While we are always struggling to complete the daily chores around our house, one added task in that list can be quite frustrating. The one inconvenience that we wish never shows up is the clogged toilet. No one wants to deal with a mess in the bathroom when it’s been a while since the entire house has been deep cleaned. But it’s tough to act oblivious to that toilet chaos as we can’t spend a day pretending to be comfortable without relieving ourselves. It’s high time that people learn a few simple tips and tricks to deal with the clogged toilet. Yes, there are some really handy hacks that will come to your rescue when the mess seems to be unmanageable. Here you go!
Preventing A Water Disaster
You don’t want more troubles to head your way after the toilet has been clogged. If you keep stressing and making decisions in haste, you might be worsening the situation. There is a high possibility that constant flushing would increase the water level in the blocked bowl and believe us, it’s the last thing you would want to witness. Shutting off the water supply seems to be an ideal choice in this case. Just find the knob connected to the water line behind the toilet and turn it. Keep turning it right and ensure that it’s tight and can’t move any further. Now, the water supply is off and you can breathe a sigh of relief. But your toilet still needs to breathe!
Picking The Right Plunger
There will be times when the plunger you paid a lot for at the hardware store would disappoint you when you needed it to work. To avoid this regretful instance, you must buy a plunger after researching and taking advice from an expert. A high-quality rubber plunger won’t let you down. Choose from either a ball-shaped type or the one that has a fold-out rubber flange attached to its bottom side. A quick useful tip for you is that before you take that plunger to perform its action, give it a small hot-water bath as that would soften the parts that have to go inside, create a sealed area and clear the mess.
The Effective Plunging Technique
When you begin the process of plunging the clogged toilet, the first thing you need to ensure is that your tool is completely placed over the hole. Next, the plunger needs to be immersed in water for proper cleaning. The clog has to be sealed entirely by the tool as that’s how you can successfully manage the blockage. Initially, keep the process slow but once you have the right spot, push down and pull back through the opening and continue doing it strenuously. When you see the water draining, the unclogging has been achieved. However, this may take a while and so, don’t give up until you have pushed and pulled 15-20 times.
Check and Recheck
When you feel like you have escaped from the mess and unclogged the toilet, you can be almost right but after all those efforts with the plunger, you need to test it before you jump to any conclusions and move forward with your routine. The clog opens when the stagnant water finally finds its way down the drain smoothly. But here’s the thing – this can’t be your judging point. Even when the water escapes, it doesn’t always say that the clog has disappeared. So, you should flush the toilet after plunging and if the bowl fills with water again, you have to revisit the unclogging episode.
Quick Household Hack
There can be various reasons for the clog being stubborn and not vanishing despite constant efforts. One of the reasons can be that the clog needs more attention and pushing. So, here’s one hack that can be easily arranged at home. For this, you need hot water and dishwasher detergent. Mix them well and pour the solution into the bowl. Let it be present there for a couple of minutes before plunging and run that test again. Fill the tank with water and see if you have won the battle with the clog or not.
Products Available At The Store
While homemade products might be helpful, they may not serve the purpose and fulfill your expectations. This is when you need to turn to some strong solutions that are industrially prepared. These products are tried and tested but still, you should make sure that you are not making any mistake while using such heavy compounds that may harm your toilet. Just go through with its components and then use the store-bought product. Clogging might go away but you may have to face the consequences of using severe solutions. So, take some professional advice and then, pour it down. Don’t forget to plunge after using the solution.
Back In Time
You may want to travel back in time for picking another trick in the book for unclogging the toilet. We hope you remember a tool named Auger as that can be quite a handy thing here. The hooks connected to the end of this tool pass through the opening of the bowl and hit the troublesome clog that would make it go away. You’ll be amazed by how old tools can help us get rid of modern household issues.
Detaching The Toilet Bowl
We know this step sounds a little too drastic but when the clog doesn’t disappear, you have to reach the bottom of the problem and that implies, you may have to unscrew a few bolts. This is not an easy task with proper tools and knowledge, you can accomplish it. You need some sharp tools to unscrew the bolts at the bottom and other equipment that can detach the seat from the floor completely. We should warn you – the connection is too strong to be broken with ease. If you don’t trust yourself enough for pulling off this stunt, you may want to consider asking for help from someone who has experience in this field or even a slight knowledge of how this works.
Effective Home Remedy
Your kitchen stores many powerful products that solve multiple motives. Baking soda and vinegar are two such strong chemicals that are readily available and can solve your problem. These two ingredients when mixed together will lead to a chemical process that will absorb the clogs. Pour 2 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl. It is preferable to use distilled white vinegar but if you don’t find it, you can work with any type of vinegar. Expect a lot of effervescing from this mixture. The job will be done in a few moments if the issue hasn’t traveled too deep.
A Coat Hanger Trick
Pull out a wire coat hanger from your wardrobe and unwind it. Straighten the wire and use a small piece of cloth to wrap the protruding hook that would go inside the toilet bowl and open the clog. Putting the sharp end uncovered into the toilet can lead to scratches and irreparable damage to the porcelain. After wrapping the rag around the end of the wire, use duct tape to keep it from slipping. Now, wear rubber gloves and slowly insert the wire into the drain and search for the clog. Keep testing at various angles and once you reach the clogged area, the water would start draining. The unclogging mission can be declared successful! This hack would only be useful when the location of the hindrance is at the first few inches of the drain.
Preventing An Unpleasant Blockage
We might be aware of all the toilet maintenance tips but at times, we may find ourselves being careless and allowing harmful substances down the toilet. If not us, people who are using the same lavatory can be responsible for such actions. To avoid any clogging issue, one must place signboards around the toilet space to educate everyone about things that can cause major obstructions in the toilet. The kids should be well informed with these maintenance tips. Nothing other than normal human waste and toilet paper can go down the toilet. If one takes such preventive steps, clogging would never be a cause of trouble and inconvenience.
