Nothing ruins your pleasant stay in the lavatory more than the picture of the water not flushing down the drain. Sounds familiar to you? It happens to everyone, but a clogged toilet is more than a mere discomfort, calling for urgent attention. 

“But, how did that happen?”, we hear your voice.

If you are like most people, you probably cram your toilet with everything from tangles of hair tumbleweed rolls to leftover cooking oil and tiny useless objects. Remember, no toilet U-bend is designed for them. Stop blaming yourself, though, if the toilet-clogging culprit roots in the type of your drainage system, low domestic water pressure, or the thickness of your toilet tissue. 

Now what?

Well, the best thing you can do is grab a plunger or a snake and tackle this nasty toilet blockage. But what if you don’t own any specialized plumbing tools? 

We, at Kevin Szabo Jr Plumbing, will walk you through 7 tried-and-tested tips to clear the toilet clog quickly without plumber’s equipment. 

#1. Flush Once (Not More)

You may think that flushing the toilet multiple times should be your first port of call. Think twice. By doing this, you risk stumbling in a situation of toilet water gushing from the bowl and nasty puddles of gunk on the floor. 

The rule is: flush the toilet [only] once to clear the line with the force of gravity. But if this method didn’t work in your situation, be ready to get your hands dirty.

#2. Add a Soap Solution

“While toilet detergents - like Drano - offer fast cleaning and deodorizing results, they can also push the clog down the pipeline, causing an even more stubborn obstruction to deal with. This is a lose-lose situation.”, commented Harry H. Knowles, a qualified toilet plumbing expert from the London-based My Plumber, part of Fantastic Services - a home maintenance franchise company operating across the UK and Australia. 

“If an overly full toilet bowl is a pesky consequence of your habit to dump oil leftovers in it, squirt in an eco-friendly mixture of 5-6 tsp liquid dish/hand soap and hot water. Then, let it sit for half an hour. ”, added the expert.

Note: It’s crucial to take out as much water as possible from the toilet bowl. That’s how you can get fast grime-loosening results and avoid a water damage situation.

#3. Clear It Up With a Homemade “Soda-Vinegar-Water” Mixture

Is your toilet resistant to soap cleaning? Borrow some kitchen cupboard contents like vinegar and baking soda and be prepared with the following steps:

• Sprinkle a ½ cup of baking soda down the drain. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

• Next, pour a ½ cup of white distilled vinegar into the toilet bowl opening. When you combine these, you’ll see bubbles and hear a “fizzing” sound because of the chemical reaction.

• Put the toilet lid down until you stop hearing the noise from the inside. The reaction will help the clog move along.

• If the water level decreases, flush hot (not boiling!) water down the drain. 

#4. Empty the Drain With the Help Of a Toilet Brush

An unattended toilet can quickly turn into a non-dissolving and foul-smelling mass of dirt and debris, preventing your plumbing from functioning as it should. Not to mention that drainage issues are another coronavirus danger lurking around your toilet. So, you need to get it sanitized ASAP.

If you are dealing with a slow-draining toilet, chances are the clog is shallow. Usually, this is a benign problem, easily fixed with a toilet brush.

Put your gloves on and get the mess out when you plunge the toilet brush down the drain. It is wholly unglamorous but essential to rotate it slowly in order to score everything - debris, dirt, and sediments. The toilet brush is not quite the same as the plunger method, but it can do an excellent drain cleaning job in just a few minutes. 

#5. Re-use a Wire Hanger

Have a wire hanger from the old millennium that causes awkward stretch marks on clothes? Rather than taking your wardrobe accessory to the scrap metal depot, use it to reach whatever’s clogging the nooks and crannies of your bathroom fixture. Strange but surprisingly effective, an old hanger can be a problem-solver for any tricky-to-dislodge mass of toilet gunk. How? 

• Simply uncoil the wire neck and transform it into a slim, straight line with a hook for gunk “fishing”;

• Preserve the shape of the hook at the hanger's end and wrap a cloth around it to avoid ruining the toilet porcelain and pipes;

• Remove the blockage manually, being sure not to push it further into the system; 

• Finally, flush the rest of the sludge away. 

Clog begone!

#6. Make Use Of Epsom Salt

Soap or vinegar solutions take hours to dissolve the clog, sometimes even overnight. When you want a clog-free toilet much faster, a pinch of Epsom salt acts like a powerful wizard that breaks the clog in a matter of 15-20 minutes. 

The trick is to mix a cup of Epsom salt, 30 ml of liquid dish soap, and a couple of cups of white vinegar. Then, all you have to do is to blend the mixture and pour it down the drain. You’ll notice a lot of fizzy bubbles, which is exactly what you want to achieve. Once it’s over, scrub the toilet thoroughly and flush to make sure no residue is left inside.

#7. Deal With a Weak Water Spout

Does your toilet lack flushing power? Toilet clogs do not occur only because of the U-bend, but also the amount of water gushing into the bowl. One way to solve this plumbing problem is to access the inside of the toilet tank and adjust the float’s height with the help of an adjustment screw. 

Another common reason for weak flushing power is a partially closed water valve. Fortunately, it’s an easy fix - simply open the valve fully. But if your water pressure gauge has been giving low readings on a regular basis (below 40 PSI), you may want to consider installing a water pressure booster system. 

Stuck with a toilet clog that just doesn't go away? If the above clog-defying tips don’t do the trick, you may need tocontact a local plumber to save you serious time and hassle.

Guest Contributor: Katie Hentschel