Bathtub
Tub stoppers explained: which one you have and how it comes out
Before a catcher can go into a bathtub drain, the stopper has to come out of it, and that is where most people get stuck. There are five common kinds of tub stopper, they come out in five different ways, and one of them does not come out at all. Here is how to tell them apart from the outside.
Look, press, turn
Stand over the drain with the tub empty. Three questions identify almost every stopper: is there a lever on the overflow plate under the faucet; does the stopper have a small knob on top; and what happens when you press it with your toe?
| Stopper | How to recognize it | How it comes out |
|---|---|---|
| Toe-touch | Press it with your foot and it pops up; press again and it closes | Hold it open and unscrew the cap counter-clockwise; some have a screw under the cap |
| Lift-and-turn | A small knob on top that you lift and twist to open | Open it, then turn the whole stopper counter-clockwise until it unscrews |
| Push-pull | A knob you pull up to open and push down to close, no twist | Unscrew the knob, then the post underneath, or lift it out |
| Pop-up with a lever | A lever on the overflow plate opens and closes it | Open it and lift the stopper straight up; the rocker arm comes with it |
| Built in | Nothing lifts or unscrews; the stopper is part of the drain | It does not come out; use an over-drain catcher instead |
Once it is out
With the stopper out you will usually see the crossbar, a metal cross a little way down, and the threads the stopper screwed into. Measure across the opening at the top. If it is 1.4 to 1.75 inches, the TubShroom drops in and rests on that crossbar. If the number is odd, 1.25 or a full 2 inches, the TubShroom Ultra brings adapters for both.
Keep the old stopper in a drawer. Some people put it back for a bath; others find it easier to lay a StopShroom over the drain, which closes it with the catcher still in place, and leave the old stopper for the next owner.
If the stopper is stuck
- Soap and hair can glue a toe-touch cap to its post; hold the stopper open and turn the cap firmly by hand, with a rubber glove for grip.
- A lift-and-turn that spins without coming out often has a set screw under the knob; loosen it with a small screwdriver.
- A pop-up that will not lift may be held by the linkage behind the overflow plate; remove the two screws on the plate and pull the lever assembly out first.
- If a chemical drain cleaner went down the drain recently, wear gloves and eye protection before you reach in: Poison Control describes these products as corrosive.
The built-in case
Some newer tubs and many hotel-style drains have a stopper that is part of the drain body. Nothing comes out, and an in-drain catcher has nowhere to go. That does not leave you without options: the ShowerShroom Stealth sits over the drain and collects hair under its domed top, and the Toss mesh covers stick over the opening and peel off when they are full.
Not sure which kind you have? Take a photo of the drain from above and write to us. Every catcher in the ShowerShroom family is cut for one kind of drain, and the stopper decides which one fits yours.
