For preventive drain cleaning, you can use Drano® Max Build-Up Remover in drains, toilets and even septic systems. Apply Drano® Max Build-Up Remover overnight or before you go to work, then wait 6 to 8 hours before running warm (not hot) water down treated drains or flushing treated toilets.
Drano is designed to work on problems found in sink drains—hair and soap scum—neither of which are generally responsible for toilet clogs. What's more, we never recommend Drano or any harsh drain-opening chemicals at all. They can really hurt a sewer system, not to mention the harmful impact on the environment.
There is only one Drano® product recommended for use in slow-running toilets: Drano® Max Build-Up Remover. It contains microorganisms that break down organic matter in pipes that can slow water flow. (However, it will not open a completely clogged toilet.
Ineffective for toilets
If your toilet is clogged, then purchasing chemical drain cleaners may be an impractical choice. Drain cleaners are heavier than water; thus, the compound will tend to sit at the bottom of the toilet bowl and will not travel up over the siphon curve to the clog.
We recommend you add a cup of baking soda to your blocked toilet and wait for some minutes. Next, pour two cups of vinegar slowly into the toilet. Vinegar and baking soda will typically react to form bubbles, so ensure you pour carefully and slowly to prevent the toilet water from overflowing or splashing.
Caustic soda is a nasty chemical that can burn, but it's very effective for unclogging toilets. To use this chemical, you need to get some rubber gloves and eye protection. You can pick the chemical from the local hardware or grocery stores. Pour a ¾ gallon of cold water into a bucket, and add 3 cups of caustic soda.
It can hurt the toilet and soften/dissolve pipes— Drano uses caustic or oxidizing chemicals to create heat to unclog a drain. If Drano does not clear the toilet, this heat can crack the porcelain, soften PVC pipes and dissolve old, corroded pipes.
It is Extremely Corrosive For Your Drains
When your pipes are clogged, Drano will sit on top of the clog, continually reacting and generating heat until the clog dissolves. This can put a great deal of stress on your drains as the heat can cause PVC pipes to soften and even break or collapse.
Drano® Liquid Drain Cleaner, Drano® Dual-Force® Foamer Clog Remover, and Drano® Max Gel Clog Remover do not contain microorganisms. The trap configuration in toilets prevents these products from reaching areas where matter can accumulate and cause plumbing problems—so these products are ineffective in toilets.
Drano® Liquid Drain Cleaner starts working to unclog your drain on contact. After 15 to 30 minutes, clogs are substantially minimized or dissolved. A final blast of hot water flushes away what's left of the clog.
Use Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar have the power to cut through grime for ordinary cleaning and also can tackle clogs that are out of sight. Measure one cup of baking soda and pour it into the toilet. Then, pour two cups of white vinegar onto the baking soda to create a chemical reaction that fizzes.
The short answer is—-“They don't”. We suggest you don't waste your time and money trying to unclog a toilet line with one of these products. First of all, these products are generally designed to work on much smaller clogs (like kitchen sinks and lavatories) and in our opinion do not even work very well on those.
Aside from vinegar and baking soda mixture, applying bleach is one of the easiest and cheapest methods for unclogging a blocked toilet.
Will a toilet eventually unclog itself? It sure would be nice, but it's fairly rare for a toilet's clog to clear up after a few hours. It can happen, but only in select circumstances.
Because of its corrosive nature, Drano can cause toilet bowls to crack, PVC pipes to melt or break and the glue that holds pipes together can be eaten away. If any of these things happen, you're going to be left with an inoperable plumbing system and costly repairs.
Yes, the heat these chemicals produce will break down the remnants of a clog, but likely only push them farther down your system to form a more dense clog in a harder-to-reach section of your plumbing. This leads to repeat clog offenses, repeat pouring, and the eventual ruin of your plumbing system.
Some of the best Drano alternatives include using a plunger or pipe snake, soap or salt mixed with boiling water, or baking soda and white vinegar. Also, for maximum effectiveness, you can combine several of these methods together to get rid of the clog.
Using a snake is also more invasive and time-consuming than using a chemical cleaner is, and can often become a dirty job. When it comes to getting at and removing major clogs or clogs that are deep down in your pipes, however, a plumber's snake is your best bet.
Surprise! Coke or Pepsi are great for vanquishing a clog! Everyone's heard about how a nail will dissolve in a glass of coke over time, and although most of us know this is a stretch, coke is arguably better than many commercial chemical clog removers because of its strong dissolving agents!
Several gentle pumps will usually work better than a couple of hard pushes. If your clog is going to come out, it should happen in less than 10 minutes. If not, it's time to move on to a snake or call a plumber.
HOW IT WORKS. The thick bleach formula in Drano® Max Gel Clog Remover cuts right through standing water, clinging to your toughest clogs to blast them fast. It works great to remove hair, soap scum, and other gunky clogs.
Pour one cup of baking soda into the bowl. Slowly pour one cup of vinegar into the bowl. If you pour too quickly, the reaction could make a mess on your bathroom floor.