If you’ve just finished a little drain cleaning project, congratulations! Taking the time to get hair out of the drain means water will now flow freely when you wash your hands and brush your teeth. The next trick is to keep hair from clogging the drain so you don’t have to worry about unclogging it again anytime soon. Arm your bathroom with the following tools for keeping your drain clear.

Beard Trimming Mat

Men, listen up. Your family members and roommates don’t expect you to skip your all-important beard trimming routine – they just want you to cover the sink and counter with a beard trimming mat first!

This clever tool clings to the mirror with two suction cups. Then, the three-foot-square mat drapes over the sink and part of the counter to trap those pesky beard trimmings. The non-stick fabric folds up easily, so you can carry it outside and shake the trimmings into the grass. This stops tiny hairs from washing down the drain and makes for a much simpler clean-up process.

Water Drop Hair Catcher

One tricky part about bathroom sink drains is that the stopper juts out when not being used to plug the drain. This isn’t a problem for the water drop hair catcher, which has a raised, perforated plastic center surrounded by a suction cup. This design lets water pass through uninterrupted while trapping hair and other debris that could clog the drain. The water drop shape makes it easy to remove the hair catcher so you can dump the debris it catches into the trash.

Shower Drain Hair Catcher

The sink isn’t the only bathroom drain that hair goes down. Avoid a clogged shower drain with an ingenious gadget called a shower drain hair catcher, designed to grab hair a few inches below the drain. After two to four months, you simply lift the hair catcher out and throw it away. This disposable design is hygienic because it lets you easily remove hair from the drain without ever touching it. You’ll never reach for chemicals to unclog the shower drain again!

Recycled Drain Covers

Want to avoid clogged drains without spending a dime? You can use many ordinary household items to cover the shower drain and catch hair.

The first idea is to place a used dryer sheet over the drain while you shower. This acts as a fine mesh filter to trap the shortest hairs and smallest bits of soap that make their way toward the drain. Simply toss the dryer sheet after each use.

And for bathing the dog? Simply set a washcloth over the drain before you pull the plug. The bathtub will take longer to empty, but the cloth traps all the hair so you can easily dump it in the trash.

Hair Brush

It’s a little low-tech, but brushing your hair before you get in the shower is a great way to remove loose hairs so they don’t end up clogging the drain. You’ll still shed some hair in the shower, but brushing helps you put a lot more strands in the trash instead of down the drain.