How To: Unclog a Toilet with Dishwasher Detergent

Modern day toilets now feature an unprecedented number of features including automatic seat lowering, odor repellent, and even washer attachments, but one thing you can't get around is the fact that plumbing still goes through those same pipes created 10-20 years ago (depending oh how old your home is). Luckily, there's a simple solution for the times when the standard plunger seems insufficient for the epic task at hand...

From Lifehacker:

When a toilet clogs, the first jobs are stopping water from flowing to prevent an overflow and finding a decent plunger. Then again, if you're visiting a friend's place and might feel embarrassed returning from the bathroom with such a request, some hot water from a bathroom sink might do the trick. Need more firepower? Add in dishwasher detergent to put things right.

[You may also want to] add a few cups of hot water to the toilet bowl before you start plunging. After you pour the hot water in, let it sit for a few minutes. To put it mildly, the heat helps break the, um, stuff up. This will make unclogging the toilet with the plunger much, much easier. The heat from the hot water can sometimes break up the clog without plunging, so this could be a good tactic to use if you a clog a toilet at a friends house and you don't want to face the embarrassment of asking for a plunger.

We don't particularly feel asking for a plunger is an embarrassment, but frankly believe running off with their dishwasher soap may prompt even more questions. However, for the home, it's just one of many tricks you can have up your sleeve in case the toilet happens to require a midnight emergency "fix."

[Via Lifehacker]

[Image: Toto]

Be VERY careful.

The water flowing into a toilet is COLD water, thus the porcelain is cold. If you put too much hot water into the bowl the sudden heat shock can crack it. The same goes with dishwasher detergent, which often contains lye, which heats up when put into water, giving you the same explosive effect.

Much more embarrassing to tell your host you just exploded the porcelain convenience fixture than you simply need a plunger.

posted by Greybeard on September 18th 2009 at 12:42pm
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