A clogged toilet can be one of the worst inconveniences you would ever face in your life. Of course, it can be quite embarrassing too, especially if it happens when you’re at someone else’s home.
Going with a Plumber
While a clogged toilet may not always require the help of a plumber, in some cases it may very well be inevitable. In addition to that, chances of messing things up even more than they were in the first place cannot be ruled out as well when you try to unclog a toilet yourself.
So if you have a plumber that can reach your house and fix the toilet very quickly, you may want to save your DIY stunts for another time.
Stopping the Water from Overflowing
An important thing to do before thinking about unclogging the toilet is to prevent the water from overflowing. Of course, if the water overflows, it will cause a lot of mess.
So to stop the water from overflowing, you can shut off the water supply from the tank to the bowl, or turn off the supply from behind the toilet.
For the first option, you will need to take the lid off the tank and close the open flapper. This will get the job done and the water in your tank will not get dirty.
Unclogging a Toilet
If you can’t wait for the plumber to arrive and do have to unclog the toilet yourself, here’s a step-by-step way to do it:
- Get a plunger (a flat one would work best). Also, it’s a good idea to wear rubber gloves in case you have them at your home.
- Push the plunger gently down the toilet. If you put a lot of force the first time itself, you may have dirty water splashing upon you. This step is only to get rid of the air.
- Now push the plunger up and down with force, and then again pull it up very quickly. For lightly clogged toilet, this should be enough.
- If all the water doesn’t start going through the toilet, you would need to follow the above steps a few times.
Unclogging a Toilet Without a Plunger
If you have don’t have either of the plunger or the plumber handy, then you would need to turn to the natural way of unclogging your toilet: using baking soda and vinegar.
You need to simply add a cup of baking soda to the clogged toilet. Then wait for a minute and slowly add a couple cups of vinegar.
A reaction will take place, and after several minutes, the clogging may get cleared.
Christine Kelley is a dedicated home blogger who has been blogging for over six years. She covers everything home related. Christine also loves writing posts about her travels to Europe with her husband and two children.