Warning: All the methods below use hot but not boiling water. Never use boiling water. It may cause the toilet bowl to crack.

Toilet clogs aren’t fun to deal with. While toilet plungers can help, you might not feel comfortable using one. Plungers do come in handy if there is a child’s toy, a plastic object or some other solid item stuck in the drain. If they don’t get dislodged with a plunger, you might want to call a plumber.

Mostly, however, toilets are clogged due to organic substances blocking the drain. Such blockages don’t need plungers. We have a list of home-made toilet drainers you can use to unclog a toilet in no time!

Tip: Use a kettle with a capacity of 1.5L to 2L to prepare these drainers. It makes it safer to heat and pour the water into the toilet bowl.

  • The Hot Water and Soap Method: For this method you will need dish soap and water. In a cup, measure out about 100 ml of dish soap and pour it into your clogged toilet. While it sits, heat up 1.5 litres of water. Take it off the heat once it becomes hot, but before it boils. Immediately pour the water down the toilet bowl– be careful to not hurt yourself in the process! This forces all the waste that’s clogged to move. In about a minute, you should be able to flush your toilet and bring things back to normal.
  • The Hot Water and Shampoo Method: This method is similar to the last one – except you replace dish soap with shampoo. Use 100 ml of shampoo to start with. Let it settle in the toilet bowl while the water heats up and do as mentioned in the last method. You may need to repeat the procedure a few times when using shampoo, as it takes longer to loosen up the waste.
  • The Baking Soda and Vinegar Method: This method is a little time-consuming. Begin boiling 1.5 to 2 litres of water. When it has begun to boil, pour in 300 grams of baking soda and stir. Once the baking soda has dissolved, add in 400 ml of vinegar and stir. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool down, to a point where it is not boiling but is still hot. Now, pour this mixture into your toilet bowl. Let it sit overnight. The next day, you should be able to unclog the toilet in one or two flushes.

These methods are cheap and easy to use. Next time there’s a clog, don’t search for your plunger – just heat some water on the stove and use one of these easy tricks!