How To Make Suction Cups Stick In The Shower

Kellan Jansen
by Kellan Jansen
Suction cups provide excellent utility. They enable us to hang a variety of items around our home in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. However, like many hanging materials, suction

Suction cups provide excellent utility. They enable us to hang a variety of items around our home in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

However, like many hanging materials, suction cups aren’t perfect. They can be especially tricky to use in places like your shower. If you’ve been struggling to accomplish this, you’ve come to the right place.

To make suction cups stick in the shower, ensure that both the cup and surface are clean and free of debris. You can add a dab of water or some olive oil to the suction cup before you place it. This will produce a stronger suction on many different surfaces.

How Do Suction Cups Work?

If you’re having trouble with hanging a suction cup, then it’s worth understanding how they actually work. Having this understanding can make it easier to identify why your suction cups aren’t working the way they’re supposed to.

To understand how suction cups work, you first need to realize that everything and everybody on earth is completely surrounded by an ocean of air. This air puts both interior and exterior pressure on everything it touches.

Suction cups take advantage of this fact. When you push a suction cup against your shower, you’re actually pushing out the air that was previously in the same spot.

This eliminates all pressure in the suction cup. What’s left is a vacuum, which seals the cup to the surface that you want to stick it to.

Why Do Suction Cups Stop Working?

Now that you understand how suction cups are supposed to work, it’s easy to figure out why they stop working periodically. When your suction cups stop functioning properly, it’s generally because they aren’t able to create the air vacuum they need to stick.

This could be happening for a variety of reasons. It might be that the surface you’re sticking the suction cup to isn’t clean enough to create the vacuum. Or, the issues might lie with dust and debris on the suction cups themselves.

Suction cups can also stop working naturally over time. This is because many rubber compounds “dry out” over time, reducing their surface finish and flexibility. When this happens, you can expect air leakage to occur more rapidly from your suction cup.

How to Make Suction Cups Stick in the Shower

1. Choose the Right Surface

If your suction cups aren’t sticking in the shower, the first thing you should try is to find a better surface to stick them to. This could be all it takes to fix your suction issue.

Surfaces with slight curves and textured finishes make it difficult for suction cups to get a good bond. Similarly, surfaces that are porous can also be difficult to attach suction cups.

The best surfaces for suction cups are clean, flat, and completely smooth. Try to find a part of your shower that fits this description. It could be just what your suction cups need to create a better air vacuum.

2. Try Cleaning Both Surfaces

Maybe you’ve already tried moving your suction cups around your shower and they still won’t stick. If that’s the case, then your next step should be to clean both the suction cups themselves and the surface that you hope to attach them to.

You can clean your suction cups by wiping them down with a clean, lint-free cloth. Try to do the same to your target surface. This may be all it takes for your suction cups to finally start working properly.

If that doesn’t work, you might want to try a heavier duty cleaning material. Substances like white vinegar and rubbing alcohol are good options. Use them both on the suction cups themselves and the targeted surface.

Substances like white vinegar and rubbing alcohol are effective because they can remove greasy film layers that are difficult to see. However, make sure that you don’t use them on any surfaces that could be damaged by strong cleaning substances, such as a painted wall.

3. The Water Method

If the first two steps didn’t work for you, then this is your next best chance at a fix. Sometimes all it takes is a little water to give your suction cups the power they’ve been missing.

To do this, you’ll want to first rinse the entire suction cup under warm, borderline hot tap water. Doing this will help to soften the cup, making it more pliable. After running the suction cups under water, shake off any excess amounts of it. There should only be a few water droplets left on the inside of the cup.

Next, press the suction cups onto your desired surface. The water droplets may help to prevent air pockets from forming in your suction cups, which can cause them to fail.

4. The Oil Method

Oil can also be used to make a suction cup stick to your shower more effectively. To try this, you’ll need to grab a bit of cooking oil or petroleum jelly.

Simply apply a small amount of the oil around the lip of the suction cup. Put this on the side of the cup that sticks to your shower.

Once you’ve done it, you’re ready to try and stick the suction cup to your shower. However, be careful not to use too much oil, as doing so could cause the cup to lose its remaining suction power.

5. Buy a New Suction Cup

Unfortunately, suction cups don’t work forever. As they age, the plastic materials that they’re composed of can “dry out”.

When this happens, air leakage seeps into the suction cup more rapidly than it would on a newer suction cup. Since air leakage is the chief cause of a failing suction cup, this makes it much more difficult to stick older cups to your shower.

If you’ve tried all of the tips above and still can’t make your suction cups work, it might be time to purchase new ones. They generally aren’t very expensive and you’ll save yourself the headache of having to work against a suction cup that’s already dried out.

Consider These Tips for Sticking a Suction Cup to a Shower

As you try each of these methods, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. First, you may need to press down on your suction cup from time to time to remove its air pockets. If yours falls off after a few days or weeks, then this could be what’s happening.

Also, keep in mind that temperature and humidity can affect your suction cup’s pliability. Temperatures that are low could cause more air pockets to form in the cup, making it more likely to fall off of your shower.

For the best results, try to apply suction cups when the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It could be just what you need to solve your issue.


Related Questions

How much weight do suction cups hold?

Large suction cups can hold up to about 600 grams, while medium ones will hold about 250g. Small suction cups can usually only hold about 125g. If you’re asking your suction cups to hold more than this, then that could be why they’ve been falling off from your shower.


Do suction cups go bad?

Yes, unfortunately, many suction cups have a shelf life. It’s impossible to say how long suction cups typically last, though, because they can be made out of many different kinds of plastic.

Kellan Jansen
Kellan Jansen

Kellan is a content writer who specializes in everything DIY. When he's not behind the keyboard, he enjoys spending time with his pets, playing music, and geeking out about basketball. He hopes to make your home improvement projects a little bit easier to accomplish.

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