Bathrooms are more likely to experience clogs as households let the hair and other objects flow down the drain. Calcium buildups also lead to nasty drain blockages. If your bathroom is blocked and you’re wondering how to unblock it, keep reading this post because we will come up with a few simple DIY methods to unblock a bathroom.
We understand bathroom blockages are unpleasant as they create plenty of inconvenience for households. Before we explain methods to clear a bathroom drain, let’s take a quick look at the signs of a blocked bathroom.
Signs of a Blocked Drain
When households overlook drain blockage issues, they end up dealing with water damage and sanitation issues. So, it’s important to quickly identify a blockage and then take the necessary measures to fix the problem without damaging your drain or bathroom fixtures.
Most people use a chemical treatment to get rid of the bathroom clog quickly, but they don’t realise the damage commercial bathroom cleaners can cause. So, when you see a blockage sign, don’t turn to those products. Instead, use natural products to remove the clog.
If the water takes a long time draining out of your toilet bowl or just stays there, your toilet is clogged. If you think you can’t fix the blockage yourself, call a drainage company to resolve the problem professionally and quickly. However, you can easily unblock minor bathroom blockages without any professional assistance.
If you witness the following signs, your bathroom is either blocked or likely to be blocked soon:
- Slow drain
- Strange smells
- Gurgling sounds
- Backed-up sewage
How to Unblock a Bathroom With EaseÂ
You should not ignore these signs and take immediate steps to unblock the bathroom drain. Here are four simple, inexpensive, and effective ways to unblock a bathroom:
Unblock a bathroom with baking soda and vinegarÂ
Baking soda and vinegar are two excellent cleaning agents that can be used to unclog toilet drains. Most people have these natural cleaning solutions in their homes. They’re not only powerful but also less expensive when compared to commercially available cleaning solutions.
Here is what you need to do unblock a toilet with baking soda and vinegar:
- Make sure there’s enough water in the bowl to start the process. Ideally, the bowl needs to be half full. Add some hot water if the water level is too low.
- Pour one cup of baking soda in the bowl if you think the blockage is severe. Half a cup of baking soda is enough for minor clogs.
- Now pour the equal quantity of vinegar slowly to allow both cleaning agents to create their chemistry. Pouring vinegar too quickly can create a mess in your bathroom.
- Leave these solutions alone for a few minutes, so they do their job.
- After a few minutes, pour a hot water kettle down the toilet. If the clog has been unblocked, your toilet will make a suction sound and drain normally.
- Flush the bathroom two or three times to ensure it has been appropriately unblocked.
Unblocking clogged drains with vinegar and baking soda work in most cases. However, if this method didn’t work for you the first time, you can repeat the process. Or, you can use an alternative method to unblock your bathroom.
You can also use vinegar and baking soda to unblock your shower drain.
Use a plunger to unblock your bathroomÂ
A plunger is also an effective tool when it comes to clearing drains of clogs. Nevertheless, make sure to use the right type of plunger for this job. Sink plunger or cup plunger is the most common type best for tubs and sinks because of their flat bottom.
A toilet or flange plunger is what you need to unblock your bathroom. It is taller than a sink plunger, which is ineffective in clearing bathroom clogs. Here is the process of unblocking a bathroom with a flange plunger:
- Fill the bathroom bowlÂ
To start the unlocking process, you need to have enough standing water in the bowl. The water should cover the rim of the plunger cup. You can add the water as needed. You might not like the idea of doing this unblocking job, but you can either unblock it yourself or call a drainage expert.
- Place the plungerÂ
It would be good to wear rubber gloves to make the process less unpleasant. What you need to do is pull the plunger out from the cup. Now lower the plunger to fill the cup with as much water as possible. Make sure you get a better seal. The cup forms a seal when you put the flange inside the toilet hole.
- Push down and backÂ
Hold the plunger in both hands to push down the cup gently and then pull back up without breaking the seal. Repeat the process six to seven times or as needed but with more force. The purpose here is to use the force of suction and compression to break down the clog. For this, it’s essential to maintain a proper seal around the hole.
Now flush the toilet two or three times. If it usually flushes, you’ve done a great job. If the toilet is still clogged and tends to overflow, stop the water supply from the tank. Plunge the bathroom one more time when the tank stops refilling. If you still can’t unblock the bathroom, you need to call a drainage company to assess the blockage and remove it.
How does a drainage company unblock a bathroomÂ
Professional drainage experts use specialised and highly powerful tools to remove complex types of blockages and unpleasant odours. For example, drain jetting is an effective tool to remove rough clogs. They first conduct a CCTV drainage survey to locate the blockage and assess the overall condition of a drain pipe. A professional can also use a drain snake or plumber snake to clear bathroom clogs. Using a plumbing auger (toilet auger) or toilet snake to locate and clear deep toilet blockages is extremely effective due to its high flexibility.
When you don’t have a drainage rod in your household items, you can also use a metal coat hanger (wire hanger), or a long, stiff piece of wire bent into a wide curved shape and pushed into the toilet to clear it.
Unblocking a bathroom: FAQs
Let’s talk about some of the frequently asked questions when it comes to bathroom blockage!
- Why do toilets get blocked?
When people flush too many non-flushable items, the narrow trap becomes blocked. While toilet papers are made to dissolve quickly, other items like cotton balls, paper towels, and wet pipes get stuck and cause a clog. To avoid bathroom blockage, make sure not to flush objects like dental floss or tampons.
- What do I need to do to unblock a toilet?
It really depends on the nature of the blockage. If it’s a minor clog, you might be able to remove it with some hot water, vinegar, and baking soda. You can also use a toilet plunger to unblock a bathroom.
- When to call a plumber
If you try a couple of methods and fail to achieve desirable results, then call a drainage expert. Don’t experiment too much with your bathroom, as it can damage the drain or bathroom fixtures.
- How to prevent toilets from blocking
It’s simple: don’t let toys, bathroom items, or other objects go down the drain. Be mindful of things you flush down the drain. It might be good to flush twice to ensure everything goes deep down the drain.
- How to Unblock a Toilet Without a Plunger
If you don’t have a plunger or don’t know how to use it, try vinegar and baking soda to dissolve and remove the blockage. Or, reach out to a drainage company for help.
About Flow DrainsÂ
Flow Drains is a reputable, UK-based drainage company where we help both residential and commercial clients keep their drains up and running. Our services include septic tank emptying, drain jetting, CCTV surveys, limescale removal, concrete removal, drain rodding, and drain pipelines. Feel free to call us (0208 050 3195) if you need reliable emergency drain blockage services!