it uses. Is it a push-and-pull drain stopper? Toe-touch? Lift-and-turn? Trip lever? A flip-it drain stopper?

Perhaps you don't have a stopper at all. Maybe it's broken or missing altogether. In that case, you may need to get creative about how to close the shower drain and devise a DIY plug.

A toe-touch drain stopper functions as the name implies: by being opened and closed by the pressure of your toe. Press your toe on this stopper and it opens. Press your toe on it again and it closes — voila!

The push-and-pull drain stopper is another self-explanatory type of plug. It can be opened by simply pulling up on the small knob and closed by pushing down. Make sure the stopper is pushed all the way down to ensure there's no drainage while you're taking a bath.

Like the push-and-pull drain stopper, the lift-and-turn stopper is equipped with a small knob at the top. To open, turn it clockwise and pull up a bit on the knob. To close, turn it counterclockwise and push down.

The flip-it drain stopper, known for its ball-shift toggle design, is fairly straightforward and easy to install. Close the shower drain by flipping the lever on top of the drain. You can open or close the drain using your toes or fingers. It differs from the trip lever as it's located in the drain itself rather than on a plate at the front of the tub.

The trip-lever drain stopper is slightly more intricate than other types of stoppers and is particularly hard to clean. However, when it comes to closing this type of shower drain, all you need to do is press down on the lever. When you're ready to drain the bathtub, you can push the lever back up to its initial position.

There are a few ways to close the shower drain if you don't have a stopper or plug or the stopper doesn't work. For example, use a single-serve coffee cup or plastic medicine cup. Place the cup in the drain, bottom first, and you've got yourself a stopper. If the cup is too small, add a few rubber bands around the circumference.

Other suggestions include using a lid, such as one from a jam jar, to cover the drain hole. You can also try a small washcloth or sponge in a plastic bag. Place the wet sponge or washcloth in a plastic sandwich bag, squeeze the air out, stretch a rubber band around it and place it in the drain. The material should expand and keep the water from draining.

If possible, try to have a stopper installed as this is your best bet for effectively closing your shower drain.