How to Unclog a Toilet | 7 Best & Effective Ways
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Many people think that unclogging a toilet at home is quite a tough job. Have you ever tried this? Toilet clogs are one of the most prevalent toilet problems. Even after perfect plumbing, toilet clogs can happen. The best thing is, that you can remove most of the clogs yourself using some very common tools and ingredients. Homemade different drain cleaners made of vinegar and baking soda, hot water, dish soap, or a good plunger can remove most of the clogs.
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7 Best Ways to Unclog a Toilet
There are various reasons for clogging the toilet. Whatever the cause of your toilet clogs, you can unlock it by applying any of the following methods which suited you the best.
1. How to unclog a toilet without a plunger
Many people think that only a plunger is an easy solution to unclog a toilet but that is not true at all. Though there are many easiest and fastest ways to eliminate clogs, we will recommend you arrange a plunger on hand for any emergency. Let us see some alternative methods for unclogging a toilet without a plunger.
First, have some patience
If you have a second toilet at your home, then just leave this one as it is. The excess water in the toilet will create some pressure on the clog. Once the pressure of the water becomes enough in the drain, the clog attempt to remove it. To generate enough pressure, you need to wait for at least overnight. If you find the clog is still in your toilet next, then try another method.
Use some hot water
For unclogging any drain, the use of hot water is quite a popular and effective method. You have to arrange a large bucket and some hot water for this method. Be careful; you need only hot water, not boiling. Boiling water can damage your toilet bowl and drain pipe. Pour hot water into the toilet directly; it will break up to clog and remove it.
Use of some drain cleaning chemicals
It is another popular method to unclog a toilet. The chemicals of these cleaners are dangerous, and they can damage even your plumbing. Moreover, most of them are not environment-friendly. If you can follow the exact user instruction written on the bottle, then it can work quite well.
You can also make a drain cleaner at home. Take two cups of bleach and one cup of detergent and mix them well. Pour the mixture into the toilet and leave it for half an hour. Now flash out your toilet clog.
Use of soda and vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar both are very familiar ingredients in the kitchen. I don’t think a single kitchen can be found without these two ingredients. They both are very useful cleaners and can help unclog your toilet.
Spread about one cup of baking soda directly into your toilet bowl. Measure two cups of vinegar and add it to the toilet slowly. Pour vinegar in a circular motion to cover the maximum area of the bowl. Once the vinegar comes in contact with baking soda, it will start fizzing. It will start to break the clog within a few minutes.
Leave the toilet for at least 30 minutes and flush it out. If you do not succeed at the first attempt, then try the same process again but leave the mixture in the toilet overnight this time.
Use of a toilet brush
A toilet brush also can help you to get rid of a toilet clog. This brush may no longer be usable, but sacrificing a brush to get rid of an irritating problem like a toilet clog is not a big loss, is it?
Push the brush into the drain hole and move up and down vigorously. You may need to give the force a little bit. Be careful; the excess force can damage your toilet. Once you feel the clog break down, flush out it.
2. How to unclog a toilet with a plunger
Though there are plenty of variations of the plunger on the market, the cup plunger is the most basic. So before you pick the plunger, you should check your plumbing fixtures. The cup plunger comes with a dome-shaped rubber cup with a long handle.
First step: Fill the bowl with water
To unclog the toilet, you need to create pressure on the water. If there is standing water in the toilet bowl, then add water to it. The water level should cover the rim level.
Second step: Position the plunger
Make the position of the right over the hole of the toilet drain. The flange should be getting inside of the hole. The cup will be sealed entirely around the outside of the drain opening.
Third step: Push the plunger
It is an important step. Hold the handle tightly and manage your grip on it. Now push down the cup with enough force then pull it back. Be careful, the cup’s seal around the drain opening cannot be broken. Repeat the process at least five to six times. Then finally pull the cup off from the hole.
High pressure of water will break down the clog and remove it from the pipe. You can repeat the plunging motions until the clog removes completely.
Final step: Flush the toilet
After removing the clog from the drain, flush the toilet a few times.
3. How to unclog a toilet with poop in it
Dealing with a toilet clog is very unpleasant, especially if there is any poop in it. You must have to remove it before the toilet starts to overflow. Here are some practical solutions.
Use your own hands
Though this method is quite useful to unclog a toilet but highly unpleasant also, as it is ultimately a dirty job, you should wear long waterproof gloves before you start the process. This method is only applicable if the poop does not go further into the toilet drain.
Put your hand into the drain hole, once you feel the movement of the parts of the poop, remove them carefully from the drain and throw them away into the garbage. Flush out the toilet.
Use of shampoo
It is quite a simple process. Just pour lots of boiled water into the bowl and add any shampoo into it. The shampoo will soften the poops while the boiling water will break it down and unblock the drain. Once the poop removes from the pipe, pour more hot water to unclog completely and flush out the toilet.
Use of Coca-Cola and a plastic foil
Coca-Cola is not only a popular beverage; it is a very effective cleaning agent also. Even surprisingly, it can unclog your toilet drain. Please take a few bottles of fresh Coca-Cola with the soda and pour all of them into the toilet bowl.
The toilet bowl should be full of Coke. Wrap the bowl opening with plastic foil as fast as possible. Leave it for at least 60 minutes to soften the poop. The soda of the Coke will create enough pressure to break down the poop and remove it from the drain. Flush out and get a clog-free toilet.
Use of bleach
As bleach is not a completely safe cleaning product, you should use it only when a clog is severe. Take two or three cups of bleach and pour it directly into the bowl. The chemicals of bleach will take some time to dissolve the poops; then, you can flush out your toilet. You may need to flush a few times.
4. How to unclog a toilet with dish soap
If only plain hot water cannot remove the clog completely, the dish soap can help you. The process is quite simple. Just put some dish soap into the toilet bowl and add some hot water to it. Let the mixture sit here for a few minutes. The dish soap will help to break down the grime, grease, and dirt and accelerate the unclogging process.
The unclogging time will depend on the clot, but on average, it may take about half an hour to work. If 30 minutes is not enough, then leave it overnight.
Read next: How to unclog toilet siphon jets
5. How to unclog a toilet with baking soda
As we already said that baking soda is one of the most common ingredients, so probably have it in your kitchen. It works amazingly in washing and any type of stain removal. However, it is also great to break down the clog of your toilet. Let us see how you can use it.
Fill the toilet bowl with warm water. Make sure that the water should not too hot. Add some baking soda directly into the bowl of water. Now wrap the bowl opening with plastic foil and leave it for approximately one hour. Hopefully, your toilet clog will remove within time. Now flush away the broken clog along with baking soda.
6. How to unclog a toilet with salt
The clogged toilet is a very familiar household problem and expensive also as the plumber cost is really high. Suppose you want to try to unclog a toilet by yourself without using any toxic chemicals; the use of salt can be an easy process. Let us see how salt can help you to remove your toilet clog.
Use of Epsom salt
If you need to unclog the toilet immediately and you do not have much to wait for hot water or soap to work, then Epsom salt can significantly help you. Though this salt is not a common ingredient like dish soap, if you have it, then you can use it.
When you add to the water, it will create a fizzy reaction, which helps to break down the things and remove the clog. If you do not have Epsom salt, then the bath bomb can also do it for you.
Use of rock salt
The use of rock salt to unclog a toilet is quite a popular process among professional plumbers. You can also use it and remove the clog yourself.
Take about two gallons of very hot water into a bucket. Add one cup of rock salt to the hot water and stir until it dissolves completely. Pour the mixture into the bowl. Allow the mixture to stand in the bowl for eight hours or overnight. The next morning flush the toilet. You can apply this most each month as routine monthly maintenance.
Use table salt and soda
Table salt is another safe ingredient and is effective also to remove toilet clogs. Mix a half cup of table salt with a half cup of baking soda in a small bowl and pour the mixture into the toilet. Now add slowly six cups of very hot or boiling water into it. Allow the mixture to stand in the bowl for eight hours or overnight.
The next morning uses a plunger to break down the clog. Pour some boiling water again to wash out the pile and flush the toilet.
7. How to unclog a toilet with a hanger
Do not be surprised! If a wire hanger is in your closet, then you are ready to get rid of any brain blockage. Take a wire hanger and unfold it. Make it- straight. Wrap a piece of cloth or rag at the rough edge of the hanger and tie it perfectly. It will prevent getting scratches inside of the toilet bowl and drain.
Now enter the wrapped end into the drain, and push the clog to break. You may need to apply some force. Your toilet will unclog within a few tries the flush it out.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can I unclog my toilet without touching it?
If you don’t have a plunger or if you simply don’t want to interact with your clogged toilet directly, the best way to unclog it is to pour some vinegar and baking soda into it. First, pour some baking soda into the bowl and leave it for a few minutes. Then pour some vinegar into the toilet bowl and wait for approximately 20 minutes before flushing. Do not pour it down altogether, as it can further clog your toilet.
Can a clogged toilet be unclogged without having to do anything?
The answer to this question depends on what caused the toilet to clog. Usually, toilets get clogged by things that can be dissolved by the water eventually. In these cases, the toilet will be unclogged by itself over time. But if something else is stuck in the toilet pipe that can’t be dissolved in the water, and if that does not get away with a flush, the toilet won’t be unclogged without any help.
What do you do if the toilet gets clogged?
In this case, you cannot help but get a plunger at first. To use the plunger, make space in the toilet bowl by decreasing the water in the bowl. After that, slowly set the plunger properly and start lowering it. If the water in the bowl is decreased enough, you can use vinegar and baking soda to unclog the toilet without a plunger.
Can I leave my clogged toilet overnight?
If you can manage it, you can leave a clogged toilet overnight. When the clog-causing item can be dissolved in the water, the toilet might need time to unclog itself without doing anything. In this case, leaving the clogged toilet overnight would be a good choice.
Would it be all right if I flush my clogged toilet?
It will be okay if your toilet isn’t flushed once already. If you flush once and the toilet doesn’t get unclogged, then don’t flush again. Because flushing again would release a lot of water, and as the bowl is already full due to the clogged situation, it will cause the toilet to overflow.
Wrapping up
Unclogging a toilet is an unpleasant job indeed. But hiring a plumber is not always budget-friendly. Even sometimes, we do not have enough time to call any professional. In these circumstances, the above-listed process will help you to remove the unwanted blockage from the toilet pipe.
All of these processes need the minimum household ingredients, and their application process is also very simple. So, no more wasting money by calling a plumber. Choose any of these cleaning processes that best suit you and unclog your toilet quickly. No more awkward situations; enjoy only a fresh toilet.
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