A clogged toilet, despite being something none of us arguably wishes to deal with on any given day, is sort of an inevitable aspect of life. Shit happens, no pun intended, and when you see that murky toilet water rising toward the surface of the bowl, it’s never a good feeling.
Our toilet was clogged a few days ago, and I found myself in a bit of a pickle because Blaine and I, somehow, overlooked purchasing a toilet plunger when we moved into our home. So, naturally, I decided to hit up Google and see if it is possible to unclog a toilet without a plunger, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that you can.
I will say, in my own experience, that a plunger is probably your best bet, but there are other options if you don’t have one on hand and you can’t get out to buy one today.
If your toilet is clogged, one thing you can try is hot water and dish soap. Do NOT use boiling water; instead, use hot water and a solid dollop of dish soap. You slowly pour the mixture into the toilet bowl and allow it to sit for up to 30 minutes. The idea is that the dish soap and warm water will, hopefully, dissolve the blockage in your toilet and allow things to move along smoothly.
Another option, although use this one with caution, is using a wire coat hanger. You uncoil the hanger until you have a lengthy piece of metal, and be sure to attach a rag or duct tape to its tip prior to shoving it into your toilet pipe. The length of the wire should reach, and, hopefully, push out whatever it is that is blocked.
These descriptions are in my own words, based on what I read via a Google search.
A plunger does seem to be the most effective and simplest option, but keep the others in mind if you’re ever in a predicament with your shitter.
Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash
