How to Unclog a Toilet With Dish Soap and Hot Water
Last Updated on January 17, 2022 by toilethaven
Can You Use Dish Soap to Unclog a Toilet?
You cannot stay in a house with a clogged toilet more so if your house has only one bathroom. Fortunately there are many ways to unclog a toilet without a plunger or a toilet auger. Dish soap can and has been used successfully to unclog a toilet.
Due to the genius design of a toilet, most clogs are normally not too far away from the toilet bowl outlet. If you have checked the side of a toilet bowl, you must have noticed a U/S-shaped piece of pipe that joins the bowl to the drainpipe.
This is called a toilet trap. After flushing, the waste in the bowl moves up and then downwards in the trap. This is where the siphoning or suctioning of the toilet occurs.
Most toilets clogs are however unable to maneuver through the trap and are therefore stuck there resulting in a clogged toilet.
When you pour dish soap inside the bowl, it will therefore be in contact with this clog. The dish soap will penetrate it and lubricate it making it easy for it to flow down the drainpipe.
To unclog a toilet using dish soap, start by completely draining the bowl then pour half a cup of dish soap and wait for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil a gallon of water and then dump it in the bowl. While the soap lubricates the clog, hot water breaks it down and flushes it out.
Just like the many other methods of unclogging a toilet, this method is not foolproof and it therefore does not guarantee results.
How to Use Dish Soap to Unclog a Toilet
This is a step by step guide on how to unclog a toilet with dish soap and hot water. The water should however not be boiling. Too hot water can cause the toilet to crack
1. Drain the toilet bowl.
For fast and effective results, you want to introduce the dish soap as close as possible to the clog. A clogged toilet will be full of water of even overflowing. It is also not unusual to have a clogged toilet that has poop or toilet paper in it.
I know this sounds gross but you will need to drain the bowl. The faster you do it the faster you get over and done with it.
Use a cup to scoop and empty the water from the bowl to a bucket. Do your best to remove as much water as possible. Please remember to have on rubber gloves.
2. Pour the dish soap
Pour half a cup of dish soap in the toilet bowl and let it sit for about 20 minutes. The dish soap will slowly flow up the toilet trap where it will penetrate and lubricate the clog. This will make it easy for the clog to flow down the drain.
3. Add the hot water.
As you let the dish soap sit in the bowl go to the kitchen and heat about 2 gallons of water. If you can get the hot water from a bathroom sink the better.
After the 20 minutes, quickly dump the water inside the toilet bowl. Do not however dump it so fast that it splashes on your face. It is always a good idea to face away from the bowl while dumping the water.
Hot water is effective in softening and dissolving clogs than cold water. After dumping the hot water, the toilet will either unclog immediately or it might take some time for it to work with the dish soap. You should therefore five it about 10 minutes to see if the water in the bowl will drain.
If the Dish Soap Does not unclog a Toilet
If the dish soap did not manage to unclog your toilet the first time, you may decide to repeat the process again. Some toilet clogs are more stubborn that others.
If even after the second time you toilet remains clogged, it is time to explore other methods. Here are other methods you can also use to unclog a toilet.
1. Use a Toilet Plunger
You may be surprised that the dish soap has done all the hard work and all that is remaining is for the plunger to give the clog a small push to dislodge it. A toilet plunger works by creating a pressure differential in the clog.
For best results, you should use a bell-shaped plunger. Unlike the flat-cupped plungers, bell-shaped plungers have a flange at the front which helps it to tightly seal around the toilet bowl outlet.
Before starting to plunge, make sure that the water level in the bowl is at the half-full mark. This prevents it from splashing as you plunge and also makes sure air does not enter in the plunger.
Plunge the toilet for about 5 minutes and hopefully the clog will be dislodged. If you do not have a plunger with you, here are several ways to unclog a toilet without a plunger.
2. Use a Toilet Auger
A toilet auger is a long (3 to 6 feet long) cable with a spring-like head and a cranking handle that is used to unclog toilets by hooking and pulling the clogs out. It also shreds them to smaller pieces which can then easily flow down the drain.
If dish soap was unable to unclog the toilet for you, most likely the clog was something very solid and very far from the toilet bowl (in the toilet drain) which makes the toilet auger the only viable option.
It may be challenging to use a toilet auger the first time if you have never used one before. Here is a detailed guide on how to use a toilet auger.
3. Call in a Plumber
If you have tried to unclog a toilet using dish soap and anything else unsuccessfully, it is time to call in an expert. Although I always encourage people to try to unclog a toilet on their own to save on the plumber’s fee, some toilet clogs will only cede ground to a plumber.
How to Unclog Toilet Rim Holes Using Dish Soap
If you live in an area with hard water and especially calcium, your toilet bowl rim holes will after sometime get clogged as the calcium gets deposited around them. This will lead into a toilet with a weak flush or a slow flushing toilet.
Such a toilet is a prime candidate for clogging. You should frequently use dish soap to keep the siphon jet and rim holes open at all times.
Remove your toilet tank lid and place it away in a safe place. Pour a small amount of dish soap down the overflow tube. The overflow tube is the large tube in the middle of the toilet tank.
The dish soap will dissolve the calcium and therefore open the rim holes. I suggest that you do this at least once a month. You could also use vinegar in the place of dish soap.
To prevent you toilet from constantly clogging, use minimal toilet paper, don’t flush anything that should not be flushed and also pour hot water down your toilet bowl often.