Most homeowners have had the awful experience of a clogged toilet in their lives. You reach for the lever, and rather than flushing and leaving an empty bowl, it fills with water slowly!
The most common solution is to use a toilet plunger, and these work by applying extra pressure to the clog to your toilet’s trap and pushing it against it.
In principle, this should solve the problem. Unfortunately, it does not always resolve the issue, and you can find yourself with even more mess.
There are techniques for removing clogs before you call professional services. Most times, baking soda and vinegar are all that’s required. (Learn How To Unclog A Sink With Baking Soda)
In our guide, you can learn how easy it is unclogging a toilet using baking soda as the key compound to shift stubborn toilet clogs. By the end, you see all the ways to unclog your toilet before you need professional plumbing services.
Can Baking Soda Unblock a Toilet?
The bottom section of the toilet, between the bowl and the drainpipe, is known as the toilet trap. It’s S-shaped, making it one of the toilet’s most crucial components. Here’s why a toilet trap is necessary:
It works as an anti-clogging agent. Unless you flush the toilet, an object dropped in the toilet bowl will not flow down the drain. Even if you flush the toilet, it’s likely to get stuck in the trap, preventing it from obstructing the drainpipe farther down, where it’ll be more difficult to unclog.
During flushing, it creates a siphon effect. The toilet trap creates a siphon effect when you flush the toilet, and the bowl fills with water, sucking the waste into the drainpipe.
Allows a tiny amount of water to be retailed at the bottom of the toilet bowl. This water serves as a barrier, preventing sewer gases from entering your bathroom.
If your toilet is clogged, the likelihood is that the clog (often toilet paper) is stuck in the toilet trap.
When poured into the toilet bowl, baking soda and vinegar will work directly on the clog, breaking it down into smaller bits that may easily flow down the drain.
The baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction cannot unclog the toilet if the clog is deep in the drainpipe since the plumbing system is full of water. (Learn How To Unclog A Garbage Disposal)
How Do You Unclog a Toilet with Baking Soda and Vinegar?
Here are ways to unclog your toilet:
1. Create Toilet Volcano
Take care with this, as when you add baking soda and white vinegar, you get a foaming substance, and you don’t want it to splash any toilet water in your direction.
Baking soda and vinegar are excellent cleaning agents, and when thrown into a clogged toilet, they may typically dissolve the clog without further intervention.
Combining two cups of hot water with two cups of white vinegar. Pour one cup of baking soda into the clogged toilet, then flush with hot water and vinegar. Allow around 30 minutes for the volcanic mix to do its work. The clog will have disintegrated in most cases, and a simple flush will flush it all away.
The water level should drop once the clog is removed. As the pressure fluctuates, you may notice bubbles. If you see these indicators, flush the toilet to double-check your work.
Start afresh and repeat the process a few times if the clog is still there. Allow the fizzing mixture to sit overnight for stubborn clogs or combine this method with plunging.
If your toilet is clogged or becomes clogged again, it could be a sign of a plumbing problem, such as mineral accumulation or pressure problems. (Read Does Hydrogen Peroxide Bleach Clothes)
2. Unclog Toilet with Dish Soap
If you don’t wish to try the above method, there is an alternative plumbing trick. Slowly pour a half cup of dish detergent into the clogged toilet (degreasing dish detergent such as Dawn if very effective). Wait a while before you add three to four cups of boiling water. Boiling water and degreasers will dissolve the clog and allow it to pass through.
3. Use Petroleum Jelly on Your Plunger
Although no one enjoys using a plunger to open toilets, they are effective, so keep one in every bathroom. The best plunger is a sturdy rubber plunger with a flange. Many individuals are unaware that the seal is essential to a plunger’s operation.
Apply a small amount of petroleum jelly (Vaseline works well) on the plunger’s rim, press the plunger against the drain to ensure a tight seal, and add water if the plunger’s top is not submerged (otherwise, you won’t get an effective plunge).
Plunge until the clog is broken up. To keep the plunger submerged, add hot water as needed.
4. Use a Snake
If the clog is minor, use the entire baking soda and vinegar at once; don’t pour it in stages. If the toilet paper clog is stubborn, use a snake to break through until water can flow. Once water flows, this is half the battle and allows you to use the other methods to clear it totally.
Check the water level in the bowl and correct it. Before you begin the unclogging process, make sure the bowl is roughly half full. If the water level in the bowl is too low, add boiling water until the bowl is half-filled or slightly more. If the water level is too high, you’ll need to scoop some out to avoid spills. (Learn How To Clean Couch Upholstery)
Can You Use Baking Soda and Vinegar in a Toilet?
Pour all the baking soda measured into the toilet bowl if the clog is slight. Pour up to half a cup of baking soda into the toilet if the clog is severe. Always use the same amount of vinegar and baking soda. As a result, use one cup of vinegar for every one cup of baking soda.
- Pour the baking soda first, then the vinegar in a slow, steady stream. You’ll notice them fizzing when they form a mixture. The fizzing starts immediately but quickly fades. Allow them to carry out their reaction and do their job by leaving the mixture to sit for a few minutes.
- Pour a saucepan or kettle of hot water down the toilet after you’ve placed the baking soda and vinegar in.
- Examine the area to check if the clog has been released. It will make a suction sound and normally drain once it has been released. To make sure the toilet fix works, flush once or twice.
If it doesn’t work, try using dish soap to unclog toilets. If you have dish soap and boiling water, you can quickly learn how to unclog a toilet with Dawn and unclogging a toilet with dish soap can save you money on a plumber.
Here are the steps for how to unclog a toilet with dish soap besides using baking soda and vinegar.
- Fill a gallon pot halfway with water and place it on the stovetop. It should be hot but not boiling. (Boiling water may cause the toilet bowl to crack.)
- Fill the toilet bowl with at least a half cup of dish soap and let it sit until you boil your water.
- Pour the gallon of hot water into the toilet bowl carefully and watch as the dish soap starts to unclog the toilet.
- Be sure to turn off the water valve if there could be too much water in the toilet bowl when you flush, which ends up on your bathroom floor.
It could take up to 15 minutes for the clog to dislodge. If you don’t observe any movement after that, you’ll need to call a plumber.
It’s straightforward when unclogging toilets with dish soap and works in the same way that food particles stuck to your dishes in the sink do. The mix of hot water and dish soap helps dissolve and break up whatever creates the clog in the toilet.
If you’re in a pinch, this useful tip will come in handy. However, keep a good plunger or snake on hand before you call professional, expensive out of hours plumbing services to your house.
