Having clogged toilets can be annoying and uncomfortable. However, there are a number of ways to take care of an overflowing toilet. If you find that using a plunger does not work, you could consider other unclogging options before contacting a plumber. In this write-up, we will look at how to unclog a toilet with dish soap and hot water. Read on!

Why Is Dish Soap Good For Clogged toilets?

Dish wash works by lubricating and breaking down or dissolving the dirt, causing the clogs. Since the dish wash is heavier than water, it will go to the bottom part of the bowl and the clog. Dish wash will also efficiently wipe out any grease residues or dirt, making it one of the most effective unclogging toilets.

Furthermore, using a dish wash will leave your toilet with a fresh scent that will last a while. The dish soap will also help kill any molds, bacteria and fungi that may be causing your toilet to clog. Again, most dish soaps come with a container with a pouring spout and securing cup, which makes the unclogging process much easier.

Now that we understand why dish soap is good for unclogging a toilet let's look at how you can use the soap effectively to get your toilet unclogged.

How to Unclog a Toilet With Liquid Dish Soap and Hot Water

Before you even begin the process, you must know what you need to get the unclogging process done. First off, you will need to have a pair of rubber gloves, quality dish soap, and some hot water. Let's look at the steps you will follow :

Step one: Turn the water valve off

First, before you begin, you will need to turn the valve behind the toilet off if it is overflowing. Because you will be adding hot water to the toilet bowl, you must limit the water flow within the bowl. You will turn the valve clockwise to turn it off, and when you are done, turn it anticlockwise to turn it back on.

Step two: Heat the water

The second step will heat one gallon of water in a pot under medium heat on your stove. The water should only get slightly above 120 degrees, and you should not let it get to its boiling point. This is because boiling water could crack or break the toilet bowl. If you are worried tha the water could get too hot and cause damage, you could use hot water from the tap.

Step three: Pour hot water into the toilet bowl.

You will gently pour the water into the bowl for this set while still ensuring that the water does not pass the rim.

Step four: Pouring dish soup into the toilet bowl

You will add about a half cup or one cup of liquid dish soap to the bottom of the bowl. Since the soap is heavier and denser than water, it will sit at the bowl's bottom part. Remember, the more soap, the better, and you could also consider using grease-fighting soap because it works best.

Step five: Let the soap sit for some minutes.

You will then let the dish soap sit on the toilet bowl for around five to ten minutes. After these minutes, the soup will break down or dissolve the clogs at the bottom of the bowl. Here you will start to see the water level lower, which signifies that the liquid dish soap is working.

Step six: Add hot water or warm water into the toilet

You will then need to add some water to the toilet. Remember, you should not heat the water to its boiling point. You will continue pouring the boiling water up to around 3 or 4 rounds and make sure to give each round about 20 minutes to sit. After that, you could flush the toilet to check if the clog has gone.

If the toilet is still clogged, you could try and plunge it. Even if you had tried to plunge the toilet before this process and it didn't work, you could still do it again now. The soap will break down the clog making it ideal to use the plunger again. If it still doesn't work, you could consider calling a plumber.

Other Effective Methods you could use to Deal with a clogged toilet

1. White Vinegar and Baking Soda

Using white vinegar and baking soda is another effective method for a clogged toilet. For this technique, you will only need to add one cup of baking soda to the clogged toilet and let it sit for a couple of minutes. After that, pour two cups of vinegar into the toilet.

Next, allow the baking soda and vinegar to sit for some minutes and flush the toilet. It is necessary to remember that the baking soda and vinegar will react, forming bubbles. Therefore you need to add the vinegar very gently and stop the toilet water from overflowing. Also, the best bit is that you could also use this method to unclog blocked sinks.

2. Household Bleach

The bleach method will work just like the soap method and effectively for a clogged toilet. You will follow the same steps we indicated above, but in this case, you will replace the liquid dish soap with bleach. You will then need to add a generous amount of powdered soap or hand soap and let it sit for up to 15 minutes. Then flush the toilet to get it unclogged.

3. Vacuum valve

The other effective method to unclog a toilet will b to use a vacuum valve. You could rent a wet or dry vacuum from a nearby hardware store to clean your clogged toilet. This method will work by emptying the water into the toilet then using the valve to suck out the clogs from the toilet. It is important to note that you should not use a regular vacuum cleaner.

3. Squirt Gun Toilet Drainer

Using the squirt gun is another method that will work perfectly if you prefer to drain the water from the bowl before handing the clog. You will use the squirt gun to suck the water on the bowl to unclog a nearly overflowing toilet.

4. Wire hanger

Using a wire hanger is another method that you could use to unclog a toilet. First, you will need to unwind the hanger, then wrap a small rag at one end to prevent the wire from scratching the inside of the toilet. You will then push the wrapped end inside the toilet and then flush.

5. Toilet brush

Using a toilet brush is one of the ways of unclogging a toilet without a plunger. This method is more of cleaning and maintaining the toilet rather than unclogging it. You will need to set the toilet brush into the bowl and deep as possible. The use pushes and pulls motion to dislodge the clogs. After that, flush the toilet.

6. Plastic bottle

The final method we will look at is using a plastic bottle to unclog a toilet. You will first fill the bottle with warm water and place it into the opening of the toilet bowl. Then squeeze it hard to create pressure so as clog clears. Then you will repeat the process severally until the clogged toilet is unclogged.

Conclusion

Finally, if you want to unclog your toilet, you can not run out of ways to have it done. Everything you need to know is that using the right toilet paper and being cautious of what you flush will keep the toilet free of clogs. Also learning the necessary toilet and bathroom hygiene procedures will help. If this unclogging method you opt for does not work, you could call a professional plumber to help.

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