What Will Unclog a Toilet?

Most homeowners do not know what will unclog a toilet besides using a plunger. While a plunger is a great tool to have on hand when toilet clogs strike, you need to know how to use it properly and what to do if you don’t have a plunger handy to avoid toilet water overflow. 

Typically, you can quickly resolve a toilet clog at home. However, sometimes, you may encounter other underlying issues with your toilet or plumbing system. If so, consider having experienced and skilled plumbers in Chaska, MN, who can inspect your toilet, provide the appropriate repairs, and get your system back to functioning in top shape. 

In the meantime, continue reading to learn what will unclog a toilet, how to use a plunger properly, and the best practices for maintaining your plumbing system post-clog. 

At-Home Methods To Unclog Toilet

It’s never a good feeling when you go to flush the toilet and instead it struggles to flush, leaving behind a clogged mess. The good news is that you can learn plenty of ways to unclog your toilet without going out and buying a bunch of new equipment.

In fact, most of the interventions listed below use everyday household items to get your toilet to flush without needing to run to the store to buy tools. This approach also minimizes the need for expensive toilet repair 

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services. In turn, you get peace of mind that one of these six methods will help unclog your toilet.

How To Correctly Use Plunger

Most people know that you need a plunger nearby when the toilet clogs. However, there are numerous ways you could be using your plunger inefficiently. For example, if you do not align it over the drain hole, you may get very weak suction and cannot force the clog through the toilet.

For the best plunging, start by ensuring enough water is inside the toilet bowl to cover the bottom of the plunger. If you don’t see enough water in the bowl, you can always add more water from a nearby water source. 

Next, you want to position the plunger over the hole in your toilet at a slight angle and then plunge up and down without moving the position ten times until you hear the water begin flushing. If necessary, readjust and complete the steps again until it drains. 

Use the Toilet Brush

Let's say you don't have a plunger, but you have a toilet brush. Surprisingly enough, you can plunge a toilet with a brush and a strong grip. As a general rule of thumb, you use the toilet brush side with the bristles to break up any toilet paper and then angle the brush into the drain hole and plunge up and down just like you would with a regular plunger.

Use Hot Water

You can deploy the following method to help unclog tough clogs: Add hot water to the toilet bowl. Remember, you should not put boiling water into your toilet bowl because it can damage the porcelain interior. However, the water should still be very hot to help break up any stubborn clogs.

Start by filling up a bucket or bowl with hot water and then dump this directly into the toilet bowl, leaving some room from the rim. The hot water will help dissolve any paper and clogs, so let it rest there for five minutes, and then try flushing again.

Drain Snake

Not everyone has a drain snake on hand, a specific tool that goes into drains to help manually break up clogs. However, you can use something like a wire hanger that you’ve unraveled to dive into the drain hole and break up the blockage. 

Simply put, you will place the long object into the drain hole and fish around to try to break up the clog and/or manually remove the blockage from the toilet bowl. As a reminder, make sure to avoid scratching the toilet, and don't use an object that you want to use again, as it will be dirty with toilet water and other debris. 

Vinegar and Baking Soda

When vinegar and baking soda combine, they become a powerhouse at breaking up stubborn messes and clogs. This natural solution of one cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar will make a natural chemical reaction bubbling inside your toilet, helping to break up clogs. Combine the two ingredients in the toilet bowl, let it sit for thirty minutes, and then try to flush.

Dish Soap 

Another trick to help unclog a toilet involves using dish soap. First, run into the kitchen where you keep your dish soap and liberally squirt the soap directly into the toilet bowl. 

The sudsy and slippery degreasing nature of dish soap can help create a smooth consistency inside the clogged pipe and may help the clog or blockage slide through the pipes more easily. Generally, you can pour anywhere from a third to half a cup of dish soap into the toilet. Then, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and then proceed to flush the toilet. 

Best Practice: Call a Local Plumber

While most of the time, the methods we discussed above should work to help dislodge and unclog toilets, that's not always the case. Occasionally, you need an experienced plumbing technician to treat the clog and get to the root of the cause. At the end of the day, plumbing systems are complex.

For example, if your water comes from a well, you can have a bath and toilet with the same water drain, a main sewer line clog, or something wrong with your sump pump. Because of the numerous things that can go wrong, it’s ideal to have plumbers you can trust on standby.

Furthermore, if you’ve experienced toilet clogs and draining issues for a while, you must have knowledgeable plumbers inspect your system to get to the root of the problem. 

So, instead of wondering what will unclog a toilet, get the experienced plumbing help you need today. Contact Babe Plumbing in Chaska, MN, at (507) 481-1094 for your toilet clogs, repairs, and full-service plumbing needs!