When a toilet is clogged, a plunger is often the best way to solve the problem, but you may not have one available. The good news is that there are other ways to unclog a toilet without a plunger. This guide will show you how to unclog a toilet without a plunger.
If the cause is a foreign object that you shouldn’t have flushed out, a plunger or other professional plumbing tool may be the only solution.
What Do I Need to Clean A Toilet Without A Plunger?
Depending on what you have on hand, you can determine your best course of action – because there are a few ways you can clean your toilet.
We’ll continue to break down each method, but make sure you have dish soap, a wire hanger, baking soda, and vinegar, or even bath bombs to get the job done.
Will A Toilet Clog Eventually Clear Itself?
Maybe! If you can’t call a plumber right away and you don’t manage to fix the problem yourself, chances are the clog will clear up. It really depends on what’s causing the clog and how big it is.
Organic materials will degrade over time and the clog will go away on its own, but it’s best not to count on that. Since you probably don’t know the extent of the problem, it’s best to take immediate action if possible.
What shouldn’t I do?
Avoid repeated flushing, especially when the water is already rising. To avoid a clogged toilet and a flooded bathroom floor in this case, remove the tank cap and push down on the flap, which is the rubber device down.
Next, turn off the water supply to the toilet by turning the valve, which is usually behind the toilet, and wait for the water to come out before cleaning up the mess inside.
How To Unclog a Toilet Without A Plunger?
There’s more than one way to unclog a toilet, and some of these methods also involve everyday household items that you probably already have.
1. Add Hot Water
The easiest and first attempt to unclog toilets without a plunger is with hot water. The addition of hot water may be enough to loosen and unclog the clog.
Fill a bucket with about a liter of hot water from the sink or bathtub. Then pour the hot water into the toilet bowl.
Note: Do not use boiling hot water. If the water is too hot, the porcelain toilet may crack.
2. Dish Soap
If the hot water trick didn’t work, add some liquid dish soap to the bowl. The sliding soap can help lubricate the clogged pipe and the grease-cutting properties of the soap can help dissolve any solids that caused the blockage.
Pour about half a cup down the toilet. When you run out of dish soap, cut a bar of hand soap into small pieces, and drop the pieces down the toilet.
After adding the dish soap, let everything sit for about 20 minutes. Give it another flash. If it still doesn’t budge, pour another batch of hot water down the toilet. You can also mix things up from the start by pouring a pot of warm water mixed with dish soap into the bowl.
3. Try Vinegar and Baking Soda
Another possible home remedy to unclog a toilet without a plunger is to use vinegar and baking soda. The bowl should be about half full of water before adding the other ingredients, so adjust the level accordingly.
Mix one cup of baking soda in water. Then slowly pour the vinegar into the bowl. The chemical reaction will create a fizz. Wait and hope that the water level will drop, which will indicate that the blockage has cleared.
Note: Epsom salt also produces a fizzy chemical reaction, so you can try using it by keeping it around your bathroom instead of a plunger.
4. Use Wire Hanger Snake
A more severe blockage may require moving the item manually. To do this without a plunger, unravel a wire coat hanger until it is straight.
Push one end of the wire into the clogged area. Push the debris out until it frees and flows down the drain. A drain auger is a better choice, but the wire hanger will work in a pinch.
You can use your toilet brush as a kind of plunger. Put it in the hole of the toilet bowl and move it up and down as if you are diving. This provides some suction while also breaking up the debris clogging the toilet and helping push things down.
If you don’t want your brush getting covered in the… stuff… that clogs the toilet, wrap a plastic bag around the brush before you use it.
5. Use a Plastic Bottle to Create Water Pressure
Next you could try using water from a plastic bottle to push the clog through the trap, which is the basic function of a plunger.
Wear a face mask to cover your mouth, goggles to protect your eyes from splashes, and rubber gloves to keep your hands clean.
Fill an empty 2-liter bottle (a bottled water container might work if its diameter is large enough to fill the drain opening) completely with warm water and cover the bottle opening with your gloved thumb.
Then turn the bottle upside down and position it deep in the drain hole at the bottom of the toilet bowl. Remove your thumb from the opening of the bottle and use both hands to squeeze the bottle to force the warm water down the drain to unclog the clog.
6. Use Drain Cleaning Chemicals
When household mixes aren’t enough, you can try drain-cleaning chemicals. Choose a non-corrosive cleaner that won’t damage your drain. Follow the instructions on the cleaner.
Do not pour bleach down the drain when trying to unclog a clog. It can react with other substances in your pipes and create fumes or damage your plumbing system.
7. Squirt Gun Toilet Drainer
If you decide to empty your toilet bowl before unclogging, here’s a unique tip for getting the water out.
“When you repair or replace a toilet, you must remove all the water. Simply shutting off the water supply and flushing is not enough. A sponge works but is a bit slow. So, I use an old squirt gun to siphon the water and squirt it into a bucket, leaving only the last few drops to sponge out.
Prevent Future Clogs
Toilets are for human waste and toilet paper only.
- Do not flush products that are not intended for toilet use.
- Try not to flush too much toilet paper. Flush gradually when a large amount of paper is required.
- Make sure the children in the household know to keep toys and other items away from the toilet.
When all else fails, the situation may be out of your hands and is best left to the professionals: plumbers. And could we convince you to add a plunger to your (or your friend’s) shopping list for future emergencies?