Maintaining the Home:
Interior Maintenance
How to Unclog a Toilet
Figure 1 |
Figure 2 |
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What you need
- toilet plunger
- empty can or paper cup
- wire coat hanger
- newspapers
- bucket
- plastic bread bag
- duct tape
Don't use chemical cleaners. Toilets have built-in traps that can become clogged. Chemical cleaners cannot penetrate the traps enough to be effective.
How to remove soft objects
If you wait an hour or two, toilet paper and human wastes will dissolve. But you can use a toilet plunger to speed the process. This is demonstrated in the following steps:
- Use the empty can to bail out extra water from the toilet bowl. Put the water in the bucket.
- Place the plunger over the toilet outlet (Figure 1).
- Press down slowly and pull up quickly on the plunger. This will pull the blockage back into the toilet bowl.
- Repeat the process for 20 to 30 strokes.
- Remove the plunger (place it on newspaper) and pour water in the bowl. If the water level does not rise too high, the clog may be gone.
- Flush the toilet. If the water still backs up, bail out the extra water and call a plumber.
- Dump waste water from the bucket into a working toilet.
- Wash the plunger and put it away.
- Throw away the can and newspaper.
How to remove hard objects
Remove hard objects such as toys or hairbrushes as follows:
- Use the empty can to bail out extra water from the toilet bowl. Put the water in the bucket.
- Form a hook at the end of a piece of heavy wire, such as a clothes hanger.
- Push the hook up into the toilet (Figure 2).
- Hook the object and remove it.
- If this doesn't work, tape a plastic bread bag over your hand with duct tape.
- Reach into the toilet and remove the object.
- Test the toilet by flushing. If the water still backs up, use the wire hook again to see if another object is stuck in the toilet.
- Flush again. If the water still backs up, try using the plunger (Figure 1).
- Dump waste water from the bucket into a working toilet.
- Throw away the contaminated wire and plastic bag.
This material was adapted from publications produced by Iowa State University.
Next: Repairing Dripping Faucets
