Unclog a Toilet Without a Plunger

I would never actually photograph a real clogged toilet because that would be gross. But I wanted to show you how well this method worked, so I stuffed my toilet full of paper towels and toilet paper. I thought those were some pretty tough conditions.

Step 1: Gather Supplies

I used dish soap and hot water. (I told you this was cleaner than using a plunger!)

Step 2: Squirt in Some Soap

I just squirted in about ¼ cup of dish soap.

You'll see the soap settle to the bottom. It lubricates the toilet bowl and helps break up the toilet paper.

Step 3: Add Very Warm Water

I didn’t add boiling water because I didn’t want to damage any of the seals or the toilet bowl itself, but hot water helps break up all the toilet paper. Add enough to help break everything up, but make sure not to overflow the toilet.

Step 4: Flush

You'll see the water slowly move down (it might take a few minutes, so be patient). Once that happens, feel free to flush it and watch the clog go down the drain. Easy peasy!

We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.