# How to Unclog a Toilet Bowl

Source: https://cantleyvidanjoraltyapi.com/en/unclog-toilet-bowl/

> A blocked toilet can usually be cleared with a properly used toilet plunger. Leave enough water in the bowl to cover the rubber cup, seat the cup fully over the drain opening and work it with firm push and pull strokes fifteen to twenty times. If the water does not go down, try warm water with washing-up liquid, then a flexible snake with a rubber tip. Do not use boiling water or drain opener, and do not force things if a hard object has fallen in.

The answer to how to unclog a toilet bowl depends on exactly where the blockage is. Most blockages form in the winding passage inside the toilet itself, the trap bend moulded into the porcelain. Too much toilet paper, wet wipes or a small item that has dropped in by accident gets caught in this narrow bend and cuts off the path of the water. Most of these blockages can be cleared at home with the right technique and a few simple tools. The important thing is to work without cracking the porcelain or straining the seal.

This guide focuses on the toilet itself: how to use a plunger correctly, how to feed a flexible snake without scratching the porcelain, how safe toilet-unblocking products really are, and what to do when something has fallen in. If the blockage has gone past the toilet into the drain pipe of your home or building, and water is rising from other drains, the situation is different. We cover that separately in our guide to blocked toilets. You can pick the method that suits you by looking at the signs.

## Why does a toilet get blocked?

The bend inside the toilet is narrow and winding, so anything that does not break up easily in water can get stuck there.

### Wet wipes and paper towels

Wet wipes, cotton pads and paper towels do not break up in water the way toilet paper does. Even those marked as flushable collect in the bend and, together with the paper that follows, form a tight plug over time.

### Too much paper at once

Flushing a big wad of paper in one go is the most common cause of blockages, especially with cisterns that release little water. The water lacks the force to push the wad through the bend, and the paper stays stuck in the middle of the passage.

### Objects dropped into the toilet

A toothbrush, a child's toy, a shampoo cap, a phone or a toilet freshener holder can lodge in the bend. Hard objects need extra care because a plunger can push them further in.

### Pads, nappies and cat litter

Pads and nappies soak up water and swell, while cat litter hardens and clumps as it gets wet. These materials almost certainly block a toilet and often cannot be cleared with home methods.

### Limescale and a weak cistern

Hard water leaves limescale on the inner surface of the bend and in the water holes under the rim. The passage narrows, and if the cistern also flushes weakly, waste does not move properly and blockages become more frequent.

## How do you tell the blockage is in the toilet?

The signs help you tell whether the problem is only in the porcelain or further along.

### The water drains slowly

When you flush, the water rises in the bowl and drains away slowly after a long time. This shows the passage is partly narrowed and is the most typical warning before a full blockage.

### The water level looks odd

If the water in the bowl sits higher than usual after flushing, or almost none is left, a plug in the bend may be disturbing the flow.

### Bubbling and gurgling

Bubbles in the bowl or a gurgling sound as the water drains show that air is trying to get past a stuck plug.

### Other drains are normal

If the sink, shower and bathroom floor drain run freely and only the toilet is blocked, the problem is most likely inside the porcelain. If water is rising in other drains too, the blockage is further along the pipe.

### Dampness at the base of the toilet

If water or a smell appears where the toilet meets the floor after a blockage, the drain seal may be leaking from the strain. This should be checked even after the blockage is cleared.

## How to clear a blocked toilet: methods you can try at home

Try the methods in order, starting with the gentlest. Put on gloves before you begin, lay an old towel on the floor and, if the bowl is full, do not flush again.

### 1. Clearing with a toilet plunger

This is the first method to try if there is paper or a soft plug and the water is standing in the bowl.

1. Use a toilet plunger with a long flange on the bottom. A flat-cupped sink plunger lets air escape on a toilet.
2. The water should cover the rubber cup. If there is too little, add warm water from a bucket. If there is too much, scoop some out with a container.
3. Tilt the cup into the drain opening, let the air out and make sure the flange sits fully in the hole.
4. Make the first push slowly, then push and pull firmly with the handle held upright. The pull stroke is what really shifts the plug.
5. After fifteen to twenty strokes, lift the plunger. If the water drains, pour in a bucket of water slowly to test, then flush the cistern.

> Do not use a plunger if drain opener or any other chemical has been poured into the toilet, because splashing liquid harms the eyes and skin. If a hard object has fallen in, the plunger will push it further.

### 2. Warm water and washing-up liquid

This works on light blockages of paper and organic waste, or as a help to the plunger. It has no effect on objects or wet wipes.

1. If the water in the bowl is high, scoop some out with a container first so it does not overflow.
2. Pour about half a teacup of washing-up liquid directly into the drain opening.
3. Fill a bucket with water from the tap, hot enough that it does not burn your hand, and pour it slowly into the bowl.
4. Wait about half an hour. The liquid makes the surface of the plug slippery.
5. If the water has started to go down, give a few strokes with the plunger or pour in another bucket of water.

> Do not use boiling water. Porcelain can crack from the sudden temperature change, and seals and plastic connections can soften. The hottest water from the tap is enough.

### 3. Clearing with a rubber-tipped flexible snake

Use this when the plunger has not worked and you think the plug is inside the bend, out of reach of your hand.

1. Choose a toilet auger sold in hardware shops, with a rubber sleeve on the tip and the body.
2. Insert the snake into the drain opening and feed it in slowly, following the curve of the bend.
3. When you meet resistance, turn the handle clockwise so the snake screws its way into the plug.
4. Work the snake gently back and forth, then pull it out and put the paper or wipe caught on the tip into a bag.
5. Pour a bucket of water into the bowl to check the flow, and repeat if needed.

> Do not force the snake and do not use a wire coat hanger. Bare metal scratches the glazed surface of the porcelain, and dirt and limescale cling to scratches over time.

### 4. Retrieving a fallen object

If you know something such as a toothbrush, toy, cap or phone has fallen into the toilet, try this before the plunger.

1. Do not flush, and close the isolation valve of the cistern so the object does not go further.
2. Put on long rubber gloves. If the object is visible, grab it by hand or with tongs and take it out.
3. If you cannot see it, look into the drain opening with a torch. If it is in a shallow spot, fine-nosed pliers may help.
4. If the object has slipped into the bend, try feeding in the rubber-tipped snake slowly and pulling it back, without pushing forward.

> If the object has passed behind the bend, do not keep forcing it. In that case the toilet often has to be lifted off and turned over, and this job should be left to a plumber.

### 5. Easing the flow in a limescaled toilet

Use this if the toilet does not block completely but empties slowly every time, and you can see limescale under the rim or at the bottom of the bowl.

1. Remove as much water from the bowl as you can with a container and a sponge.
2. Pour about a litre of white vinegar into the bowl and rub some with a cloth onto the water holes under the rim.
3. Close the lid and leave it overnight.
4. In the morning, scrub well with the toilet brush, then flush and watch the flow.

> Vinegar only works on a thin layer of limescale and will not clear a blockage of paper or an object. Do not use it at the same time as bleach, because the mixture gives off harmful gas.

## What not to do when a toilet is blocked

### Pouring drain opener into the toilet

Drain openers work by heating up in narrow pipes. In the large volume of water in the bowl they get diluted and often do not clear the plug. You are left with a bowl full of corrosive liquid, the seals wear and using a plunger becomes risky.

### Flushing again and again

If the water is not going down, flushing a second time makes the bowl overflow. Close the isolation valve of the cistern. If you cannot reach the valve, lift the cistern lid and hold the float up.

### Pouring in boiling water

Boiling water can cause fine cracks in porcelain and loosen the plastic connections under the toilet. A cracked toilet cannot be repaired and has to be replaced.

### Mixing chemicals

Adding another product or bleach on top because one did not work can release toxic gas and heat. Always tell the plumber who comes the name of the product you used.

### Removing the toilet yourself

Taking a toilet off involves the floor fixing, the drain seal and the tiles. A toilet removed wrongly can break, and if the seal does not sit properly, leaks and smells start.

## When should you call a plumber for a toilet?

If you have made two or three attempts with the plunger and the snake without success, the problem is most likely at a point your tools cannot reach. A hard object that has slipped behind the bend, a swollen plug of pads or cat litter, blockages that keep coming back and dampness at the base of the toilet are also good reasons to stop working on it yourself. If you have poured drain opener into the toilet, ask for help without trying any other method.

If water is rising from the sink, the shower drain or the drain of your downstairs neighbour, the blockage is no longer in the toilet. It has moved on to the building's drain line. In that case, nothing you do on the toilet will give a lasting result. When you call Cantley, telling us what you have seen, what you have tried and whether anything has fallen into the toilet helps the team arrive with the right equipment.

## How do we deal with a blocked toilet?

When we arrive at the address, we first check the toilet and the other drains in the home to work out whether the blockage is in the porcelain or in the pipe beyond. We clear plugs inside the toilet with a motorised drain snake fitted with tips that do not scratch the porcelain. If a stuck object cannot be pulled back out of the bend, we remove the toilet in a controlled way, take the object out, refit the toilet with a new drain seal and test that it is watertight.

If the blockage is beyond the toilet, we put a camera into the drain pipe and see the location and type of the plug on a screen. We then clear the line with a drain cleaning machine or with high-pressure water jetting. These methods work without breaking tiles or walls. When the job is done, we show you what we found, explain what to watch for so it does not block again and leave the area we worked in clean.

## How to stop the toilet blocking again

- Do not put anything in the toilet except toilet paper. Keep a lidded bin next to it for wet wipes, cotton and pads.
- If you have used a lot of paper, flush twice with a short pause rather than once.
- Do not put cat litter in the toilet, even if the packet says it can be flushed.
- Do not keep phones, caps or small items on the shelf above the toilet, and keep the lid closed when you are not using it.
- Once a month, clean the water holes under the rim with a brush, and soften any limescale you see with vinegar.
- If the cistern flushes weakly, have its internal fittings checked. A strong flow of water keeps the bend clean.
- If you have small children at home, fit a lock or guard on the toilet lid.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can you pour drain opener into a toilet?

It is not recommended. Drain openers are made for narrow pipes where little water collects. The large amount of water in the toilet bowl dilutes the product, and the blockage often does not clear. The bowl stays full of a corrosive liquid, and the product can damage the glaze of the porcelain, the seal and the plastic connections. Using a plunger or snake afterwards carries a risk of splashing. If you have already poured some in, tell the plumber the name of the product before trying anything else.

### Do toilet unblocking products work?

On a fully blocked toilet they generally do not. Some products sold as toilet unblockers are enzyme-based and some are chemical. Enzyme products may slow organic build-up with regular use but will not clear a plug. For chemical ones, the same risks as with drain opener apply. The most effective and safe tools for clearing a blockage are still a toilet plunger with a flange and a flexible snake with a rubber tip.

### The toilet is blocked and the water will not go down. What should I do?

First, do not flush again, and close the isolation valve of the cistern. If there is a lot of water in the bowl, scoop some out with a container and lay a towel on the floor. Then push and pull firmly with a toilet plunger that has a flange, keeping the rubber cup under water. If the water still does not go down, try a flexible snake. If neither method works, or if water is rising from other drains, it is time to call a plumber.

### What clears a blocked toilet?

A toilet plunger clears paper and organic plugs best, and it needs to be a model made for toilets, with a flange on the bottom. If the plunger is not enough, a toilet auger with a rubber tip breaks up the plug inside the bend. Warm water with washing-up liquid helps with light blockages. If wet wipes, pads or a fallen object are involved, these methods have limited power and a motorised drain snake is needed.

### Can you unblock a toilet with washing-up liquid?

It can work on light blockages made of paper. Pour half a teacup of liquid detergent into the drain opening, add hot water from the tap and wait about half an hour. The detergent makes the plug slippery, and the weight of the water helps carry it through the bend. It has no effect on wet wipes, pads or a hard object. Do not boil the water and pour it in, because the porcelain can crack.

### Why does the toilet drain seal leak after a blockage?

Long, hard plunging or straining the toilet can shift the seal between the porcelain and the drain pipe. If you see water, stains or a bad smell at the base of the toilet after the blockage is cleared, the seal may be leaking. In that case the toilet has to be lifted off and refitted with a new seal. A seal replacement done properly prevents a wet floor and the smell.

### Can a toilet be unblocked without removing it?

Most blockages are cleared without removing the toilet. A plunger, a flexible snake or the motorised drain snake a plumber brings breaks up the plug in the bend where it sits. Removal is only needed when a hard object is wedged behind the bend, when the toilet is cracked or when the drain seal is leaking. This job involves renewing the seal and fixing the toilet to the floor again, so it should be left to a plumber.

## Is the toilet still blocked?

If the plunger and snake have not worked, call 0212 923 66 85 or message us on WhatsApp. We come to your address 24/7 in all 39 districts of Istanbul, clear the toilet without breaking anything and show you the cause of the blockage.

Phone: 0212 923 66 85 (tel:+902129236685)  
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/905315687185