A toilet is an essential room in any house. Hence, every minute, it should be in the best condition to offer the best service when nature calls. However, it is prone to clogs like many drain pipes that carry waste.
Could it be that yours is clogged? You have tried several tricks, and nothing has proven to work? Let us see how to unclog toilet when nothing works.
How to Unclog the Toilet when Nothing Works
Below are seven ways you can try to clear your stubborn clogged toilet. If one does not work, do not hesitate to try the next one until your toilet works well again.
Method #: Using a plunger
Among the many tools that you can use to unclog your toilet is a plunger. Depending on the depth of the clog in your toilet, you may need a plunger that is a bit heavy or normal size. For a heavier one, you can opt for the one with a heavy-duty grip or with a flange.
Here is how you can use the plunger. Remember to wear gloves on your hands to avoid any splashing.
Hold the handle of the plunger, then insert its other end into the toilet bowl. Remember to insert it slowly, then pull the plunger quickly several times to create a tight vacuum space.
This process will remove the clog, then push down the waste and water to the toilet’s drain. I hope this is what happens as you use the method on your toilet. If not, let us try the next way.
Method #2: A plumbing snake
Could you be amongst the people that do not lack visitors in your house? Or, probably your house is just an active room? Then, owning a plumbing snake is never an option. This device is a wire that is quite flexible and a very useful toilet cleaner.
If you do not have one, consider acquiring one from your local stores. They are quite affordable, so you may not strain your pocket so much. Besides, you may not only need this tool for the toilet but also in your drain.
Anytime you use it, do not forget to put on protective gloves to prevent any splash or waste from reaching your precious hands.
Set the plumbing snake, then insert one end of the closet auger into your toilet bowl. Push the device down until you feel like something is resisting the push. Continue pushing the plug as you twist it until it reaches the drain, and the water is set free.
If you feel the drain has no obstruction, flush the toilet. Check the speed of the water flow. If it is fast than before, you have succeeded. If the flow is slow, you may need to redo the process since your toilet path still has some clogs.
Method #3: Hot water and soap
You may be lacking some money to buy lots of expensive materials and chemicals to unclog your toilet. But one thing I am sure of is that you can never lack hot water and some dish soap in your house.
Put a gallon of water on your stove and let it boil. Please remove it from the stove, then let it cool to a warm temperature. Cut your soap into pieces, then throw them into your toilet boil. Pour your warm water into the toilet and let it react on the dirt for a few minutes.
Flush the toilet to push the solution down to remove any clog remaining beneath the toilet. This simple solution is the best way to loosen the plug and allow the drain pipe to be stubborn-free.
I hope this simple trick works.
Method #4: Baking soda and vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar is another method that you can rely upon.
No matter the amount of time your toilet has cogged, white vinegar and baking soda mixture should unclog it.
Once you have your ingredients, you can make the solution. Get a bowl, then add two cups of water into a cup of baking soda. Stir the mixture thoroughly, then pour it all into your toilet bowl.
Get your vinegar and pour two cups into your container, then to your toilet bowl. Walk around or attend to your other duties as you give the vinegar and the soda time to work on your toilet.
This mixture loosens all dirt and unclogs your toilet allowing water to flow freely. You will know that the mixture is working when you see the presence of bubbles in your toilet bowl.
Remember, a plunger may not reach some sections of the drain that this mixture does. After around four hours, your solution should have worked. Remove the solution stains by adding a gallon of boiled water into the toilet.
Wait for some hours, then flush the toilet to see if the water flows with ease down the drain. If so, then your efforts have paid.
Method #5: A coat hanger
I know you may not lack a coat hanger in your wardrobe. It is also a perfect tool to unclog your toilet when nothing else works. The hanger needs to be a wire. So, loosen it then straighten it before trying to use it for this task.
We do not want your porcelain to have scratches. So, cover one end of your wire with an old fabric such as a towel. Using the material alone may not achieve a good seal. So, add duct tape around it to tighten it.
Insert the covered end of your wire into the toilet bowl. Twist it as you push it down to the drain to remove any clog that is hiding inside. Do not stop the exercise; continue until you see the water moving freely down the drain if you notice any resistance.
Flush the toilet to remove the remaining wastes in the bowl. In some cases, the hanger may fail to work because of its height. So, you can finish the remaining part of unclogging using a plumbing snake.
Method #6: A suction pump
A suction pump is another effective method of cleaning a clogged toilet. You need to acquire suction cups meant to suck out plugs or dirt that prevent water from flowing into a drain.
The best thing about these cups is that they have long handles. Hence, when handling them, your hands will not reach dirty water. The essence of using the cups is that it will not allow air to pass. Hence it will create a vacuum as you try to reach the clog.
So, as you push the pump into the drain, all dirt and clog will go downwards completely. Press the suction firmly. Press it, then lift it to create a suction effect to suck out all dirt and clog from the drain.
Remember, these cups are quite small; hence, they can only be effective for a small pebble. So, if yours is pretty big, you can opt for another method. Or, you can opt for special hoses that can remove larger rocks.
Method #7: An enzyme product
An enzyme product is another reliable way of removing the clog in your toilet. It works by liquefying dirt and other clog-causing waste, making it easy to remove them. The product is readily available in local plumbing stores.
Plumbers mostly use it to remove clog, wastes, and dirt in septic tanks. However, if your clog is not organic, the product will not work on it. Hence, you will need to use a different product.
Each enzyme product has specific instructions for use. So, when you acquire one, ensure that you read every detail and a step-by-step guide to help you apply it to your toilet.
On most occasions, the product requires you to pour it into your toilet bowl. Allow it to rest and work on the clog, then flush the toilet to see if there is easy water flow down the drain pipe.
How to Prevent Your Toilet from Clogging
The above tricks are the best way to remove clogs in your toilet. However, you should note that preventing clogging your toilet is the best remedy for this issue.
You can read the ways below that can help you avoid clogging your toilet every time and avoid the hassles of unclogging it.
1. Flush the toilet carefully.
I know at times you may lack water in your compound. Or probably, you are in a hurry, and you are tempted to use any water you see around to flush your toilet even though dirty.
One thing to note is that dirty water contains small pebbles or rocks that will, without a doubt, clog your toilet as time goes by if you continue with the same behavior.
The only things that should flush down the toilet should be your body waste and tissue paper. Anything apart from that will not spare your small ‘office.’
For instance, if you share the toilet with other people, you can notify them by putting a list of things that should not enter the toilet on your toilet wall. This way, they will know and spare you the huddles of unclogging.
2. Ensure the toilet tank is clear all through.
As you know, most people take the toilet tank as an extra space for storing toiletries such as soap, brushes, etc. I know you are also a victim because of how convenient the place is. However, these items can fall into your tank without your knowledge and cause the toilet to clog.
So, removing them from the tank and giving them another place in your room can be the best way to prevent unusual clogs.
3. Encourage double flushing
If your toilet tank does not flush everything down the drain, tissues can accumulate. Hence, they can cause the toilet to clog with time. When the tissues meet with poop, that is when the situation becomes worse.
When you try to flush the waste, the water may even come above the bowl and, in some cases, overflow. I know you will never like it because it is quite pathetic and may cause you to lose your appetite.
To avoid such cases, you can embrace flushing the toilet in two phases. First, flush the poop, then throw in the toilet paper and do the second flushing.
Some toilets have a dual flush. In this case, you may not need to double flush since the dual flush is already powerful enough to eliminate every form of waste.
4. Check if your toilet has tree roots.
If your house is next to trees, then without a doubt, their roots may cause a clog in your toilet. Roots grow horizontally and may reach your toilet’s pipes, penetrating though causing the clogs.
Even though you may have too little to do about it, you can call a plumber to offer some help. He may check the condition of your pipes and help you know if it has some tree roots leading the toilet to clog.
Meanwhile, you should be checking if other things might be causing the clogs.
5. Pick correct toilet cleaners.
Not any toilet chemicals can unclog your toilet. You will not lack different products written on them how perfect they are to unclog the toilet. However, they may not offer the best solution to your problem. In fact, they may cause more harm.
Some toilet cleaning chemicals can be too strong, causing corrosion on drain pipes. Impurities then get inside the tube, causing clogs.
Kindly go for things you are sure about. If not, you can research them and see other people’s reviews about that specific product. Then, you can go for it.
Conclusion
I hope you now know how to unclog a toilet when nothing works. All the methods we have listed are the best you can try out and get your toilet in order.
You can be sure you will not be the first to try them out since most have tried and proven that they work; hence we recommend them to you.
If you have one that you know works much better, feel free to share it below.
