It only takes a fast trip to the restroom and one flush to end up with a clogged drain or, even worse, a nearly overflowing toilet.
Think about your other unclogging choices before calling a plumber if you don’t have a plunger or if using a plunger doesn’t work. It is possible to fix a clogged toilet or stop an overflowing toilet using only what you already have on hand in your medicine cabinet or kitchen pantry.
Here’s how to fix a clogged toilet (and make sure to wear protective gloves).
Fizzy Fix
Put your elementary school science knowledge to use! If your toilet bowl is already full, either empty some of the water or be prepared for some overflow.
Next, pour a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar down the toilet drain. The combination of vinegar and baking soda will cause a bubbling chemical reaction, which will help dislodge the clog.
After waiting 30 minutes, try pouring hot water down the drain to see if the problem is solved. If that’s the case, you should be good to go. If that doesn’t work, try it again.
Dish Duty
If you need to speed up the process of unclogging the toilet, grab some dish soap from the kitchen and pour roughly a 1/4 cup into the bowl.
Allow the soap to sit for 5-10 minutes to allow it to work its way down the drain and loosen the clog. Finally, fill the bowl with hot (but not boiling) water and let it sit for a while.
Dish soap can often be used to grease up a clogged toilet drain and get water flowing freely again.
Helping Hanger
If you don’t have a drain snake, you can make one out of a wire coat hanger from your wardrobe.
Untwist the hanger until it is fully straight, apart from the hook. Wrap a little rag around the hook to prevent scratches or damage to the porcelain, then carefully slant the hanger down the drain while wearing rubber gloves until you reach the blockage.
As soon as the water begins to go down the drain, you should flush the toilet.
Bathroom Bomb
Instead of rushing out to buy Drano, make a homemade de-clogger by combining the following: 2 cups baking soda, 1/4 cup Epsom salt, and 8-10 tbsp of dish detergent (add 1 tablespoon at a time).
Pour the mixture into paper muffin cups and let them dry and firm overnight. Put one into the toilet bowl first thing in the morning, along with four glasses of water, and let it sit for a while; you should start to notice results shortly after.
Heat Wave
An effective remedy for a bad blockage is to fill a pan with hot water and let it sit for a while. Use the stove or the sink, but be sure the water doesn’t boil.
Pour it down the drain and wait a few minutes to see if it dissolves the clog. If the water begins to drain, then your efforts have been successful. Then, flush the toilet twice.
The pressure of the hot water usually dislodges whatever is clogging the drain.
Vacuum Valve
The absolute last resort is to rent a wet/dry vacuum from a hardware store; a standard vacuum will not work.
Start by using it to drain the bowl. Stick the wet/dry vacuum a few inches down the drain after sealing the hose with an old rag. In theory, the obstruction would be sucked out by the vacuum once it was turned on.
Please use caution and remember to bring along a pair of rubber gloves.
Brush Battle
If you’re really stuck and can’t find a plunger, point the bristles of a toilet brush down the drain. The blockage should be easily removed after a few cycles of pumping up and down.
