What Can You Pour Down a Toilet to Unclog It?

When the toilet clogs at home, it is never an ideal situation. You’re trying to get through your morning routine, and a single flush creates instant panic as the water approaches the bowl’s brim.

If you find yourself without a plunger to use in that situation, or if the tool doesn’t work as expected, you have a few options available to stop this problem from growing.

Here are the best options to consider if you need to pour something down the toilet to unclog it.

1. Pour Hot Water into the Toilet

When you see the symptoms of a nasty clog, the best option you have is to pour hot water into your toilet bowl. You can use the hottest setting from your faucet first. If you need to heat some in the microwave or the stovetop, you don’t want it to reach boiling temperatures.

Boiling water can cause toilet porcelain to crack. Allow the hot fluid to sit in the toilet for a few minutes to loosen the clog. If you see it start draining, you’ll know that you’ve been successful! Finish the job by flushing a couple of times.

2. Pour Dish Soap into the Toilet

If the hot water isn’t loosening the debris enough to get the toilet to flush again, you might need to add some drain-safe lubricant into the mix. You can pour about a quarter-cup of liquid dish soap into the bowl to create the perfect recipe that removes a clog. It takes about ten minutes for it to work its way into the trap or drain to start loosening stuff up.

Add hot water to the toilet bowl after ten minutes. In most circumstances, the soap acts as a lubricant that greases the clog and pipes to help stuff get moving.

3. Pour a Bathroom Bomb into the Toilet

Have you ever noticed how a bath bomb creates a pleasant experience that includes some fizzing and fragrance? You can make something similar at home when you have a clog that doesn’t want to work itself loose from the toilet.

Your ingredient list is as follows:

• two cups of baking soda
• eight tablespoons of dish detergent
• 1/4 cup Epsom salt.

Put this combination into individual muffin liners. Allow them to harden overnight as they dry. In the morning, drop one into the toilet with four cups of hot water. You should start seeing some results in a few hours.

4. Pour Vinegar into the Toilet

When you pour a commercial clog remover into your toilet, the acidic nature of that liquid helps to dissolve a clog enough to help it move through the pipes better. A similar result occurs when you add vinegar to the toilet.

Industrial-strength white vinegar is your best option for removing a clog. This combination of water and acetic acid comes from a two-step fermentation process. You’ll need to let it sit for a couple of hours before you’ll get movement, but it can be a natural way to fix your problem.

When vinegar alone isn’t enough to get rid of the clog, you can mix one cup of it with one cup of baking soda to create more fizz.

Please don’t mix vinegar with hydrogen peroxide. This combination creates peracetic acid, which is corrosive enough that it can harm your lungs, throat, nose, eyes, and skin.

5. Pour a Vacuum Hose into the Toilet

If the other options in this guide are not working to dislodge the clog, your wet/dry vacuum might get the job done. The first step of this process is to empty the water from the bowl so that you can access the exit point.

Next, you’ll want to wrap the hose in an old rag. Although these shop vacuums have powerful suction, you might need a seal to create enough of a pressure change to remove the debris.

After turning on the unit, please remember to keep any electrical cords or motors away from water sources.

Once you feel the clog come through the hose, you can add water to the toilet again and give it a flush.

Most Toilet Clogs Won’t Solve Themselves

When you don’t have a plunger to use for a clogged toilet, you can still get it working again. If you know what to pour into the bowl, it typically takes only a few minutes to get everything functioning again.

Although most toilet clogs are solvable through DIY methods without a commercial agent getting poured into them, a professional plumber can help with the stubborn ones. That way, you can get back to a safe flush quickly and affordably.

Keeping your drains clean so they run properly is essential for maintaining a healthy, functioning home. Unfortunately, because of clogs and blockages caused by hair, dirt, grease, soap residue, and other debris that can accumulate over time in the pipes leading to sinks and tubs, routine drain cleaning can become necessary. If you’re looking for professional drain cleaning services in Bellevue or surrounding areas to restore free-flowing water back into your home’s pipes then you may want to consider giving us a call! Our experienced technicians provide fast reliable service that utilizes quality products and techniques which result in problem-free drains every time.