Clearing a toilet clog
How to Unclog a Toilet Without a Plunger: 7 Genius Hacks
Photo: istockphoto.com
It’s never an ideal situation: A quick trip to the bathroom followed by a single flush and, boom, you’re dealing with a clogged drain or—much worse—a nearly overflowing toilet. If you find yourself without a plunger, you don’t know how to plunge a toilet, or if you’ve tried using a plunger and it didn’t work, you have a few unclogging options before resorting to hiring a plumber. You can usually take care of a clogged toilet or toilet overflow using items you already have in your bathroom or kitchen cabinets. Read on to learn how to fix a clogged toilet (and be sure to wear protective gloves).
1. Pour in Some Hot (But Not Boiling) WaterPhoto: fotosearch.com
When you notice a nasty clog or your toilet won’t flush, your best bet is to pour in some hot water. You can turn the tap in your bathroom sink or tub to the hottest setting or heat the water up a bit on the stove, but don’t let the water get to boiling point. Pour it down the drain and let it sit for a few minutes to see if it loosens the clog. You’ll know if your efforts were successful if you see the water start to drain. Then, give the toilet a flush or two. In many cases, hot water is enough to break up whatever is causing the backup.
(Pro tip from a Bob Vila editor who recently used this technique: Cupfuls of hot water don’t help much, but larger quantities do. Fill a water pitcher, small bucket, or even your bathroom wastebasket with hot water—if the water level in your toilet isn’t already precariously high—and pour the water in while standing up. Repeat, repeat, repeat.)
RELATED: How to Use a Plunger the Right Way
2. Swish in Some Dish SoapPhoto: fotosearch.com
If you need to kick the unclogging process up a notch, fetch some dish soap from the kitchen and squeeze a generous amount, about a 1/4 cup should do, into the toilet bowl. Let the soap sit for 5 to 10 minutes so it has time to move down the drain and reach the clog.
Then, add hot water (again, not boiling water) to the bowl and let the soapy mixture sit. In most cases, the dish soap will act as a lubricant and grease the clog in the toilet drain enough to get everything moving again.
RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Best Toilets
3. Mix in Baking Soda and VinegarPhoto: fotosearch.com
Who knew that something you learned in elementary school science would help with unclogging a toilet? Don’t try this hack in a toilet bowl that is already filled to the brim—you’ll want to either empty out some of the water first, or wait until the water level recedes. Here’s what to do: Pour 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar down the toilet drain. When the vinegar and baking soda combine, the natural chemical reaction will bubble up and loosen the clog. After about 30 minutes, follow up with some hot water and see if it drains. If it does, you’re good to go. If it doesn’t, repeat the process once more.
RELATED: 10 Ingenious Home Uses for Baking Soda
4.
Use the Toilet BrushPhoto: istockphoto.com
This may seem a little unpleasant, but if you’re really in a bind and there’s no toilet plunger in sight, grab a toilet brush and angle the bristles down the drain. Pumping up and down a few times should be enough to loosen things up so the clog clears in no time. (If you want a plunger handy in case your toilet clogs again, you’ll find some good options in our researched guide to the best plungers.)
RELATED: The 8 Easiest Ways to Eliminate Bathroom Odor
5. Unwind a Wire HangerPhoto: fotosearch.com
If you don’t have access to a drain snake, you can fashion your own using a wire coat hanger from your closet. Simply unwind the hanger so that it’s completely straight with the exception of the hook. Then, wrap a small rag around the hook to help prevent any scratches or damage to the porcelain and, while wearing rubber gloves, gently angle the hanger down the drain until you find the clog.
When the water starts to drain, flush the toilet a few times to clear it out.
RELATED: 9 Clever Things You Can Do with a Wire Hanger
6. DIY Your Own Drain De-CloggerPhoto: fotosearch.com
Don’t run out to buy a commercial drain unclogging product. Instead, create your own DIY de-clogger by mixing together the following ingredients: 2 cups baking soda, 1/4 cup Epsom salt, and 8 to 10 tablespoons of dish detergent (add 1 tablespoon at a time). Pour the combination into individual muffin liners, then let them dry and harden overnight. The next morning, drop one into the toilet bowl, add 4 cups of water, and let it sit for a few hours to see results.
RELATED: DIY Toilet Repair: 5 Common Commode Problems and How to Fix Them
7. Bust Out the Shop VacPhoto: amazon.com
Last resort: Rent a wet/dry vacuum from your local hardware store—do not try this with a regular vacuum.
First, use it to empty the water from the bowl. Next, wrap the hose in an old rag to create a seal, then stick the wet/dry vacuum a few inches down the drain. When you turn on the vacuum, it should suck out the clog. Again, don’t forget the rubber gloves!
RELATED: How to Use a Shop Vac for Floods, Spills, and Other Liquid Messes
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+How to Unclog Toilet Without a Plunger
If you don't have a plunger, you can sometimes get things in working order with a few common household items.
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How To Unclog the Toilet Without a Plunger
The best way to handle a clogged toilet is to use a plunger but there might be situations where you don’t have access to one. If If the toilet is clogged and you don’t have a plunger handy, have no fear. There is more than one way to clear out the toilet and some of these ways include common household items that you likely already have.
If a clog is particular troublesome, you may need to use a drain snake to unclog it. But these home remedies will help push through some of the more minor clogs you’re likely to encounter.
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Family Handyman
Dish Soap
Plunging a clogged toilet is no fun, but there’s a better way. To unclog a toilet without a plunger, head to the kitchen for some dish soap. The slippery soap can help lubricate the clogged pipe and allow the lodged debris to slide down more easily.
Pour about a half-cup into the toilet. If you’re out of dish soap, chop a bar of hand soap into small chunks and drop the pieces into the toilet.
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GWImages/Shutterstock
Add Hot Water
If dish soap alone doesn’t do the trick, adding water might move things along. Fill a bucket with hot bath water (boiling water could cause a porcelain toilet to crack) and pour the water into the toilet from waist level.
The force of the water could dislodge the cause of the clog.
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ndquang/Shutterstock
DIY Wire Hanger Drain Snake
A more severe blockage could require manually moving the item. To do this without a plunger, unravel a wire coat hanger until it’s straight. Push one end of the wire into the clogged area. Prod the debris until it becomes free and flows down the drain. A drain auger is a better choice, but the wire hanger will work in a pinch.
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Shutterstock/JPC-PROD
Baking Soda Mixture
As an alternative to using dish soap for those situations where you’re without a plunger, try this all-natural solution. Pour one cup baking soda and two cups vinegar into the toilet. Allow it fizz for a half hour. If clog doesn’t dissipate, try the hot water trick.
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iamshutter/Shutterstock
Use a Plastic Bottle to Create Water Pressure
This unclogging trick could get messy.
Start by removing as much water from the toilet bowl as possible; you can do this by repeatedly filling a small container with toilet water and pouring the water into a bucket. Next, fill a large plastic bottle with warm water.
Place your thumb over the top of the bottle and fit the top end of the bottle into the outlet at the bottom of the toilet. (You’ll want to wear rubber gloves for this step.) Remove your thumb and squeeze the bottle so the water inside shoots down the pipe. The added pressure could dislodge whatever was causing the clog.
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Family Handyman
Squirt Gun Toilet Drainer
If you decide to drain your toilet bowl before dealing with the clog, here’s a unique tip to get the water out.
“When you’re repairing or replacing a toilet, you need to remove all the water. Simply shutting off the water supply and flushing won’t do it. A sponge works, but it’s kind of slow.
So I use an old squirt gun to suck the water out and squirt it into a bucket, leaving just the last few drops to sponge out.” — reader Dale Conklin.
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Originally Published: November 16, 2021
How to eliminate blockage in the toilet bowl at home using improvised means?
Think you can deal with blockages on your own? You are not mistaken. You can fix the problem without a specialist in many cases. If you fail, it's never too late to call a plumber.
Anna Zalesskaya
Getty Images
Almost always blockages occur at the joints, bends and transitions of pipes, you should look for them in these places.
Contents of the article
What can cause a blockage and how do you know if it can be dealt with?
Long hair from combs, hairballs and dust washed down the toilet after household cleaning, food waste, cat litter, foreign objects and rags, bags, pads and tampons that accidentally fall into the toilet are very common causes of blockages.
If the sewer system has failed, that is, the toilet bowl does not flush, you must first understand where the “plug” has formed, in the local or central sewerage system, and then act. It can be either a light blockage that you can deal with on your own, or a more serious problem that will require a specialist to solve.
If the blockage is not serious, then the water will drain slowly and poorly, but still. To understand this, pour about 1 liter of water into the toilet and check its level after half an hour. Just do not press the drain tank button, as there is more water, and it can flood the floor in the bathroom. If the water drains at least a little, it means that not everything is lost, and the water ends up in the sewer. If nothing has changed, but at the same time, water drains normally in the adjacent sink or bathtub, most likely the blockage is in the pipe at the outlet of the toilet bowl. When water does not drain anywhere, it’s bad, the problem may be in the sewer system of the house, and you can’t do it with your own hands.
In other cases, there are quite a few solutions, but we will talk about the simplest and most affordable ones.
Hot water
This method is great for wood cat litter blockages. If there is a blockage, heat the water on the stove without letting it boil, pour it into a bucket and pour it sharply at an angle into the toilet bowl. Leave for a few minutes to see if this loosens the blockage. When the water begins to drain slowly, it is better to wait a while and then pour another bucket of liquid. In many cases, hot water is sufficient to clear the blockage. Here you can also connect a plunger to speed up the process.
Dishwashing liquid
If you want a quick cleaning effect, take some dish detergent from the kitchen and squeeze about 1/4 cup down the toilet. Leave the product for 5-10 minutes so that it has time to drain into the sewer and get to the blockage.
Then pour hot water (again, not boiling water) into the bucket and let it stand for a while. In most cases, dishwashing detergent acts as a lubricant and objects stuck in pipe bends begin to move in the right direction.
Sizzling mixture - soda with vinegar
Soda allows you to partially dissolve organic dirt and fats, which will help to quickly eliminate blockages. If the toilet bowl is already filled to the brim, pour some water into the basin, then pour one glass or half a pack of baking soda, trying to push it as deep as possible into the pipe, and after that, pour a glass of vinegar there and wait for the reaction. After about thirty minutes, pour 2 liters of hot water and see if it runs down the drain. If so, everything is fine. If this does not happen, repeat the process again.
Toilet brush
Not the most pleasant way, but if you are in a really difficult situation and there is no plunger in sight, take a toilet brush and place it as deep as possible in the drain hole.
Pump it up and down a few times to try and dislodge whatever is keeping the water from draining.
Dry Cleaning Hanger
If you don’t have a plumbing cable, which, by the way, is one of the best tools for removing blockages, you can make it yourself from a wire clothes hanger. Unroll it to become straight, leaving the hook intact. Then wrap the hook with a small piece of cloth (any rag) so as not to scratch or damage the walls of the toilet, and, wearing rubber gloves, gently slide the hanger down the drain until you get to the blockage. When the water begins to drain a little, flush the toilet several times with hot water.
Plastic bottle
For an ordinary plastic bottle, cut off the bottom and screw the cap on tightly. Next, pour hot water into the toilet bowl, bring the bottle to the drain hole, and, pressing and releasing the bottle, try to remove the blockage using a device similar to a plunger.
For a greater effect, you can add a cleaning agent to the water.
Do you throw leftover food down the toilet?
How to clear clogged toilets and sinks?
How to clear a clog in a toilet or bathroom?
Some people love to clean, for them it is a kind of meditation. But even for them, a blockage in the bathroom or in the toilet can cause irritation. Firstly, dealing with blockages is not as pleasant as dusting, and secondly, it is not as easy as it seems. In case of any blockage or poorly functioning plumbing, it is worth calling a specialist, but if you decide to deal with this problem yourself, here are some tips and instructions on how to clear a blockage in the toilet yourself and prevent it in the bathroom.
In case of a blockage, first pour a little soda solution into the drain, then vinegar, and only if this does not help, take the plunger.
How to clear a blockage in the toilet?
If the blockage is not caused by a foreign object, such as a child's toy or disposable diapers, then household chemicals are your main lifesaver.
The product you have chosen should simply be poured or poured into the toilet, left for the time indicated in the instructions and washed off. The main thing - do not forget that such substances have many side effects. Strong chemicals may not be suitable for steel pipes, as the strong chemicals in their composition can damage the metal. Therefore, you should carefully follow the instructions on the label.
How to clean the sewer?
But if the blockage is more serious, and household chemicals do not help, then you need to resort to the most effective tool - a plunger.
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Lower the plunger bowl into the toilet drain until the water completely covers the socket, make 8-10 sharp movements, pumping it in, and then pull it out sharply.
If you don't have a plunger, you can make one yourself. Wrap the rag around a stick of the right size. It should be used in the same way.
If a plunger doesn't work, but you still want to manage on your own, you'll have to use a plumbing cable. Make sure the rope is suitable for unclogging the toilet. Insert the cable into the drain hole and move it inward, gently rotating. After pushing it to the desired depth, begin to rotate it in the other direction, slowly pulling it out.
If none of the above help, then you need to call a plumber.
How to avoid blockages in the toilet?
It is said that it is easier to prevent a fire than to put it out. In order not to spend several hours with a plunger in your hands, do not forget about prevention. Flush the toilet with special anti-blockage products every 3-4 weeks and do not flush large food debris and hygiene items into it.
How to clean the drain in the bathroom?
If you've ever dealt with a clogged toilet in your life, cleaning your bathroom drain will seem like an easy task.
The principle of operation is the same: first, chemical agents, for example, Domestos against blockages. If they do not help - a plunger, then a plumbing cable.
You can try folk remedies that are often just as effective and much safer.
If your bathroom drain is clogged, put 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda down the drain and then pour half a cup of vinegar into it.
Then close the opening so that the reaction takes place inside the drain. Then rinse the blockage with hot water.
To enhance the effect, remove the shower head and wash off the remaining blockage with strong water pressure.
How to avoid blockages in the bathroom?
To prevent blockages in the bathroom, use Domestos to clear blocked pipes. Just pour the right amount down the drain and wait. The tool begins to act within 15 minutes [1].
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[1] Based on Unilever instrumental tests.
