Not to be Captain Obvious or anything, but we just want to start out by saying that having a plunger in your bathroom is the best solution for a clogged toilet. Generally, it’s the quickest way to unclog a toilet when you’re in dire straits. A plunger is the most commonly known solution to any toilet issue so we’re not even including it on our list of the top ways to unclog a toilet.

But also, what if you don’t have a plunger on hand? Maybe it broke or you just like to live life on the edge….Is there any hope for clearing a clog without a plunger? Most definitely.  Below are our top 2 suggestions for unclogging a toilet when you don’t have a plunger available…as well as what not to do to avoid more issues down the road!

1. Hot water 

Hot water is a solution that is more preventative and probably shouldn’t be your go-to in times of an emergency.  So if your child stuffed a whole roll of toilet paper down the toilet, a toy, or who knows what, definitely run and find a plunger. However, if you have a toilet that still gets the job done, but doesn’t seem to be flushing properly, you can always boil water or put on a kettle of hot water and pour it down the toilet to see if that helps getting running properly again. In many cases, it helps!

2. Baking soda and vinegar 

You might have heard of the recommendation to use baking soda and vinegar to unclog a sink. This fizzing/dissolving solution can sometimes work for a clogged toilet too. So if your kids or grandkids love putting things down a toilet, gather them around the bowl for a fun experiment that will help your toilet rather than hurt it! Start by scooping out a quarter-cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl as close to the drain as possible and then add an equal amount (quarter-cup) of vinegar. The bubbles and fizzing action should drop down to the clog. Depending on the result you see you may want to repeat or try a half-cup. Follow it up by pouring a kettle full of hot water into the bowl. 

Even if this doesn’t fully clear the clog, if you see improvement repeat the baking soda and vinegar. When it fully works you should hear a quick suction sound and then see the water drain naturally. Follow up with hot water and a couple of flushes to be sure it’s cleared. 

What to Avoid:

If you’ve been to the grocery store in the household cleaning items section, you know there are countless products that claim they will clear a drain. However, most of these products have harsh chemicals that are unsafe and may be corrosive to your plumbing or cause damage to older pipes, resulting in a much bigger issue in the long run. They may even cause serious injury if they splash on you or on a technician who comes in to clear the clog. In addition, consumers often report that these drain-cleaning chemicals fail to clear stubborn clogs. 

So if you’re thinking of using a chemical like this to unclog your drain, just take out your wallet, empty your dollar bills into the toilet, and that will be just as effective as a chemical drain cleaner most likely (we are being sarcastic just to be clear!).

Lastly, don’t ever use baking soda and vinegar before or after using these drain-cleaning chemicals. Remember it’s impossible to completely clear out all these different components before trying something different because after all the drain is clogged. 

Toilet Still Clogged? 

If you live in Southwest Michigan, and none of these methods were effective at clearing your clogged toilet, we have 24/7 emergency plumbing services so you can call one of our plumbing experts out to your home for a professional inspection. There are definitely times when a clog is so stubborn that only a professional plumber will be able to clear it completely and quickly. We hope this helps, but if not, we’re only a call away at 269-468-6682!