What to Do When Your Toilet Won’t Unclog

We rarely think about toilets until something goes wrong. When our toilet malfunctions or clogs, it can be more than a minor inconvenience, especially if we don’t have a plunger. Keep in mind that a severely blocked toilet could interrupt your household completely.

Although clearing the blockage is frequently as simple as plunging the drain, you might need to run an auger through your plumbing.

Moreover, some clogs might be far down the pipe or extremely hard to remove that you’ll require services from Air America. Fortunately, these tips will help you unclog your toilet.

Plunger

While this tool might appear basic, it remains the best way of unclogging a toilet. We recommend all households to have this tool and preferably one with a flange because they work best to unblock toilets.

When using this tool, you need to place the plunger in the toilet bowl and push it down gently. The first push is simply to eliminate the air. Take care not to push forcefully, otherwise; you might splash dirty water on yourself.

Once you have a good seal, pump the plunger down and up forcefully while sustaining the seal. Finally, pull the tool up sharply while breaking the air seal. You’ll notice the water rushing down the drain. If this hasn’t fixed the blockage, repeat the steps until the clog loosens.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

When your toilet won’t flush and you don’t have a plunger, you can turn to non-toxic household cleaning aids: vinegar and baking soda. You probably know that vinegar and baking soda are great at cleaning numerous surfaces, function as great deodorizers, and are helpful in keeping our drains running smoothly.

However, these household cleaners also work when you need to fix a blocked toilet if you don’t have a plunger. We recommend you add a cup of baking soda to your blocked toilet and wait for some minutes. Next, pour two cups of vinegar slowly into the toilet.

Vinegar and baking soda will typically react to form bubbles, so ensure you pour carefully and slowly to prevent the toilet water from overflowing or splashing. Allow the baking soda and vinegar mixture to work for a couple of minutes.

You’ll need to flush your toilet to establish whether the clog has cleared. You might need to repeat the process until the clog clears. The clog will clear when your toilet makes a fast suction sound and drains naturally thereafter.

Hot Water and Dish Soap

Heat up a gallon of hot water on the stove and pour some dish soap into your toilet while the water is heating up. When the water is extremely hot, but not boiling, pour into the toilet carefully. Wait for 10-15 minutes while the dish soap and hot water soften the clog.

Once you do so, the toilet will unclog and flush freely. Alternatively, you could use hot water and shampoo from the sink if you wish to clear your toilet without leaving your bathroom.

The Snake

For about $25, you can purchase a toilet snake. You only need to purchase it once and you’ll avoid chemical use. You can thread the handy device and then wind it around until you release the blockage. While this can get a bit messy, it’s better than using your hands. This method is particularly beneficial when the clog is deeper than the bowl itself.

If this approach doesn’t work, try again and contact certified plumbers. Don’t use a clothes hanger as a substitute because it can scratch the toilet bowl’s porcelain surface severely.

Household Bleach

Similar to soap, household bleach helps break down the waste. The procedure resembles the one that involves dish soap. Simply replace the solid or liquid dishwashing soap with 2-3 cups of bleach. After one or two minutes, pour one cup of powdered soap. Wait 10-15 minutes and flush your toilet. You’ll discover this approach is more efficient for a very clogged toilet.

Contact a Plumber

While this approach is simple, it’s probably the easiest and most reliable way of unclogging a stubborn toilet. The best thing about hiring Air America is that we have everything we require to tackle even the worst blockages. Moreover, we’re more affordable than you think and we’ll be done in a short time.

Most of us have dealt with clogged toilets at one point or the other and while it’s easy to assume a plunger will do the work, you might not have one at the time. Therefore, it’s important you implement other means of unclogging your toilet. If you don’t know where to start, consider these tips.