How to unblock a toilet

Do you need to quickly know how to fix a clogged toilet for the first time? It may be time to invest in a toilet plunger. A basic flange plunger will do. They’re specifically designed to fit toilets and, in most cases, do the job. 

1. First, ensure that there’s some water in the toilet bowl. If there’s not enough to cover at least the rim of the plunger, you can add some by filling a container using the sink or flushing lightly. Flushing in this case is only advised if it won’t overspill your toilet. Locate the flush stopper in your toilet just in case, so you can abort the flushing whenever you need to.
2. Lower the plunger to fill as much water as possible and then fit it over the drain hole. It should form a seal around the hole.
3. Hold the plunger firmly between your hands and push it down. Then pull it back up without breaking the seal. Repeat this motion around five or six times and finally pull out the plunger on the last push. This movement should unclog the toilet.
4. Flush the toilet and watch everything disappear.

If your toilet is still blocked after trying the steps above, you can give it another go. If that doesn’t work, try one of the other methods described below.

Sourced claim that one of the easiest ways to fix a blocked toilet without a plunger is to use hot water. 

1. First, remove stagnant water in the toilet into a bucket. This is to ensure that any extra water won’t lead to overspill or accidental flooding of your bathroom. 
2. Add some washing up liquid to the toilet bowl and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. 
3. Boil two litres of water in a pot and pour it into the bowl. The water should create pressure on the block. 
4. Allow the hot water to dislodge the blockage by checking back after a few minutes. 

If these steps do not clear your blockage, but the water does drain a little bit, you can try it again. 

Instead of using washing up liquid, you can also pour a cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl before you add the hot water.

Sometimes your plumbing problem is a little further down the deep end of the pipes. But before you call the plumber, try a toilet auger. These are long, bendy tools also referred to as drain snakes. They can be inserted to reach more stubborn clogs. 

1. Push the auger into the toilet bowl until you hit the blockage.
2. Rotate the handle of the auger and keep pushing down at the same time. This will cause the blockage to break apart. 
3. Sometimes you may be able to extract whatever caused the blockage if the tip of the auger pierces the item. This is useful if, for example, solid materials are blocking the pipes. 

You can make a DIY auger by bending a wire coat hanger into a straight rod and then shaping the end of it into a hook. The hook should be small enough to still fit the size of the pipes and solve the clogged toilet problem!

To keep your toilet clean we recommend using Bloo fizz tabs – its active foam acts against common problems and removes limescale & urine scale, deposits under water, stubborn dirt, bad odours as well as rust and discolouration – even where the brush is difficult to reach. 

For more useful articles on how to unblock a sink, how to unblock a drain and how to clean your gutters check out our DIY and cleaning sections.