How to clean a toilet with a bottle: step-by-step instructions + review of alternative methods

Every home should have drain cleaning equipment.Blockages in toilets do not appear according to a schedule, but at those moments when no one expects problems and there is no time to go shopping.

In such cases, you can make do with improvised means, and an ordinary plastic bottle will help save the situation. We will tell you how to clean a toilet with a bottle. We will describe in detail what else you can use to quickly fix plumbing problems.

Causes of blockages in the toilet

A clogged toilet is one of the biggest troubles that can happen to your sewer system. If the water drainage stops, sewage fills the bowl of the plumbing fixture, and a heavy smell spreads throughout the house.

If a blockage occurs, it should be eliminated as quickly as possible, otherwise an unpleasant odor will appear not only in the apartment, but even in the entrance

Although the first and most important thing is cleaning, it is still advisable to figure out what exactly caused the stagnation of water in order to know how to properly handle the plumbing fixture in the future.

There are two main reasons why a blockage may occur: improper installation and negligence in operating the toilet. The function of the toilet may be impaired if it is connected to the riser by a pipe that is too large. The slope is not enough for normal drainage of wastewater, and deposits remain on the walls of the pipes.

The gap in the pipes gradually narrows, so sooner or later there comes a time when it becomes insufficient for the passage of water.The fundamental way to solve problems associated with poor-quality installation of the device is correct installation.

Sometimes, to prevent blockages, it is recommended to clean the toilet with soda and vinegar. This is a good replacement for special chemicals. Soda softens and removes plaque from pipe walls

As for operation, it is important to remember: the toilet is a useful plumbing equipment, and not a garbage dump into which you can dump garbage. The device is not intended for emptying cat litter, cotton wool, rags, diapers, threads, food waste, construction waste and cement mortar residues.

If you treat your toilet like a trash can, you will inevitably end up with clogs. You cannot throw anything unnecessary into it. Accidentally dropped objects should be immediately removed from the toilet, and not ignored, much less flushed, pushing them further into the sewer pipe.

General principles of sewerage operation

The sewer system consists of a riser and pipelines that are designed to drain liquid waste from plumbing fixtures. The riser is a large diameter pipe and is usually located in the bathroom.

If the toilet in an apartment in a multi-storey building stops draining water due to a clog in the riser, this is a problem for all residents. Only utility workers can solve it. Special inspection niches are provided for cleaning risers

Modern risers are often made of plastic, but many houses still have cast iron pipes. The advantage of cast iron is strength, and plastic risers are less susceptible to blockages. Most often, old cast iron pipes become clogged. There are burrs on their inner walls, which causes deposits to quickly form.

To prevent air from the sewer from entering the room, a siphon is provided in the design of the toilet - a bend where a water plug (hydraulic seal) is constantly located. When flushing, water displaces and replaces this plug, pushing sewage from the toilet into the sewer riser.

When you press the button on the tank, the water drains into the bowl, washing it, and passes further through the pipe into the riser. The clog prevents the toilet from working properly and water remains in the bowl

If there is debris in the pipe and the water has not pushed it out into the riser, a clog may form. Scraps of paper, waste, hair, threads get caught on sharp or large objects. Gradually, all this turns into a large lump of dirt, which narrows or completely blocks the pipe section.

Clearing a clog with a plastic bottle

If there are no sewer cleaning equipment, the situation can be saved using a regular 1.5-2 liter plastic bottle. The only tools you need are a sharp knife.

The sequence of manufacturing a toilet cleaning device:

• Screw the cap tightly onto the neck of the bottle.
• Using a felt-tip pen or marker, draw a line at the bottom of the bottle above the bottom.
• Using a sharp knife or large scissors, carefully cut off the bottom. Make sure that the cut line is smooth, without any protrusions or depressions.

To clean the toilet, insert the bottle into the drain hole with the cut part and push the water up and down several times with force. After this, rinse the toilet with hot water. Watch the temperature of the water: it should be hot, but not scalding. Otherwise, the plumbing may simply burst.

Based on the principle of operation, a homemade cleaning device made from a bottle resembles a plunger.Water practically does not compress; its volume remains unchanged. By pushing water with a bottle deep into the toilet, you can create a water hammer effect and thereby destroy the blockage.

Choose a bottle of such a diameter that its lower part fits freely into the toilet drain hole. It is advisable that it reaches the bottom

When cleaning the toilet with any tools, incl. and homemade, there is always a risk of damaging the plumbing or getting unpleasant “side effects”:

• By using too strong back-and-forth movements, you can ensure that water does not rush into the pipe, as expected, but out. In this case, the toilet fountain may hit the ceiling.
• If you move carelessly, you can hit the toilet or drop a hard, heavy object on top of it. This threatens the appearance of cracks and chips on the device, especially if it is made of fragile earthenware.

These events are not common, but they do happen, so caution should be exercised. The risk of “reverse water hammer” exists if the toilet is clogged with hard objects: glass fragments, construction debris, cement.

Thanks to the bottle, you can create a pressure difference, and the plug closing the drain will move further along the pipe. Hot water will dissolve fat deposits and push dirt towards the riser

If scraps of paper, cotton wool, rags or other soft objects get into the toilet, then a plastic bottle is quite capable of pushing them into the sewer without any problems. You can also use it to get them out of the toilet. To do this you will need to build a homemade plastic cable.

Some useful tips:

Rope made from a plastic bottle

To make a plumbing cable you will need a large 5-liter plastic bottle. If you can only find a 2-liter one, that will also work, but the product will be shorter. The tools you will need are large, durable scissors.

Work order:

• First you need to apply markings. An ordinary pencil does not draw on plastic, so it is better to take a marker or a children's felt-tip pen. You need to apply a spiral strip 2 cm wide along the entire length of the bottle.
• When making bottles, manufacturers use thicker plastic at the bottom of the products. The material bends worse, but is much stronger than in the upper part. It is ideal for a pen that will look like a ring. Draw this detail right away.
• Cut the bottle according to the markings. You should end up with a long spiral ribbon with a round element at the end.
• Cut a hole in the middle of the ring so that your finger can fit through it freely.
• Make notches along the entire length of the tape: cut it on both sides at an angle of 45 degrees. Make sure that the notches are not too deep and that the cable retains its strength.

To remove or move objects stuck in the toilet, insert a homemade cable into the drain hole, holding it by the handle. Try to push the product as far as possible and carefully rotate it around its axis. When the cable reaches the blockage, rotational movements will help to pick up the debris on the notches.

To clean the toilet, it is better to choose a larger bottle and make a tape 2.5-3 cm wide, because... These appliances tend to clog more severely than sinks.

Try to remove stuck objects. If that doesn't work, just push them into the pipe.

A sign that everything worked out correctly will be a decrease in the amount of drainage in the toilet. As soon as sewage begins to go down the drain, rinse the device with hot water.

Methods for cleaning a toilet with a regular plumbing cable are given. In this article. We recommend that you read the instructions for use.

Cleaning the toilet with a cloth

In the absence of a plunger, even the most ordinary floor cloth can become a powerful weapon in the fight against toilet blockages. In addition to this, you will need a wooden block as thick as a mop handle. You can also use the mop itself, but this is not always convenient due to its long length.

A rag can be wrapped around the end of the mop and secured firmly with string to prevent it from falling as the handle is moved.

Fold a wet rag and plug it into the toilet drain hole. You will get a dense improvised plug. You need to place a mop or a block in its center and press firmly several times, like on the handle of a plunger. A sudden movement causes a water hammer and destroys the plug.

Unique Chinese method

Chinese and Korean industry produces a special film for cleaning toilets.If you happen to find it on sale, be sure to buy it and keep it. In case of blockages, the film can be a real salvation, because... eliminates them in a few moments.

Chinese film is disposable. It is very convenient to store. This is an ideal option for rented housing if tenants do not want to buy a cable or plunger and then transport it to a new place of residence

The principle of cleaning a toilet using a film is simple to the point of genius, but it looks rather strange, since first you will have to increase (and not reduce) the blockage. This is done like this: throw crumpled toilet paper into the standing water of the bowl and flush the tank so that the toilet is filled almost to the brim.

The toilet rim is wiped dry and a special high-strength film is glued on. It should fit snugly to the rim over the entire adhesive surface so that there are not the slightest gaps or air bubbles left anywhere.

The areas where the film adheres to the toilet are carefully smoothed out. After this, water is drained from the tank several times to inflate the film, and the bubble is pushed down with smooth wave-like movements.

Two or three pressures on the swollen film are enough for the mass of water and paper to break through the blockage and instantly drain into the sewer. After use, the film is carefully torn off from the rim and discarded

Some especially brave “traditional craftsmen” advise using food film instead of special film. They suggest sealing the toilet with it, drawing water and pressing on top in the same way.

This method raises great doubts, because the tightness of the cling film is questionable. In addition, it is not strong enough, so it may not withstand pressure and burst.In this case, the entire bathroom will be flooded with the contents of the toilet bowl, but the blockage will still not go away. It's better not to take risks.

Other ways to clear blockages

The modern market for plumbing fixtures is diverse: you can find any tools for mechanical sewer cleaning. Some of them are very compact and easy to use. Classics of the genre - cable and plunger.

A metal cable cannot always be used, because... there is a risk of damaging the plastic elements of the sewer system. But a rubber or silicone plunger is an indispensable thing in the household.

An alternative to mechanical methods is household chemicals. Packaging a good specialized cleaning product and sewer flushing It will cost less than any plumbing fixture and will take up very little space.

When purchasing household chemicals for drain cleaning, carefully read the information on the packaging, which indicates for which pipes the products can be used

Household chemicals not only corrode traffic jams. It removes that plaque from the internal surfaces of the pipes, which narrows the lumen and causes blockages to form. An additional plus is disinfection, which is never superfluous in the toilet.

In addition to preventing the formation of traffic jams in the most popular type of plumbing, it would not be superfluous to use sewer pipe cleaners. Their gradual clogging and narrowing of the lumen also contribute to clogging of the toilet.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

You can choose any of the methods you like to remove a clog in the toilet. We offer video materials that will help you understand the operation of a plumbing fixture and fix problems.

A video that helps you understand how the toilet flush system works:

Detailed video instructions for using a plastic bottle to clean the toilet:

Chinese method of dealing with clogs in the toilet using a special adhesive film:

There are many ways to remove clogs in the toilet, including: very original. However, it is better not to reinvent the wheel, but to buy a regular plunger.

It must be washed, dried after use and stored in a secluded corner of the bathroom, then it will last for many years. If you didn’t take care of buying a plunger in time, and the toilet needs to be cleaned urgently, the bottle will help you.

Would you like to tell us how you dealt with breaking a blockage in the toilet using improvised means? Do you have an interesting way to deal with sewer congestion? Please write comments in the block below, ask questions, comment on the material, post photos on the topic.