Clogged toilet bowls are such a huge dirty mess. The clogging can be caused by many reasons: lack of cleaning maintenance, low water pressure or flushing huge objects. This can cause severe problems that a simple plunger can’t fix.
To remedy this home problem, you will need the aid of a baking soda to partner with your plunger. Here’s a step by step guide on how to unclog a toilet bowl using baking soda.
Unclogging a Toilet Bowl With Baking Soda
- Prepare the unclogging mixture
Other than using the baking soda, you will need to partner it with vinegar as well. These two ingredients are perfect for cleaning, breaking down clogs and getting rid of stains. Imagine doing an experiment back in your high school’s science lab. You can do the same approach when trying to unclog your toilet bowl.
- Create an explosion in the toilet bowl
- To get rid with the clogging, you will need to pour a cup of baking soda straight to the toilet bowl.
- Then mix two cups of vinegar and two cups of hot water, mix well and pour it immediately next to the baking soda.
- You will notice that there’s a chemical reaction going on that resembles a volcanic reaction. That’s the chemical effect of combining baking soda and vinegar. This will help the clogging to break down and soften whatever object is clogging the toilet bowl.
- Relax and wait for 30 minutes
Let the baking soda and vinegar mixture do its magic and leave it for about 30 minutes. Make sure to warn your house members to not use the toilet for now to prevent the clogging from getting worse. Around this time, the mixture will clean and start unclogging the toilet bowl.
- Check and clean the toilet bowl
- After 30 minutes, check the toilet bowl if the clogging is going down. At times you will hear a flowing sound which means that whatever was clogging has been softened and starts to go down.
- Try flushing the toilet bowl to get rid of any debris and have it flushed away. It should be working by now as soon as the mixture has gone down.
- To get rid of the smell, especially the vinegar, clean the toilet bowl with a detergent powder or dishwashing soap. This will act as a degreaser to get rid of the foul smell and help clean your toilet bowl.
- Brush it with a scrubber and maintain a clean and fresh smelling toilet bowl.
Other Ways to Unclog a Toilet Bowl
- Use a Plunger with Petroleum Jelly
A plunger can easily solve minor clogs. However, if the going gets harder, you will need a partner for it to successfully clear up the clogging. Although the plunger is effective, at times its seal has to be lubricated so the pumping can clear out the clogging. To achieve the best results, apply a good amount of petroleum jelly around the seal to help improve the tightness of the seal when being pumped. When it’s tight enough, the pump will create a much stronger force to break down or push whatever is clogging the toilet bowl.
- Purchase a Snake at a nearby Hardware Store
One of the easiest remedies to do for clogging toilet bowls and even sinks is using a snake. It’s a type of tool that actually resembles a snake, a metal hose long enough to push down any clogging in the toilet bowl. You will need to wear gloves when using the tool to avoid getting in contact with any harmful contaminants from the toilet bowl. You will eventually feel where the clogging is the more you go deeper with the snake.
- Call a Professional Plumber
When the matter is worse than you expected and no remedy seems to be working, it’s best to call an expert for help. Professional plumbers will save you from all the work, can identify and solve the problem in an instant. Remember, do not attempt to fix any plumbing-related issues if you are not proficient to do the job.
Hopefully, we were able to resolve your clogged toilet bowl. Always remember to do maintenance cleaning to avoid future problems such as this.