In the unfortunate event that you’re stuck with a clogged toilet and none of your DIY tricks work, don’t worry. It can be tempting to give up and wait for someone else to come fix it, but there are definitely ways “how to unclog a toilet when nothing works“, without having to call in the pros (as long as you don’t have any major issues).
In the event that you’ve done everything to solve your clogged toilet but are still experiencing a foul odor, it’s likely that you haven’t attempted any of the solutions we’re going to teach you.
But, before we get into the details of how to unblock a badly blocked toilet, shouldn’t we first understand how to avoid the blockage in the first place? Let’s look at how to prevent a toilet from clogging.
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When nothing else works, here’s how to unclog a toilet fast.
After using hot water and flushing the toilet once, if the blockage persists, put on rubber gloves and attempt to remove it by hand. You may remove the toy your child has placed there or pick up extra clumps of toilet paper and place them in a plastic bag waiting for them. Another method is to take an old knife to a large deposit and slice it up. Re-flush and cross your fingers.
We advise you to. If you’re uncertain, hire an expert. Loosen and raise the toilet from the bowl. Clear the blockage, replace the wax seal, and reinstall the toilet. Even tho it takes a long time, it almost always works. Also, if specialist drain cleaning equipment like a giant drum machine or a hydro jet could not remove the blockage, the obstructed pipe part would need to be replaced. “This doesn’t happen very often.”
If nothing works well, try this: if your toilet is clogged, you may hire a toilet auger or snake from a home improvement store. You should avoid using Drano or other liquid plumbers since they might damage your drains and pipes. Renting an auger or plumbing snake for a day would cost about $15, making this a do-it-yourself remedy.
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A skilled plumber will know how to fix a defective toilet swiftly and without causing more harm to your home’s plumbing or bathroom.
How to Unclog a Toilet Using Natural Methods
‘I’d utilize the hot water and dish soap approach that I suggested before. Surprisingly, this method is effective. Other individuals could suggest lemon juice, vinegar, or baking soda as alternatives. However, in my experience, dish soap and boiling water are plenty.
Toilet Clog Prevention: How to Prevent Toilet Clogging
Have you ever wondered what creates a clog in your toilet? Or, even better, what can you do to avoid a toilet blockage from occurring in the first place?
The most effective method of preventing toilet blocks is to avoid enabling them to occur.
Here’s how to keep your toilet from becoming clogged.
a) Flush the toilet bowl with care and attention.
For flushing the toilet, what is your regular process like? Perhaps you’re the sort of person who flushes your toilet after dumping filthy mopping water down the toilet bowl before flushing.
Small rocks, stones, and other unusual things may be present in dirty water, and they may cause a blockage in your toilet in the long term. As a result, it is critical that you thoroughly inspect anything that you flush down the toilet.
The flushing of anything other than toilet paper and waste from your body is not recommended.
If you’re sharing a bathroom with other home inhabitants, you might post a list of items that shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet on the wall next to it.
You may exert more influence over what comes up in your toilet bowl when it is flushed, even if you are not there.
b) Increase the frequency with which you use a double flush
When you flush your toilet, an accumulation of tissue paper in the toilet’s bowl might cause the toilet to get stuck. When the toilet paper and feces come into contact in the bowl, the condition may deteriorate further.
If you want to flush them down the toilet drain properly, you’ll need plenty of water. Water may overflow at the top of the toilet bowl in most circumstances, and it is almost always a bumpy ride throughout the process.
It would be great if you thought about flushing your toilet in stages rather than all at once. For example, the first process should comprise flushing the excrement down the toilet before placing the tissue paper in the trash.
After you’ve tossed the tissue paper into the bowl, the second flushing should be for the tissue paper itself.
If you’re using a dual flush toilet, you may not have to worry about flushing two times since the toilets provide strong flushes that clear waste in a single flush.
c) Empty and flush the toilet tank
The toilet you usually think of tanks of as additional storage space for bathroom essentials such as dish soap, brushes, and tissue papers.
While this may seem to be a simple solution, it is not a good idea, since these things have the potential to fall into the toilet bowl.
When some of these things make their way down the toilet drain, you may find it difficult to remove them, resulting in a blockage.
d) Follow the development of tree roots that may cause a clog.
Clogged toilets may arise because of roots of trees interfering with the regular functioning of the main sewage lines, causing them to get clogged.
It is possible that roots growing near your home’s plumbing system may infiltrate and block the pipes, resulting in choked toilets in the house.
This is not a simple preventative step to put into effect. For those who fear that a tree is too near to the plumbing system, they should seek the help of a professional plumber for guidance.
The plumber should perform A preliminary examination in order to determine the condition of the pipes.
You may then continue to monitor the operation of your toilet and perform the other drainage systems in your home.
f) Never use drain pipe cleaners that contain strong chemicals.
A typical error made by homeowners is selecting the incorrect toilet cleaner. This is one of the most common mistakes homeowners make.
You should avoid using powerful chemicals to clean your toilet since there is a risk that the chemical can cause a chemical reaction with the drain pipes, causing them to become corroded.
Corroded pipes are likely to let contaminants into the system, clogging pipes and toilets with debris.
Before you purchase a toilet cleaner, do some research on the products that are available that are dependable.
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When nothing else works, the best 21 methods for unclogging a clogged toilet.
After repeated failed tries to unclog a choked toilet, it gets simpler to feel discouraged and give up on the task altogether.
Toilets that get clogged are every homeowner’s worst fear, yet they happen from time to time. Even worse, they occur when you do not have the financial resources to employ a professional plumber to come in and repair them.
It is critical that you understand how to unclog a toilet when nothing else works so that you can deal with such issues when they arise and you cannot call a plumber for help. Here are some of the most effective methods for unclogging a toilet when nothing else seems to work.
1. Make use of a plunger.
For opening toilets, one of the most tried-and-true techniques is to use a plunger.
When placed in compact or corner toilets with limited space, a toilet plunger is a fantastic tool for unclogging them.
Plungers are available in two configurations: one with a flange and another with heavy-duty construction. You may always choose the one that best matches your financial situation and budget.
Using a plunger to unclog a toilet is a simple process.
Foremost, you’ll want to put on rubber gloves to protect your hands from toilet water spilling on them.
In the second step, grasp the plunger by the handle and push the rubber section of the plunger into the bowl until you get a totally airtight seal.
Then begin carefully pressing down on the plunger while gradually increasing the force with which you do so. Continually continue this process until you produce a tighter vacuum, then draw it out once again.
When you remove the plunger out of the drain, the blockage will readily loosen, enabling everything to run down the toilet.
The next flushes will be smoother and simpler to do. However, depending on the type of plug you’re dealing with, the procedure may or may not be effective.
If anything like this occurs, don’t be concerned. For the greatest results, experiment with the additional ways listed below.
2. Combine baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl.
When a plunger cannot unclog a choked toilet, this is the second most reliable way of unclogging a clotted toilet after flushing the toilet.
A remedy that is widely accessible for unclogging toilets that block for a long period is a combination of baking soda and white vinegar.
Before you combine the cooking soda and vinegar solution to unclog a toilet, double-check that you have both the soda and vinegar on hand at your residence.
- Prepare the solution by assembling the ingredients: cooking soda, cups, vinegar, bowl/container, and water.
- Fill the bowl/container halfway with two cups of water and one cup of soda.
- Pour the solution into the bowl once it has been fully mixed.
- Pour 2 cups of vinegar into the basin and let it aside for a few minutes. While you’re waiting for the vinegar to penetrate deep into the toilet, you may get on with your other culinary tasks.
- When vinegar is present in the bowl, a reaction occurs that will be visible by bubbles in the water.
- When the vinegar and cooking soda react, the things clogging your toilet will loosen and enable water to drain through the system.
- The solution can reach the deepest parts of your toilet that the plunger could not reach.
- Pour one gallon of hot water into the bowl to dissolve the strains of the solution from within the toilet. This will aid in the clearing of the solution strains within a few hours.
After using this approach to unclog a toilet when nothing else works, wait around 6 to 8 hours before flushing the toilet again.
3. Use dish soap and hot boiling water
It’s odd how the solution to unclogging a toilet when nothing else appears to work may be right there in front of you. When nothing else works, dishwasher soap and hot water will occasionally unclog a toilet.
If you do not have access to a plunger, we suggest using warm water and dishwasher soap as a temporary remedy.
Personally, I’ve found this strategy really successful. I put a quarter cup of dishwasher soap in the toilet and began practically boiling kettles of water, then dropped it down the sink drain. I didn’t fully boil it to avoid shattering the porcelain dish. After about 15–30 minutes of putting hot kettles down the toilet, I tried the flush and bingo! The stumbling block is gone! Since the blockage was significant, the treatment’s efficacy surprised me.
Another technique to consider is:
First, fill the bowl with about one cup of dishwasher soap, ensuring that it covers the whole waterline with the soap.
- Leave this for half an hour to allow the substance to begin to dissolve.
- Next, pour warm water into the toilet from a height to increase the amount of pressure used.
- Continue to wait for a few more minutes before flushing. If the water level lowers, you’re in business; if it’s not completely clear, repeat the process.
End up with one cup of cooking soda and two cups of white vinegar and let them sit for at least half an hour to be on the safe side of things. This will break up any particles that are still there.
It is possible to clear the drain line of any obstructions by utilizing easy procedures to release the blockage.
By this point, you should have figured out how to unclog a toilet when nothing else seems to work. However, if this is not the case, there are a few other possibilities you might consider.
4. Make use of a plumber’s snake.
If you have a toilet that is in good working order, possessing a plumbing snake (also known as a Closet Auger) is something you should not hesitate to invest in.
A plumbing snake is a flexible wire used for cleaning toilets and other plumbing fixtures.
A “toilet snake” is a safer and more effective alternative to using a plunger to unclog a blocked toilet. Insert the long coil into the drain and guide it into the toilet to unclog it. They range in size from 6′ long to 3′ long and may pass through a toilet and the initial section of the toilet drain.
Using this excellent tool, you won’t have to worry about scratching your toilet’s porcelain since it features a rubber covering that protects it from damage.
Using a snake tool is also a good option if you want to navigate your way down a particularly deep drain.
It is essential that you put on rubber gloves to protect your hands from liquid waste splashes and other spills.
You may use the tool to force the stopper down the drain by twisting it. Continue the movements until the water is completely free.
Pulling the snake up slowly and carefully is the only way to ensure that there is no impediment. Make sure you have a garbage can nearby to dispose of any waste that may accumulate since things might become nasty. The toilet may now flush to see how quickly the water runs.
A quicker flow shows that the clogs have been removed. Sluggish flow shows that some blockages remain on the water path, needing a repeat procedure.
Warm water or a half-cup vinegar/half-cup cooking soda combination should do the trick. This will help clean up some of the debris.
5. Hang your coat using a wire coat hanger.
Attempt to unclog a toilet pipe using a plumber’s rod or a drainage rod. If there is no visible obstruction in the bowl, the blockage is most likely in the toilet pipes.
To prepare for the labor ahead, loosen and straighten any wire hangers you may have at your disposal.
To avoid scratching the porcelain, wrap the wire with an old towel. Then, using duct tape, close the old towel around the wire hanger.
If nothing else works and the clog is close to the drain, this is the best option. After inserting the wire’s covered end into the bowl, twist it to dislodge any obstacles in the drain.
Continue pressing, although visible resistance is flowing in from the latrine commode bowl. Only stop when the water flows once again from the drain.
You may now gently flush the bowl to remove any remaining obstructions that may have formed within it. When using a macerator, take care not to damage the mechanism.
According to the hanger, the same result should be obtained as with the snake tool. However, due to its restricted height, it is ineffective in the vast majority of situations. So, if it doesn’t work, you may use the snake tool to finish the job.
6. Make use of a suction cup.
Unclogging commands using a suction-cup is another efficient method of unclogging them quickly and effectively.
This will need a set of suction-cups designed to suck away microscopic blockages that are impeding the passage of water in the drain.
The suction-cups have long grips to keep your hands out of dirty water. To use one, place it over the bottom hole to create a vacuum that stops air from going through. Now, while raising and lowering the suction-cup, apply considerable pressure to create suction.
A suction cup is only successful at sucking out little stones and will fail miserably at sucking out bigger ones.
If you have bigger stones, you may use a special hose designed for larger pebbles to provide adequate force to remove the pebbles.
7. Make use of a product that contains enzymes.
An enzyme product works by liquefying waste particles in toilets, making them easier to unclog.
It is only efficient in removing organic waste that has accumulated in your toilet’s drain. Anything other than organic trash will need the use of a separate instrument.
Start by thoroughly reading the package directions before using an enzyme to unclog toilets. This will help you understand how to use the particular enzyme product.
Pour the enzyme into the bowl and let it work on the blockages for a few minutes before washing it. Flushing the toilet can show you whether you broke the waste down enough to flow easily.
8. How to unclog a toilet using clingfilm
- Dry the toilet with paper towels and cover it in three to four layers of cling film.
- Check to see that it is properly sealed, and then flush the toilet.
- The cling film should expand as a result of the pressure applied.
- Gently push down on the cling film to help it glide down the toilet pipe.
9. How to use caustic soda to unblock a toilet
Unclogging a toilet with caustic soda requires care, since it might damage your eyes, hands, and skin. Then, pour the caustic soda into the bowl and let it rest for two minutes (per the manufacturer’s directions). After that, fill a bucket halfway with warm water from the kettle or hot tap. After flushing the toilet, give it a thorough cleaning.
10. The Best Way to Unclog a Toilet Using Water Pressure.
If none of the methods listed above are successful, you might try breaking apart the obstruction using the flow of water. This will require the use of a high-pressure washer and pipe cleaning equipment to connect to it. Turn on the pressure washer in the bowl and flush. You will draw the hose down and away from the obstruction. If the pressure of water is strong enough, it will break down the obstruction. The hose will drag away from the obstacle after being inserted into the bowl and turned on. The pressure of water must be high enough to break down the impediment. Keep in mind that a macerator may not be clogged, but just jammed, preventing flushing.
11. How to Deal with Blocked Soil Pipes
It’s possible that an impediment in the soil pipe is preventing water from flowing down the drain. Here, you’ll need to hire an expert to jet clean the pipe. Please contact your local water supply if you suspect a blockage in your soil pipe leading to the road drain.
12. Pour Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide, a powerful disinfectant, is known for its ability to unclog drains and eliminate odors. If you need to unclog your toilet fast, try pouring 1⁄2 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide down your bowl. Leave it there for 10 minutes before flushing—the bubbling action will do all the work for you! After that, use another 1/2 cup in the bowl as usual; while it’s still foamy, add some baking soda and wait 5 more minutes. Flush once more with warm water and watch everything go down smoothly. That should be enough time for both products to work their magic on whatever’s clogging up your pipes!
13. Remove the clog with a wet/dry vacuum
You’ve tried everything, haven’t you?
Both the plunger and the homemade solutions have been tried and tested by you thus far. If you’re really desperate, you’ve tried plumbing snake the toilet with a broom handle. But nothing seems to work.
It’s time to call in some advanced weaponry: you can use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner as a waste removal weapon.
Seriously, it’s easier than you might think. Follow these simple steps to get the job done:
- Put on a pair of rubber gloves, unless you like getting covered in water.
- Find your vacuum, or borrow one from your neighbor.
- Fill the tank with water.
- Connect the vacuum tube to the suction hose and put the tube into the latrine commode bowl.
- Turn on the vacuum and let it suck up all the water (and hopefully whatever is causing the blockage).
- Turn off the vacuum and disconnect it from the commode bowl. Dump out any waste that was collected in a trash can or down a different drain, depending on whether you want to see what caused your clog in the first place!
14. Remove clog using an air compressor
So, you have a choked toilet and you’ve tried everything—and yet… you still have a clotted toilet. When the plunger, a snake, and a wrench all fail you, fret not. There’s still one more trick up your sleeve—and it’s way easier than you might think. It’s time to bring in the big guns: the air compressor.
- Before you start anything, put on your safety goggles and gloves.
- Attach the air compressor hose to the long narrow tube (the wand).
- Connect the wand to the air compressor by inserting it into the hole where the nozzle would go.
- Turn off the supply of water valve below the tank on your toilet.
- Flush your toilet until all the water is gone from the bowl (you’ll know it’s empty when there are no more bubbles coming out of it).
- Insert one end of your wand into the bowl (insert it as deeply as you can) and make sure it’s centered in order to avoid any damage to your porcelain throne (your toilet).
- Hold onto any loose items in your bathroom because they will definitely be getting wet!
- Turn on the air compressor and let it spray compressed air into the toilet for several seconds, or until you hear a gurgling sound.
- Flush the toilet to see if it works; if not, repeat steps 3 and 4 until it does.
15. WD-40 spray lubricant
So you’ve got a clotted toilet, and nothing you’ve tried is working to toilet unclog. We’re talking about a real problem here—a true clotted toilet nightmare.
But despair not! There is one more thing you can try that may get your toilet back up and running: WD-40 spray lubricant.
WD-40 spray lubricant gets its name from the fact that it contains 40 different ingredients, many of which act as solvents or lubricants. If you squirt the commode bowl with the spray and give it 10 minutes to soak in, it will break down whatever is clogging your toilet and should help get it flowing again. It’s not guaranteed to work every time (and neither are any of the other methods we mentioned), but it’s definitely worth trying if all else fails!
16. Coca-Cola
Nothing says “holiday party” like a toilet that won’t flush. If you’ve tried the usual remedies like plunging, snaking, and cursing to no avail, what can you do?
When life gives you a clotted toilet, turn to Coca-Cola. Well, it’s time to get creative. One of the most common and effective ways to unclog a toilet is to use Coca-Cola.
Here’s why:
Coca-Cola is pretty much just sugar, water, and carbonated water. If you pour it down your toilet, the sugar will dissolve almost immediately. The carbonated water will take longer to go away, but it will go away. Plus, the carbonation means that the Coke really gets moving once it enters your toilet. The sugary liquid will make its way down the pipes and dissolve any clogs as it moves along.
So if you’re in a pinch, this hack will get the job done for you!
Here’s how you do it:
- Grab your 2-liter bottle of Coke (diet doesn’t work as well).
- Dump it into the toilet.
- Leave it for about 5 hours (or even overnight if you can handle not using the toilet at that time).
- Flush again! Your toilet should be back in working order again!
17. How to unclog a toilet with salt
Unclogging a toilet is a truly frustrating process. You pour in more and more chemicals, spending more and more money, but still no luck.
If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation and have tried everything else to unclog your toilet, try using salt! The salt helps break down the clog and push it out of the pipes. Here’s how:
- Add 1/2 cup of salt to your toilet bowl.
- Pour 2 gallons of boiled water into your toilet bowl as quickly as possible.
- Wait 10 minutes for the salt to do its work. If it doesn’t work, repeat the process one more time with another 1/2 cup of salt and 2 gallons of boiling water.
If the clog is still there, you may need a professional to help you out. We hope this helps!
18. Ammonia and warm water mix
If you’ve ever encountered a choked toilet, you know it can be one of the most frustrating experiences in the world. It’s bad enough when you have to run around trying to find a plunger, and even worse if you don’t have one on hand. But what do you do if your plunger still doesn’t work?
We know that feeling, which is why we wanted to share this tip for getting rid of clogs when nothing else seems to work.
Here’s what you need:
- 1/3 cup ammonia
- 2/3 cup warm water
Put on gloves, just mix these two ingredients together, take off the toilet seat. And pour them into your toilet bowl. Let them sit for 20 minutes before flushing and presto! Your clog should be gone!
19. Using a sewer inspection camera
So you want to know how to unclog a toilet when nothing works? We’re here for you. A sewer inspection camera is one of the most effective ways to get clogs out of toilets, drains, and sewers. The camera will help you find where the clog is and what’s in it so that you can deal with it appropriately (especially if it’s something like a toy that needs to be picked out rather than dissolved).
It might tempt you to just call a professional, but with a sewer inspection camera, you can save money by doing it yourself. You can also take your time and do it right, as opposed to feeling rushed by an expensive pro. Here’s how:
- Get some goggles. Safety first!
- Put on some gloves. Again—safety first!
- Get a mirror. This will help you see around corners and figure out where the clog is located.
- Find the clogged area using your mirror and camera equipment.
- Use an auger to reach into the drain or pipe and pull out what’s causing the clog.
- Clean up and flush!
21. Chemical drain cleaners
We know how much it stinks to have a choked toilet. Well, you’re in luck! The chemical cleaner is here to save the day. Never use those that contain strong chemicals.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A good quality chemical drain cleaner
- A garden hose
- A bucket
- A plunger
Now:
- Prepare your chemical cleaner—follow the instructions on the bottle and make sure that it’s not expired. Test it on something like a sink first, before you dump it down your toilet.
- Pour the chemical down the toilet and wait. The time depends on the type of product, so check the instructions to see how long you should wait.
- Repeat if necessary—the second time should be more effective than the first, but if you don’t do it correctly, you could end up damaging your toilet or pipes. Don’t risk it! Make sure that you follow all instructions carefully, and call a plumber if you’re worried about causing damage to your system.
20. Call for professional help
We all know that sinking feeling you get when you flush a toilet and… nothing happens. It’s one of the worst things that can happen in the home. The toilet can back up, water can overflow onto your bathroom floor, and raw sewage can come back up into your tub or shower.
What do you do?
If you’ve tried everything and are still staring at a clotted toilet, it’s time to call for professional help. Knowing what to tell the plumber will save time and effort when you need to call one for help.
Plumbers aren’t just for major problems like burst pipes or sewer backups; they’re also for minor things like clotted toilets. So get a professional in to take care of your problem. With a toilet clog, they’ll be able to provide the expertise and equipment needed to fix the problem quickly and effectively so that you can get back to life as usual.
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Conclusion
Nobody can afford a choked toilet after understanding the 21 most dependable ways to unclog a clotted toilet. You may try as many of them as you like until you discover one that works. As you go from the simplest to the most complex solutions, start with the cheapest and easiest.
We hope you’ve found this guide useful, and that next time you have a clogged toilet, you won’t panic. We know that feeling when the toilet’s overflowing and all your handyman skills have failed you—you don’t even know where to start. Just take a deep breath and keep this guide in mind. Don’t forget to check out other DIY guides on our blog, and if all else fails, call the professionals.
FAQs on How to Unclog a Toilet When Nothing Else Works
Unclogging a toilet is not a pleasant or simple task, especially if the toilet is clogged with excrement. In light of this, it is understandable why many homeowners choose to leave the toilet running until it unclogs itself.
While it is true that toilets may unclog themselves over time, there are situations when this is not the case.
When the source of the blockage is a water-soluble item, a clogged toilet will clear itself. However, insoluble materials like stones may require you to clear the drain manually.
If your toilet often clogs, inspect the roof vent that lets fresh air in and enhances flushing pressure. If your toilet keeps clogging for no apparent reason, this may be the cause.
Bird nests and tree leaves often jam this vent, reducing flushing pressure and increasing toilet clogging.
Baking soda, vinegar, and hot water are all you’ll need to dissolve excrement more quickly.
A cup of baking soda is added to a mixing bowl, followed by modest amounts of vinegar to avoid overflowing. It is inevitable that the excrement will disintegrate into the water and drain away.
