Clogged toilets can happen to anyone

even people who don’t own a plunger!

Luckily, there are several options available to people who find themselves in this common situation.

If you happen to own a tool called a closet auger, or even a smaller handheld drain auger, those may be your next best options. But even if you do not, you’re still in luck.

Assess the Problem

First, is the clog the usual stuff, or something more solid? If the obstruction is not going to break down and fall apart, then it must be extracted and removed from the drain rather than forced further down. If a toy or something off of the countertop has been flushed, and you do not own the proper tools, you should call a drain service professional to handle the problem to prevent additional damage and loss.

Form a Plan

However, the typical clogged toilet resulting from over abundance of bathroom tissue and related materials can frequently be tackled without need of plunger, toilet snake, or plumber. This is because this sort of blockage can be busted up into smaller parts, enough so that it can eventually be flushed away.

This can be accomplished in three steps.

Soften Up the Clog with Chemcals
Give the Clog Time to Decompose
Wash Away the Clog with Hot Water

Clear That Clog

Toilet tissue is designed to break apart in water, it just must be given time to decompose. This means, don’t flush again immediately when you suspect a clogged toilet. Wait, if you can, and give the clog time to soften. When certain a clog exists, the addition of some liquid dishwashing soap to the water (agitate the water to get the soap in contact with the clog) will accelerate the softening of the blockage.

Whether you add soap or not, the longer you give the water time to dissolve the bathroom tissue, the more likely your next flush will be a successful one. So give it an hour if you can, a few minutes at the least before the next step.

Instead of flushing away the clog in the usual manner, a stubborn one can be flushed by dumping water from a bucket into the bowl. Fill your bucket with hot tap water for best luck, then dump the water into the bowl from a height—keeping things clean is most important here—and hopefully the worn-down clog will wash away under the force of the hot water.

If the toilet does not flush immediately, stop pouring before the bowl becomes too full, then give the clog more time and try again!