7 Effective Ways to Do Away with Blocked Toilets

Having to suffer through a blocked toilet is a bad experience. Carelessly pressing the flush after doing the deed and seeing the water clog and overflow is not a pleasant occurrence. The worst part comes when you have to work out a way to unblock the toilet.

However, unclogging a blocked toilet is still not that difficult. Depending on the severity of the clog, several home-remedies and tools may do the job of unclogging the toilet for you. Read on ahead for some amazing unclogging tips and tricks for the next time your toilet overflows and pushes you into a panic attack.

1. Use A Plunger:

No rocket science here, right? A plunger is the most basic toilet cleaning tool. It helps clean up the clogged gunk in your sinkholes, toilets, and other drains. It is usual for pipes to clog because of all the dirt and filth that goes through them. Cleaning your drains occasionally will prevent your toilet and sink drains from having a significant blockage. Make it a practice to use the plunger whenever you clean your washrooms. It will help save you from a great hassle later.

You should more appropriately use a plunger with an attached flange. It will be better and more fitting for a toilet blockage since a flatter plunger is more suitable for shower and sink drains. Using a plunger is quite essential. Once you realise that your toilet is blocked, put on a pair of gloves and get plunging. Place the plunger on the toilet hole and press slowly but firmly. It will help clear out all the air and seal the plunger onto the chute. Make sure you do not plunge quickly as this would splash the dirty water everywhere.

Once the plunger seals, pull it up; this would pull out all the gunk stuck that was blocking the toilet. Keep plunging as long as you think it is needed to clean the toilet. A plunger is nothing extensive and can be used easily without any hassle.

2. The Baking Soda Trick:

If the plunger does not do the trick for you, then you can resort to the all-functioning kitchen king: Baking Soda. Baking soda is known to be very useful as a cleaning agent. Similarly, another kitchen item that identifies for its magical cleaning traits is vinegar. Combine them both and, boom, you have a miraculous cleaning mixture.

But how do we use vinegar and baking soda for a blocked toilet, you ask? Let us tell you how. The technique is quite simple and easy to follow. It also does not require a lot of extra effort and skill. All you need to do is fill a pot with water and warm it on the stove. The water should be hot and not boiling. While the water heats up on the stove, you take a cup of baking soda and pour it down the clogged toilet. After a few minutes, pour in a cup of vinegar. The baking soda and vinegar might react together and cause a fizzing sound. Both the ingredients will help loosen up the gunk stuck inside.

Next, take the hot water and pour it slowly down the drain. The toilet should now be unclogged and squeaky clean!

3. Squeeze in Some Dish Soap:

But what if you do not have some baking soda and vinegar in your house? It is quite unusual but let us assume you do not care for the sake of taking the discussion further. One other trick that makes use of a fundamental kitchen item is hot water and dishwashing liquid. Dishwashing soap is an excellent item to use when unclogging a blocked toilet and is extensively available in every household. Just fill a pot with water and heat it on the stove.

While the water boils, squeeze in some dishwashing liquid into the blocked toilet. Let it sit for a while. The dishwashing liquid will soak into the gunk and loosen it for easy washing away. After a few minutes, slowly pour in hot, boiling water. The hot water will further help in unclogging the dirt and will wash away all the stuck muck inside the toilet. Keep pouring in boiling water until you feel the bathroom is entirely clean and clog-free.

4. Dig in With A Plumbing Snake:

First of all, let us go through what a plumbing snake is, and then we can delve into how you can use it to unclog the blocked toilet.

A plumbing snake is a plumbing tool designed to unclog drains and pipes. Also often known as a drain snake, it is a bendable and slim-shaped auger that works wonders for a blocked toilet. If your toilet clog is extraordinarily stubborn and cannot be worked over with some home remedies or a plunger, then the plumbing snake will do the job in a jiffy. It is suitable for firm, stubborn drain clogs.

The plumbing snake has a coiled wire attached to a drill-like system. You need to push the coiled wire down the toilet hole and rotate the drill shaft clockwise. The coiled wire at one end will help go down the clogged drain and dislodge some of the stuck gunk and dirt. It will help loosen up the clog. Once you feel the blockage, keep rotating to clean the obstruction thoroughly. Once you think that the blockage is completely clean, pull up the coil and wash away the dirt with warm water.

5. Vacuum the Clog:

It might sound absurd, but yes, vacuuming a clogged toilet may do away with some of your worry and frustration. The function of vacuums is to suck in dirt and dust. The system of a vacuum works with a powerful suction which helps pull out the strongest of clogs inside a toilet. The only thing you need to make sure is to use a vacuum cleaner that can cope with water.

Using a usual vacuum cleaner is a severe health hazard as you will be using it in water. Using electrical appliances in water may cause electrical shocks which can even prove fatal. Also, you might completely ruin the vacuum, hence, use one that has a wet and dry cleaning option.

Vacuum cleaners are an excellent method of unclogging a blocked toilet. All you got to do is to cover the vacuum with a towel to create suction which will help bring the dirt and muck out the drain. Also, make sure there is no water inside the toilet. If there is, use the vacuum to clean away the water. Next, cover the nozzle with a towel and lower it down in the toilet hole. Firmly hold the vacuum inside the hole and use it to clean all the blockage out. It should do the trick to unblock your drain and make it sparkly clean.

6. Get A Quality Drain Cleaner:

Even though the use of drain cleaners is advised against since they comprise of harsh chemicals, it may be suitable to use them in a severely stubborn clog. The harsh chemicals inside a drain cleaner can damage the plumbing and also cause chemical burn hazards. The chemicals are very abrasive, which can cause old pipes to degrade.

Additionally, the heat due to the chemicals may cause the pipes to melt and bring about leakage problems in your plumbing. Drain cleaners are also not environment-friendly. They produce fumes and gases that are strictly unsafe for the environment. They are also costly; hence, it is preferable to use home remedies which are cost-efficient as well as super effective.

However, putting that aside, in cases where the clogs are too stubborn to go away with any other method, trying out bio or enzyme cleaners may be a more responsible choice. Using a drain cleaner once in a blue moon would not significantly harm your plumbing system. You can always look into environment-friendly options to use in your home.

7. Get A Plumber:

Even though clogged toilets are not such a complicated problem, often it is best to leave the work to the experts. If you have tried all you can and still suffer from a blocked toilet, calling up your nearest plumber might be the best option for you in the given situation. Some clogs and blockages may need expert skills and aids to resolve.

Besides, for people who love procrastinating, letting someone else cover the task for them is the best way to get things done on time. Therefore, hire the nearest expert plumber to resolve your blocked toilet dilemma.

Conclusion:

Blocked toilets can turn into a major headache if not resolved on time. If not addressed appropriately, the blockage may aggravate and become more stubborn to clean. A toilet is an essential facility and is used quite often by the people living in the house. Any such blockages must be fixed as sooner as possible. You can hire a plumber or utilise some of our useful and time-saving tips for unclogging those nasty blocked toilets.