The only thing worse than discovering you have a clogged toilet is finding out this piece of information in the middle of the night when you don’t have a plunger. If this is the only toilet in your home, then you could be looking for an all-night hardware store. But you might be able to avoid the trip if you have a few other handy devices around your house to help eliminate the annoying toilet clog.
How To Eliminate A Toilet Clog Without A Plunger
The Trusty Shop Vac
Shop vacs are ideal for taking care of both wet and dry messes. But did you ever think it could be saving you from a toilet clog? It can be done in many cases. First, remove as much of the water in the bowl as you can. Use the shop vac to remove the remaining water. Next, place the vac hose into the drain as far as you can. Place wet towels or wet rags around the hose at the toilet bowl base to create a seal. Turn on the shop vac and let it suck the clog out of the drain and save you a trip to the hardware store.
The Dish Soap Flush
For this DIY project, you will need some dish soap and a large pot of hot water. Squirt a few drops of dish soap into the toilet bowl. Next, slowly pour the very hot but no longer boiling pan of water into the toilet bowl to mix with the dish soap. Let the hot soapy water soak for about 5 minutes and flush. The clog should be loosened enough to flush away. If the first flush is a little sluggish, try the process a second time to ensure that the drain is completely clear.
Science To The Rescue
Baking soda and vinegar are good for more than just an erupting volcano science project. Pour a cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl, followed by a cup of vinegar. Let the bubbles do their best to dislodge and erode the clog. Then pour a pan of not quite boiling water into the bowl and wait five minutes before flushing. This process can also be repeated if the clog is not entirely removed.
Crude But Effective
As a last resort, you can create a make-shift plumbing snake with an old wire hanger. First, straighten the hanger. Next, bend a small hook into the end of the hanger. Be sure that it is small enough to slide into the toilet trap drain. Insert the hook into the toilet and drain until you feel the resistance of the blockage. Then begin turning and pushing the hook in and out to destroy the clog. This is undoubtedly the most hands-on and potentially disgusting method of unclogging a toilet without the aid of a plunger, but it works.
The secret to all of these DIY and rather rudimentary processes is that the clog must be near the toilet. These clog removing techniques will handle that newly formed clog as soon as it occurs. But these are not going to remove a long-ignored clog that is a great distance from the commode. The lesson is to take action at the first sign of a toilet clog.
If you have not acted quickly or cannot remove the clog with these basic processes, it is time to call in the professionals. Call (570) 483-9194 to schedule a professional drain cleaning with the Freedom Flow Plumbing team. We get the job done quickly and cost-effectively so you can get back to your daily routine.