A Brand New & Natural Way to Unclog a Backed Up Toilet

Not a pretty picture is it? You've got a backed up toilet, and you just don't know what to do! I received this amazing email a while back from a Happy Slob reader who (sadly) didn't sign their name to the email. But, it's all about an effective way to unclog a toilet with a bit of dishwashing liquid. Check this out...

With low water usage toilets, clogs can often be a problem. I have an older toilet which uses 4 or 5 gallons per flush but I still get frequent clogs.This solution seems to work better than any other I've found -including gel drain cleaners and even snaking.

Use a concentrated dishwashing liquid. I use the original Dawn liquid because it is extremely slippery and a strong detergent. The origina lformula is also a lot cheaper. I squirt about the same amount I would use on maybe a half dozen sink loads of dishes (probably between 1/4 and 1/2 cup) although you can probably get by with less.

This trick has worked the first time and every time I've tried it. It has even worked after repeated flushing has only compacted the clog.To be safe, and reduce the chance of an overflow, let the tank fill up and then turn off the water to the toilet (you can also do this manually from inside the tank).

Squirt the detergent into the bowl and give it a minute to disperse. Now let the water level in the bowl go down. This could take a while but will help get the detergent to the clog. You don't have to wait, but the higher the water level in the bowl, the more likely it is that it will overflow. The detergent won't dissolve completely but that's ok. Then flush the toilet. As long as the water level in the bowl is normal to start with, you shouldn't get an overflow unless the toilet is completely blocked. The detergent should not only lubricate the clog but should also help to break it up.

I've been amazed at how well this works. I had been tempted to install a pressurized toilet since I had this problem about once or twice a week and don't have a spare bathroom. I'll probably do that when I remodel, but at least now there's no hurry and I can do everything at once - when I'm ready.

Thanks so much to the reader who sent this in! :)
Hey - have YOU GUYS got an amazing cleaning tip you just want to share with all your Happy Slob Housecleaning pals? Well then don't keep that goodness to yourself -- send it on in to me and I'll post it here! My email addy is christina @ happyslob.com