How to unclog a toilet with baking soda and vinegar? This goes without saying; everyone hates dealing with clogged toilets. A situation like dealing with a clogged toilet can get messy and troublesome, and it can make you feel clumsy and embarrassed and ruin your day. So, to save you the trouble, we are here to give you a hack of a lifetime. You will only need two ingredients for this hack- baking soda and vinegar.
Unclogging toilets with baking soda and vinegar is a quick and cost-efficient way of dealing with a devil of a task like clogged drains of a toilet. Combining the right amount of baking soda and vinegar creates a volcano reaction and helps in unclogging the toilet. This is a simple hack that can save you the money you kept aside for your plumber.
This article aims to give you the step-by-step process of how to unclog a toilet with baking soda and vinegar, tell you why and how it works, and prepare you for the worst probable scenario one can face with a toilet.
Why Does The Hack Work?
Baking soda, scientifically known as sodium bicarbonate, is a base that requires a proton to create a chemical reaction. On the other hand, vinegar is an acid that has protons it wants to clear out. So the bubbly chemical response we see after mixing baking soda and vinegar is basically baking soda and vinegar acting as a base and an acid.
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The combination leads to these two elements exchanging protons, generating carbon dioxide in the form of bubbles and leaving water behind. So when it comes to being a useful cleaner, the chemical reaction that occurs due to the combination of baking soda and vinegar can help dissolve gunk and clutters with the bubbly reaction.
That assures that adding vinegar and baking soda together can help dissolve junks and loosen up gunks. As in most cases of clogged toilets, some substances clutter up the toilet making it hard for the water to flow in a proper system.
This makes baking soda and vinegar a useful cleaning hack when it comes to unclogging the toilets by basically cleaning out the gunks with a flush and leaving behind saltwater!
What Do You Need for The Hack?
For this hack, you will need a few things in the right amount. They are:
- 1 gallon or 3.8 liters of boiling water
- One and a half cups of baking soda
- One and a half cups or 352.5 milliliters of white vinegar
- One fannel
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How to Unclog a Toilet with Baking Soda and Vinegar?
The step-by-step process of how to unclog a toilet with baking soda and vinegar is elaborated below
Step 1: Pouring Baking Soda
You need to pour one and a half cups of baking soda using a fannel into the clogged toilet. It is important that you measure the amount of baking soda with a measuring cup before dumping it into the toilet bowl, as the next steps rely on it. Let the baking soda go down to the bottom of the steady water and resolve.
If you are worried about where to get baking soda, stop panicking. It is available in almost every grocery store at a reasonable price.
Step 2: Pouring Hot WaterYouu need to pour a gallon or 3.8 liters of boiling water into the toilet for the next steps. There are possibilities that your toilet may unclog after pouring the hot boiling water. You need to boil the water and pour it into the toilet bowl if the water level is not that high in the toilet bowl. If the water level is already high, do not pour more water.
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The water pressure and the heat can play a major role in unclogging the toilet quickly. If there is a suction sound and if the water starts to drain out while pouring the boiling water, then the chances are that the baking soda and hot water were enough to unclog your toilet.
Check if the toilet is unclogged or not by flushing if you see the water draining out.
Step 3: Pouring Vinegar
If just the baking soda and the boiling water did not do the trick, in the next step, you need to pour one and a half cups or 352.5 milliliters of white vinegar into the clogged toilet. While pouring, you need to be very careful and give proper attention to the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar.
You need to make sure that the bubbly chemical reaction does not overflow the toilet bowl. You need to immediately stop pouring and if the bubbles get too high. Wait until it settles down, and then carry on pouring the rest of the vinegar in the toilet bowl.
As mentioned before, the bubbly reaction between the baking soda and vinegar will loosen up the gunk and clean what's clogging the toilet. However, you need to be very cautious and not let the mixture blow up all over the floor.
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Step 4: Give Some Time
Once you pour the vinegar and created the mix, the next step is to wait. You need to let the combination sit for a minimum of 2 hours or leave it overnight until the water starts to drain. Keep an eye on the toilet every 2 passing hours.
Try to flush it if the steady water starts to or has already drained. If flushing is not an option because it still looks clogged, allow the combination to set overnight before you try to flush it.
Repeat the whole process if the toilet does not unclog on the first try, or call a plumber if you think there is a bigger underlying issue.
Conclusion
Having a few hacks for problems like clogged toilets can help you in the long run, especially when the hack is effective. However, if you don't go through all these hassles, you may contact an experienced plumber. Hopefully, this article has prepared all the information you need with "how to unclog a toilet with baking soda" and saved you from a hassle you may have to deal with in the future.
