That toilet doesn’t want to flush without spilling over the bowl. You’ve got another clog, and this time, the plunger isn’t working.
What can you do to get the water flowing down the drain again so that you can use the toilet? Although a chemical agent can get the job done in as little as 15 minutes, the abrasiveness of those compounds can put extra wear and tear on your pipes.
That’s why you might want to consider one of these plunger alternatives first to see if you can get rid of that stubborn clog.
Best Ways to Unclog a Toilet That Won’t Flush
1. Dish Soap
When you have a clogged toilet, adding a slippery agent into the bowl and drain can help to keep things moving along. If you add about a half-cup of dish soap, you can get enough lubrication in there to help the debris to start sliding again.
If you don’t have liquid dish soap, you can chop small pieces of hand soap into the toilet. The one item you don’t want to use is laundry detergent, as that can make an unexpected mess when you try to flush everything.
2. Hot Water
Stubborn toilet clogs sometimes benefit from a pressure change that occurs in the trap. You can create this outcome by adding hot water into the toilet bowl. Please don’t use boiling water because that temperature could cause the porcelain to crack.
It helps to pour the hot water at waist level to get the best results. The combination of temperature and force works well to dislodge most clogs.
If you aren’t successful on the first attempt, you can add a little dish soap and repeat this option.
3. Use a Wire Hanger
You can create a makeshift toilet snake to dislodge a stubborn clog if you have a wire hanger at home. It should get unraveled until it is straight. Once you have that step finished, you can press one end of it into the clogged area, use force to remove it and get the water flowing freely again.
The metal wire can scratch your porcelain severely when using this method. Try wrapping it with a couple of layers of plastic food wrap to lessen the impact on your toilet.
4. Baking Soda
If you don’t have any soap at home and the plunger isn’t working, baking soda can save the day. You can pour one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar into the toilet to create a fizzing reaction that works to dislodge the clog. You might need to let this mixture work for up to 30 minutes before you’ll see results.
If you have a stubborn clog, you can add another cup of vinegar to the mix. It is also possible to let the mixture sit overnight to work out the stuck debris.
5. Plastic Bottle
Although this idea can get messy, it can deliver the results you want. You should only try this trick if you have clean water in the bowl.
You’ll need to remove as much water from the toilet bowl as possible. Once you have it all gone, fill a large plastic bottle with warm water.
Put your thumb over the bottle’s top and fit the top end into the outlet at the bottom of the bowl. It helps to wear rubber gloves when doing this step. Remove your thumb and squeeze the bottle so that the fluid shoots down the pipe.
The temperature, water force, and pressure change are enough to help dislodge most stubborn clogs when a plunger doesn’t work.
6. Toilet Auger
If you don’t have a wire hanger at home, you can run to your local hardware store to purchase a toilet auger. When you have the plumbing snake, you’ll want to stick the end into the outlet while pushing the tool into the toilet trap. Keep going until you encounter resistance.
Once you feel the clog’s impact, you can start spinning the auger to dislodging the debris. You’ll eventually spiral through the material. Most of the time, you’ll feel the resistance cease once it gets disrupted enough to let the water flow again.
What Happens If These Methods Don’t Work?
When your toilet stays clogged after trying these options, you can always use a commercial de-clogging agent. If you don’t want to pour chemicals into your plumbing system, a stubborn toilet can also be a job for a professional plumber.
Please remember to use all substances carefully to avoid making a mess or causing a potential injury.
