Got a clogged toilet back home? It’s frustrating I know – if you have to flush you toilet and the waste don’t move an inch. That’s when the reality hits you; your toilet is backed up! Having a clogged toilet in the house can leave you with very unsafe stench and expose your loved ones to diseases. So what should you do? Bust up a toilet plunger? Hell no! There are better ways to get down on this, but first:
What Causes Toilet Clogs?
The reasons are so many. Some of the most common ones include the following options.
- Throwing of hair into the drain – they can form stuffed up hairballs.
- Flushing cloths, sanitary towels, and baby diapers down the drainage.
- Soapy clump that overtime form lumps that block the drainage pipes.
- Broken down drainage pipe due to cracks or root intrusions.
- Making your toilet the main trash can for broken toys and solid trash.
Ways To Unclog A Toilet Without A Plunger Or A Snake
There are many ways that you can use to unclog a backed up toilet. However, the option that you choose will depend solely on the type of clog that you have. A heavy clog requires a plumber’s help. Use a plunger to unclog your toilet. But here are simple DIY methods on how to unclog a toilet without a plunger or snake.
Washing Liquid + Hot Water
You can try and use dish washing liquid detergent and water. This will work if you have a mild clog especially caused by too much use of tissue paper down your toilet drain pipes. Here is how it works.
- Squirt enough amounts of liquid dishwashing detergent into the toilet’s bowl.
- Ensure it covers the waist level up – you can add small chopped up bar soap too.
- Get a bucket full of hot water – hotter than hot coffee.
- Carefully pour all hot water inside the toilet bowl
- The water will dissolve the liquid and the bar soap used.
- Allow the water to sit on for a few minutes – then try and flush your toilet.
In general, the hot water should melt the soap. The soap in turn should slide down the drain and quickly begin to unclog your toilet by providing a smooth sliding down the toilet. This way, the clogged objects will start sliding down the drain pipes.
You can always repeat the whole process if need be. The process is only successful if the water in the toilet bowl down. If this happens then the blockage has finally been dislodged and you can flush your toilet a few times more to remove any residue.
Use the Wire Coat Hanger
Another option that works often is the use of an unraveled wire coat hanger. Once you have dismantled the hanger to get a long wire out of it, you should pad one end of the hanger with a rag. Make sure that the rag it tightly fastened and that it cannot slip off. Once you have forged this out of the hanger, you can then wear gloves. Gloves are meant to protect your hand from the dirty water that is pooled in the toilet bowl.
Ready your padded hanger strip and push it inside the toilet. Make sure that you stick the padded end first while pushing the unpadded end from the outside. Twist and push the hanger wire into the drain in a circular motion. Do this until the drain is cleared. Well the only disadvantage the hanger wire has is that is can go to limited lengths.
DIY Toilet Bomb Method
The bomb must first be formed. You can create it by mixing 2 cups of baking soda + a quarter cup of Epsom salt and then add in 8 – 9 spoons of a liquid detergent. Make sure to add one spoon at a time.
- Get muffin tins and press the mixture into it
- Make sure the tins are lined with silicon liners
- Keep them and leave them to dry across the night
- In the morning pop the solid bomb out of the tins
- Push them into the clogged toilet bowl
- Add a few cups of water – usually 4 cups of water
- Allow it to sit for at least two hours before flushing
It is important that you allow the toilet bombs to sit for a few hours so that they can access the drain of your toilet. It takes time and needs a lot of patience – but what more can be better than a smooth flowing result?
Use the Vacuum Method
You can use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the clogged waste out of your toilet drain. The vacuum cleaner that you choose to use should be a wet & dry vacuum cleaner only – this is the recommended one.
Simply use the vacuum cleaner to empty your water bowl. Make sure you stick the vacuum hose a few inches into the toilet drain. Then get some old towels and use them to create an air tight seal around your drain.
Once done you can then turn out the vacuum cleaner and try to suck out the clog. Usually, if the clog is not very tight, it should be able to come out really fast. You should use eye and mouth guard to keep safe too.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
If you cannot afford any of these options, you can always try out the baking soda and vinegar method. This is a homemade recipe that could easily save you the agony of a clogged up toilet too.
- Use one cup of baking soda
- Scoop a cup full and pour it into toilet bowl.
- Follow the baking soda with one cup of white vinegar.
- You can then wait for about five minutes and follow with hot water
Doing this should work more like the use of hot water and liquid soaps. It is simple and quite effective for clogs that have not stuck across cracked drain pipes. You don’t need an expert to run it.
Use of Pure Hot Water Alone
Soap scum is notorious for forming clogs. Overtime, it can easily force your drain to clog. The only solution to a soap scum clog is often hot water. But how does it work in a toilet bowl full of pooled cold water?
You start by removing as much water as you can from the toilet bowl. You can wear rubber gloves and use a small container to draw the water into a larger bucket. This is for guys who can stand the dirty job.
Once so much water is out, you can fill a large bottle with warm – not hot – water. A 10 liter bottle should be okay. Then barring the top with a long plastic lid or your hand you should fit the bottle head into the bathroom toilet’s outlet fast.
Make a quick follow up and squeeze the water really tightly. This should allow the water to shoot out really fast and into the drain’s system. The pressure should easily dislodge the clog and give smooth flow.
Always wear a mask. Masks work as protective gear in case the water splashed out of the drain system due to high pressure. Once you are done, you can follow up by pouring hot water into the bowl through the system.
Allow the hot water to move in fast. If the water level goes down the clog has cleared and you can take a few more flushes to clear the route. However, if the clog is adamant you can resort to any of these methods that we have highlighted.
How to Keep Your Toilet Drain Free of Clogs
There is no better way to keep your toilet drain than to maintain it often. You should keep a professional plumber on the loop so that they can carry out a routine maintenance protocol always.
Even so, if you can’t afford a plumber, you should insist on proper use of the toilet. Starting with the right type of toilet, you can choose a toilet that uses the latest technology such as dual cyclone flush and water sense technology.
Again you should educate your family members, especially the young ones on the great ways to use the toilet. This way they will grow up while knowing how to make the best uses of their toilets.
Finally, if you are using a flush toilet, however old fashioned it may be, make sure that you only use it for the right purpose – human waste. Don’t throw in broken toys, hair, diapers, sanitary towels, and bar soap remains down the drain.
Conclusion
Every method that we have highlighted here today doesn’t show how to unclog a toilet without a plunger or snake instead they are simple DIY methods that will easily help you in case of emergencies.
You should therefore perfect them when you have time so that when you need them the most, you will be ready. They are the best options that will cost you less money than hiring the services of an expert plumber.
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