How do I stop my toilet from blocking?

Author: Lawson Bergnaum II  |  Last update: Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Here are a few plumbing tips to help you avoid toilet clogs.
  1. Use Less Toilet Paper. Quite often, if your toilet is clogged, it's because there's too much toilet paper in there at once. ...
  2. Be Careful What You Flush. ...
  3. Keep the Lid Closed. ...
  4. Watch Your Roots. ...
  5. Don't Use a Brick.

How to fix a toilet that keeps clogging?

Use a toilet auger (needs to be at least 20 feet long) and insert into the vent. Rotate it to break up the clog. Run more water down the vent to clear clog material. If water still backs up, call your plumber for help.

How to unblock a toilet that keeps blocking?

Pour two or three cups of Domestos thick bleach into the bowl and leave it to do its work breaking up clogged elements and killing any germs lurking in your U-bend for about ten minutes. Then flush to clear your blocked toilet drain. Repeat if necessary.

Will a clogged toilet eventually clear on its own?

Yes, a toilet can unclog itself over time, but it depends on what is causing the blockage. If the clog is made up of water-soluble materials, like toilet paper or fecal matter, then eventually they will begin dissolving if you give them enough time.

What can you put down a toilet to keep it from clogging?

If your toilet is older and you want to save water, we recommend filling a water bottle with sand or small rocks and using that to displace some of the water. Bricks can break down and clog your pipes.

How to Unclog a Toilet - Clogged toilet TRADE SECRET!

What is the strongest thing to unclog a toilet?

One of the strongest substances for unclogging a toilet is a commercial drain cleaner specifically designed for toilet clogs. These cleaners typically contain powerful chemicals that dissolve organic matter and stubborn blockages.

Will vinegar dissolve toilet paper?

One very low tech method to unclog a toilet is to use a white wine vinegar and baking soda solution, as the chemical reaction can help dissolve the waste. We will explore this and other techniques in a bit more detail shortly…

Should I let a clogged toilet sit?

Letting a clogged toilet sit too long can result in more severe problems. Beyond the risk of overflow and water damage, the clog could also cause toilet water to back up into other parts of your plumbing system, affecting sinks, showers, and even your home's main sewer line.

How to unclog a toilet fast?

Pour about half a cup of baking soda into your clogged toilet and wait for a few minutes. Then, carefully pour in two cups of vinegar. The reaction between the base (baking soda) and the acid (vinegar) should be apparent very quickly.

How do you dissolve clogged toilet tissue?

Pour in boiling water.

The high heat will help soften compacted paper and flush small pieces away. Repeat using smaller amounts of boiling water if needed. Do not lean over the toilet during this.

What will dissolve a blocked toilet?

Baking Soda And Vinegar

Instead of creating a volcano, this vinegar and baking soda mixture will work together to loosen up the clog in almost no time. We suggest wearing rubber gloves for this. As this method creates a pretty chemical reaction, it is recommended that you use it in a toilet bowl that is not too full.

How do you unblock a badly blocked bathroom?

Start by pouring a kettle full of boiling water down the drain to loosen any grease around the blockage. Now pour down two tablespoons of baking soda and leave it to settle on the blockage for several minutes. Finally, pour a cup of white vinegar down and let the fizzing reaction work its magic for five minutes.

What is the best chemical to unblock a toilet?

Unblocking the toilet using soda crystals and vinegar

The combination of soda crystals and white vinegar is a great way to dissolve blockages, and best of all, you've probably already got them in your cupboards.

How do you fix a clogged toilet?

Pouring hot water and washing up liquid into your toilet bowl is the easiest way to unblock a toilet. This method doesn't require any special tools and uses items that you'll probably already have at home.

What is the number one cause of clogged toilets?

Too Much Toilet Paper

Some 2-ply toilet paper, ultra-strong, and ultra-soft varieties don't dissolve quickly, leading to blockages. Some people, especially young children, use excessive amounts of toilet paper.

How to make a toilet flush stronger?

6 Ways to Get a Stronger Toilet Flush in 2023
  1. Clean The Rim Jets. The rim jets are holes in the toilet's base where water comes from when you flush. ...
  2. Fix Any Clogs. ...
  3. Adjust The Water Refill Tube. ...
  4. Reposition or Replace The Flapper. ...
  5. Open The Water Valve. ...
  6. Adjust The Float.

What not to do when unclogging a toilet?

3 Ways NOT to Unclog Your Toilet (Unless You Want to Damage It)
  1. Using chemical drain cleaners (like Drano) Most chemical drain cleaners clear your drain by breaking down the clog with a chemical reaction. ...
  2. Plunging down too hard. ...
  3. Using the wrong plumber's snake.

Will toilets eventually unclog?

Substances like toilet paper and fecal matter will eventually dissolve within the toilet drain and clear the clog organically. However, blockages made from insoluble materials won't resolve on their own and typically require you to fix the clog manually or contact a professional before they worsen.

How do you unblock a toilet when a plunger doesn't work?

If plunging the toilet doesn't work, here are seven ways to fix a clogged toilet.
  1. Drain snake. If the plunger isn't working, your next best option is to use a drain snake. ...
  2. Boiling Water. ...
  3. Chemical Drain Cleaners. ...
  4. Baking Soda Mixture. ...
  5. Vinegar Mixture. ...
  6. Squirt Gun Drainer. ...
  7. Call a Plumber.

Will clogged toilet water eventually go down?

Water will still be able to drain away slowly, but if the blockage gets worse, it could eventually lead to a complete blockage and a toilet that won't flush at all. If you notice an unpleasant smell coming from your toilet or bathroom, this could also be a sign of a clogged toilet.

How to unclog a toilet full of poop and water?

Make your own drain cleaner by pouring one cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar into the toilet and adding a half gallon of hot water. Dish soap can also help loosen some obstructions. When using either method, allow the solution to sit overnight and then flush the toilet to see if the obstruction has cleared.

How do you unblock a toilet overnight?

Use vinegar and baking soda to dissolve blockages overnight

Then vinegar and baking soda are your friends! Baking soda is one of the main ingredients in baking powder, so both products work equally well and should become your go-to product when you have a blocked toilet.

What works best on a clogged toilet?

What to Do When You Have a Clogged Toilet
  1. Flush with Hot Water. ...
  2. Try Dish Soap. ...
  3. Mix Baking Soda and Vinegar. ...
  4. Use Plastic Wrap. ...
  5. Buy or Make an Enzyme Cleaning Agent. ...
  6. Use a Toilet Plunger. ...
  7. Try a Drain Snake or Wire Hanger.

Why pour vinegar in toilet overnight?

You can use straight or a diluted vinegar cleaning solution for the bathroom to clean bacteria, especially around the toilet. Cleaning with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar in the bathroom can work really well. To clean your toilet with vinegar, pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet bowl and let sit overnight.

How to unblock a toilet full of tissue?

If the blockage is a build-up of tissue paper, pour 3-4 cups of hot (not boiling) water from waist height into the toilet bowl. Give the hot water around 20 minutes to breakdown the blockage.

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