Does this thing really work? Yes!
How long is the Zip-It? It is 20 inches long with 18 inches of barbed length.
Is that long enough to get into the trap? Yes. Most clogs start at the stopper mechanism. Your water will start to drain slowly before there is anything in the trap.
Will it work on deep clogs? No. But, the Zip-It can prevent them. Use the Zip-It as soon as your drain begins to slow. You will yank out the clog before it has a chance to wash further down into the drain.
What does the Zip-It cost? Cheaper than chemical drain cleaners.
Is the Zip-It reusable? If you really want to clean off all that gunk, sure, you can get 3 or 4 uses out of it. But, at the price, why bother.
How long does it take to clean a drain with the Zip-It? If it takes longer than 30 seconds, you’re doing something wrong.
Who invented the Zip-It? Gene Luoma of Duluth, Minnesota.
Is it patented? Yep.
How did he think of it? One day Gene had a clogged drain and he didn’t want to deal with plunging or snaking it, or, worse, pouring harsh chemicals into his septic system. He thought there had to be an easier way. Then he noticed his daughter’s old, thin, plastic sled. It had a tear down the center of it that was rather jagged. Gene thought, “that’ll work”. So, he cut a long strip of plastic from the sled and cut some barbs into it. He pushed it into the drain, pulled it back out and the Zip-It was born.
Why didn’t I think of that? That’s what we all say.
Does he have any other ideas? Gene has loads of them.
Where can I get one? Ask for it at fine stores everywhere.
What if I have a question? Scroll down.
Shannon Backstrom
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!!! I haven’t found anything that worked as quick and easily as the Zip-It. In less than 5 minutes my tub drain was clean and flowing again. I have been taking showers with my ankles covered in water and nothing worked.
Great product! Inexpensive! Quick! Simple!!
5 Stars!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wendy
My sister mass emailed the family raving about this product. We are a medium sized family but have all females and every drain in all our homes are clogged. We have tried every method known to man including my dad’s idea to use a reverse plunger to move the hair ball. End result-no success.
Love this product!!
admin
Ah, yes. A house full of women is the perfect place for a Zip-It. Tell your sister “thank you”. And tell your dad, “you’re welcome”.
Trevor
Is this available in Canada?? I need one!
admin
This product can be found at most Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart locations. It is merchandised down the plumbing aisle and the product part number is PS6066.
Cindy Morrison
I just used Zip It it unclog my vacumn cleaner hose. It worked great because the clog was within a few inches of the end of the hose. Everyone who has a vacumn has tried a wire coat hanger…so did I. Did nothing. Please make a longer zip it just ofr vacumn cleaners. Saves a lot of frustration. PS when you make them I’ll gladly take one as payment for the idea. ;)) Thanks.
r
Doesn’t work! I tried it on my tub and it won’t get all the way in. I live in a basement and really wanted to have my own zip-it success story. Any recommendations?
admin
I’m sorry you weren’t able to pull out your very own drain-yeti. If you can’t even get the Zip-It down there you may have yourself a very large clog that would require heavier-duty equipment. I would suggest a Cobra Drain Snake. If THAT doesn’t work, I’m sorry to say but you might need to call in a plumber (a professional drain-yeti hunter).
bl
My children dropped a nearly full tube of toothpaste down a full toilet and flushed. Of course, it was lodged in the “S-curve” on the way down. I panicked and started thinking about the inevitable, expensive plumber visit and bill! Luckily, I remembered the Zip-It that has kept our family’s sinks and tubs draining cleanly. I stuck it in there and twisted it around several times. The first attempt gave me a wad of paper. I tried one more time and out came the toothpaste tube!!! Thanks Zip-It!!!
Craig
would like to see one a little longer. works great. would like one long enough to get to that first elbow in the wall.
Lindsey
Will it work on a clog that has caused standing water in my tub?
It will not drain AT ALL
admin
Depends on the clog really. Zip-It is designed to pull out the hair that catches on the stopper mechanism on most drains. This type of clog makes up a good 90% of all clogs. So, if your clog is like most clogs, yes Zip-It will work.
If your particular clog has broken free of the stopper mechanism and has moved further down the pipes, Zip-It won’t work. But, for just a couple of bucks, it may be worth a shot before trying more expensive alternatives.
CB
Worked well. Much better than any liquid drain cleaner.
Please come out with one about twice the length. I’d definitely pay extra to get that deep down hair clogs.
PW
Honestly, I haven’t used this product yet. But I just want to give the Admins who update this blog a big thumbs up for giving the blog real character. Not sure I’ll check this regularly, but every post, video and photo tells me the Zip it works, and backs that up with real consumers’ experiences. Plus, the writing has personality that brings a sense of fun to a normally mundane hardware store product. Good job folks. I don’t just need the Zip it, but I genuinely like it. You generate tons of goodwill with this.
1 thing: Customize this theme and add some Zip-it brand flavor (but not too much!), so customers know they’re in the right place.
admin
Thanks. I really appreciate that.
Avrohom
I have to admit that this is the first review I have ever left for a product.
I began my search to fix my bathtub drain with Google. I typed in “bathtub drain clogged” and just kept searching and clicking until I found out about this thing called zip it. The videos looked amazing and the price was perfect, so I went down to my local lowes and picked one up. With my 2 sons in tow to watch the action, I inserted the zip it into the drain and began pulling out the most gross piles of hair and other assorted nasty stuff. My kids were having a blast and I was struggling to hold my breath. After I had pulled all the gunk out, I put the stopper in the drain and let the tub fill up about a quarter of the way. Low and behold, as soon as I pulled out the stopper, the water began draining so fast,we simply could not believe our eyes. It was so amazing and so simple. A thousand thanks to the people at zip it for making this product. I give it 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who might have this problem.
admin
Thank you for the comment. We are glad Zip-It was able to entertain your kids!
Leslie
I could not get it all the way down my drain!
D.
Does the Zip-It also work on kitchen sinks?
admin
The answer is “no”, but kind of “yes”. Zip-It is designed to grab hair caught on the stopper mechanism. Clogs in kitchen sinks are different than clogs in bathroom sinks and showers. Kitchen clogs tend to be a build-up of grease and/or food stuff – not hair. Kitchen sinks don’t have stopper mechanisms. That being said, there have been some success stories of people using Zip-It on a kitchen sink to break up what is jammed in the drain to unstop a clog. But that’s not really what it is designed for.
If you have a Zip-It lying around, go for it. It can’t hurt. If you buy one and it doesn’t work, wait awhile. Eventually your sink will get clogged :)
richard Maslove
I tried it for the first time – worked great in my bathroom sink , but it was not long enough for my clogged bathtub. It brought up some hair just at the tip , so I think we “missed it by that much” , to quote Maxwell Smart. Do you make one that is extra long , and if not , do you have plans to?
Zip-It Man
There is not an extra-long Zip-It on the market. There is a concern about getting something too long back out of your drain. If Zip-It doesn’t reach, the next trick is to use a drain snake.
Jennifer
I happened to just grab this off the shelf as my husband and were at a local hardware store today. He didn’t believe it would work and I convinced him because it was so inexpensive to buy one and try it. We have had a stubborn slow draining bathroom sink for awhile. So I took it upon myself to put it to use this afternoon and when I pulled out the Zip-It from the drain, I couldn’t believe my eyes or my nose!!!!
I yelled for my husband and he came in running because he thought there was something wrong…then he realized I was just so proud that I had unclogged our drain barehanded (literally)
Note to self- Next time wear gloves, and have plastic bags and paper towels at the ready
Amazing product- 5 stars for sure!!!
Michele
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this thing! I pulled a barf worthy wad of hair out of my bathtub this morning. I think you saved my life! Now I won’t be slipping on the soap residue left in the tub from the slowly draining water.
Now for the problem of the downstairs bathroom. I can’t go through the drain on the bottom of the bathtub because it is glued in there and won’t come loose. I have to go through the overflow drain. I need a longer serrated stick of plastic!! PLEASE bring one to market!
Michael Kapala
Zip-it has saved the day many times at our house. But for some reason I still often waste about $10 worth of so-called “hair clog remover” (sodium hypochlorite Drano or an acid product) BEFORE I get out the Zip-it and solve the problem. Those chemicals cannot remove the long hair that gets wrapped around the bathtub drain plug hardware. Only Zip-it has the ability to mechanically snag that hair and pull it out !
Kittee-Bee Berns
The Zip It is amazing. I used it on two drains we’ve had trouble with. Neither responded to drain cleaner or natural products. I pulled out giant hair babies with this in seconds. Best product! It cost me less than four bucks, too.
Mohamed
What a fantastic product. Took 2 minutes to unclog my sink! You should be charging twice as much for this!
Hashim Warren
Will it clean my toilet, too? I’ve plunged it twice, but that doesn’t seem to work
Zip-It Man
No it will not. The Zip-It was not designed for toilets. Best to use a drain snake.
Larry Hartmann
Love the Zip-It! Please make a 36″ version… just need a little more length to reach the horizontal line in the bathroom sink. Thank you.