If your toilet is clogged and you don’t have a plunger, you need to get creative. Find out here how to remedy a clogged toilet with materials you already have in the cupboard.
It’s never an ideal situation: a quick trip to the bathroom, followed by a single flush, and you find yourself with a blocked drain or, much worse, a toilet that almost overflows. If you don’t have a plunger, don’t know how to flush, or have already tried it and it didn’t work, there are a few things you can do to unclog before calling a plumber. Generally, you can fix a clogged toilet or toilet overflow with items you already have in your bathroom or kitchen cabinets. Read on to learn how to fix a clogged toilet (and don’t forget to wear protective gloves).
- Lather up with dish soap
If you need to speed up the unclogging process, take some dish soap and pour a generous amount, about a quarter cup, into the toilet bowl. Let the soap sit for 5 to 10 minutes so that it slides down the drain and into the clog. Then add hot (not boiling) water to the bowl and let the soap mixture sit. In most cases, the dish soap will act as a lubricant and degrease the clog in the toilet drain enough to get things moving again.
2) Mix baking soda and vinegar.
Who knew what you learned in grade school could help you unclog a toilet? Don’t try this trick on an already full bowl – you’ll have to drain some of the water first or wait for the level to drop. 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 mix, the natural chemical reaction produces bubbles and unclogs the clog. After 30 minutes, pour in hot water and check to see if it clears. If it does, you’re done. If not, repeat the process.
- Use the toilet brush
This may sound a little unpleasant, but if you’re really in a bind and there’s no plunger in sight, take a toilet brush and push the bristles down the drain. A few strokes up and down will unclog the drain and remove the clog in no time (if you want to keep a plunger handy in case your toilet clogs again, you’ll find some good options in our research guide on the best plungers).
4- Unwind a wire hanger
If you don’t have access to a suction cup, you can make your own using a wire hanger you find in your closet. Simply unroll the hanger so that it is completely straight, except for the hook. Then wrap a rag around the hook to avoid scratching or damaging the porcelain and, wearing rubber gloves, gently tilt the hanger into the pipe until you find the stopper. When the water starts to come out, flush the toilet several times to unclog it.
5- Unclogging a pipe yourself
Don’t rush out and buy a commercial plunger. Instead, mix the following ingredients to make a homemade plunger: 2 cups baking soda, 1/4 cup Epsom salt and 8 to 10 tablespoons dishwashing liquid (add 1 tablespoon of each). Pour the mixture into individual muffin tins and let them dry and harden overnight. The next morning, place one in the toilet bowl, add 4 cups of water and leave for a few hours to see the results.
6- Get out the vacuum cleaner.
Last resort: borrow a wet/dry vacuum from a do-it-yourself store; don’t try to do this with a regular vacuum. Start by emptying the water out of the toilet. Then wrap the hose in an old rag to waterproof it and push the wet/dry vacuum a few inches down the drain. When you turn the vacuum on, it should suck up the clog. Again, don’t forget to wear rubber gloves.
