Your toilet has a tough clog. You’ve tried plunging. You’ve even tried a plumbing auger. Nothing seems to be working. What is your next step?
A professional-strength unclogging formula may be able to remove the clog for you. Several chemically-based products are available at most retailers. When given enough time, these products will typically work in 15-60 minutes.
What if you don’t want to pour chemicals down your toilet? You still have options available to you. Here are the best options you can use to clear a tough clog.
1. Hot Water
Just one gallon of hot water can be enough to clear out a tough clog. Make sure the water isn’t boiling hot, but warmer than what you’d use for a hot shower. Pour the entire gallon down the toilet at once. Gravity will help it to flush. Have a backup plan in place in case the toilet overflows so your floor doesn’t suffer water damage.
2. Dish Soap
If the water won’t dislodge the clog, try adding some standard dish soap to the mixture. The soap will coat the ceramic sides of the trap and penetrate down to the drain, helping a blockage make its way out of the toilet. A bar of soap that is cut into small flakes can also work.
3. Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking soda can be quite helpful when a toilet needs to be unclogged, but it must be combined with an acidic product to work. Vinegar is one of the cheapest options available, but lemon juice or a similar liquid will also work. Combine one-part baking soda with one-part vinegar and pour down the toilet.
4. Shampoo or Conditioner
If you don’t have dish soap lying around, another soap-like item that can be used is a shampoo or a conditioner. Squirt a generous amount into the toilet and then add hot water. A shower gel or certain lotions meant to go on in the shower can also help to dislodge a difficult clog when nothing else is lying around.
Knowing what to pour into a toilet to unclog it can be a real life-saver. If these methods have not worked and plunging or a toilet auger has not worked either, then it may be time to call a professional. Some clogs can be underneath the toilet and those can sometimes be difficult to clear from a DIY perspective.
