I posted the same type question here and in Plumbing last year when planning a bath remodel. I found this drain and have had it installed; the bath is almost complete so I cannot vouch that it will work as I intended. I got it because the drain cover is easy to remove to clean out hair. don't know how easy it would be to replace your drain with one of these and just clean it out yourselves periodically. My thinking was I could put a mesh screen under the cover to catch all the hair, but haven't tried that yet. My plumber and tile setter loved the drain by the way. Here is a link that might be useful: Ebbe drain

That's funny! We just removed the metal drain plate in our 1-year old tiled shower this weekend and discovered EXACTLY what you've described. After cleaning out all of the gook, our shower finally drains properly like it did when first finished. Like you, we also had the hard "calcifications" on the tiles outside the drain too. With elbow grease and a screwdriver, we were able to remove it as well. The only difference in our situation, it seems, is that we have our own well. Is there anyone who can shed some light on what's going on here? Your help would be much appreciated.

I have long thick hair and since I am the one who is responsible for cleaning the drain I was motivated to modify my hair washing technique to (mostly) eliminate the problem. You can "grab" the lose hair before it hits the shower floor by running your fingers thought the hair in a combing motion during washing and cream rinse. Most of the lose hair will be on your fingers where it can be removed (not washed off) and put aside to be discarded after the shower. IÂm not sure how you could motivate your daughter to do this, but it will elimate the problem.

Clearing the 'clog' will usually require several remedies. First, is this a shower/bath combo that has an overflow drain and plug? If so, you will need to unscrew and remove the plate to the overflow to remove the stopper which has likely become clogged and blocked with hair. See below: This overflow plate is usually located about 4" below the spout. Once you remove the plate, you will also remove the linkage to the drain plug. With the plug and plate removed, run water into the drain and see if the drain runs freely. If it does, replace the drain linkage and plate and your problems are over. If not, try unscrewing the metal sieve, located directly on the drain in the base of the tub/shower. Sieves can be come blocked with hair and soap. removing and manually cleaning them can open poorly flowing drains. If none of that helps, you may need to unscrew the overflow and drain pipes, and traps that serve the bath/shower and clean them. They are held in place in most cases by 'slip joint connectors' which can often be removed by hand or 'channel-lock' type pliers. Separate these slip-joint connect parts...clean them...then reassemble... And your problems should end. Here is a link that might be useful: