What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

• Rubber gloves
• Toilet plunger

Materials

• Water to fill toilet bowl (if necessary)

Instructions

Fill the Toilet Bowl (as Needed)

Make sure there is standing water in the toilet bowl. Submerging the head of the plunger is ideal, but you need at least enough water to cover the rim of the plunger cup (not just the flange). If there’s anything floating in the toilet bowl, don’t sweat it (that’s why plumbers can charge so much!). Add water to the bowl if necessary.

Position the Plunger

Put on rubber gloves if you wish. Make sure the flange of the toilet plunger is completely pulled out from the cup. Lower the plunger into the bowl at an angle so the cup fills with as much water as possible. If you go straight down, the cup traps a lot of air, which will compress more than water and reduce the plunging force. Fit the cup over the toilet’s drain hole so the flange is inside the hole and the cup forms a complete seal around the outside of the hole.

Work the Plunger

Grip the plunger handle in both hands, and push down on the cup forcefully, then pull back up without breaking the cup’s seal around the hole. Repeat the push-pull motion five or six times, then pull the cup off of the hole after the last thrust.

The goal is to create rapidly alternating forces of compression and suction in the toilet drain to loosen the clog. If your pushing seems to be blowing out the side of the cup rather than down into the hole, you don’t have a proper seal. Reposition the cup, and try again.

Repeat the series of plunging motions as needed until the bowl empties by itself. Set the plunger aside.

* Tip

Maintain some downward pressure on the plunger at all times while plunging, even when letting up a bit on the upstroke. If you let up on the pressure completely, you’ll break the seal around the cup.

Flush the Toilet

Remove the tank lid from the toilet, and locate the round rubber trap door (called the flapper) at the center of the tank bottom; this is your emergency water shutoff if the toilet is still clogged.

Flush the toilet. If it flushes normally, you’re all done, and you can set the lid back on the tank. If you’re not so lucky and the toilet is still clogged and threatens to overflow, reach into the tank and push the flapper down over the hole to stop the flow of water from the tank to the bowl. When the tank stops refilling, plunge the toilet again.

If Plunging Doesn’t Work

If you can’t clear the clog after several rounds of plunging, you can try clearing it with a toilet auger before finding a plumber. A toilet auger, or a closet auger, is a specialty version of a drain snake designed specifically for toilets. It has a telescoping metal tube with a crank handle on one end and a cable running inside. Insert the cable end (which has a corkscrew tip) into the toilet, and then turn the handle while pushing the cable down through the toilet trap to clear the clog.

In addition to driving through and breaking up a tough clog, the corkscrew tip of the cable can grab onto obstructions in the toilet trap so you can pull them out. This is often required if a sponge or other inappropriate item gets flushed down the toilet and becomes stuck.

Don’t be weirded out by the strange ingredients. These cleaning tips really work! Give them a try and discover how you don’t have to use harsh, expensive chemicals to keep your toilet clean. These 10 weird, wacky-yet-effective toilet fixes are worth a try.

1. Get Sparkling White Toilet with Coca-Cola

When you think of making your toilet clean and spotless, think Coca- Cola. Do you think this is crazy? Just try it!

Coca-Cola is not only a refreshing drink but also a perfect toilet cleaner. It dissolves rust rings, buildups, and stains to give you a sparkling white toilet seat. Coke has a mild acidity that makes it useful for cleaning purposes. Let’s go through how this works.

You don’t need much; a soda can of Coca-Cola is enough to clean your toilet. If you have a bigger bottle, measure out 12 fluid ounces for this purpose. Pour the coke around the rim of your toilet bowl and make sure it covers all the stains evenly. Then wait patiently for the coke to sit; the longer the better.

Leave it for at least an hour before you scrub it with a brush. Scrubbing will not be so hard because the acid from the coke will have made the stains to loosen up. You can use coke with other household cleaning agents.

Don’t underestimate the difference a soda can of Coca-Cola can bring to your toilet.

2. Scrub with Pumice Stone

A pumice stone is a soft, light, and porous volcanic rock. It is handy for cleaning porcelain toilets but not suitable for marble, laminate, plastic, or fiberglass toilets. Pumice stones are very cheap but should be replaced after use.

How do you use it?

Wet the stone thoroughly before use. Dip it inside a bowl of water, most preferably a bowl of warm water. Wear a glove for this procedure to avoid getting your hands too dirty.

Set a bowl of water aside for the cleaning or use the toilet water. Scrub the stains with the pumice stone directly with firm pressure. As you scrub, paste from the pumice stone will appear on the surfaces. Allow the paste to stay on the surface while washing, then rinse off after a few minutes to see the progress. Flush the toilet when the surface is clean.

Make sure you wet the surface and the stone frequently as you scrub to avoid scratching the toilet.

3. Spray White Vinegar

Yes, that white vinegar in your pantry is an excellent toilet cleaner. Its acidity is potent enough to kill germs, bacteria, and mold on contact. Instead of reaching out for expensive toilet cleaning products in the store, choose cheap white vinegar, and get a better result.

Please note the emphasis on “White Vinegar” and not any other type. Apple cider vinegar can leave a brown stain in your toilet, so stick to white vinegar.

Fill a clean spray bottle with the vinegar instead of pouring directly from the bottle. It will help you to avoid wastage and make it easy to spray targeted areas.

After filling the spray bottle, spray the toilet with the vinegar and leave it for about 10 minutes or as long as you wish. Then, dip in your toilet brush and scrub. You will see the stain come off and your toilet as good as new.

4. Use Homemade Toilet Bomb

Get a toilet bomb at the store or make one yourself. Just toss a toilet bomb into the toilet, and it will start fizzling and cleaning your toilet. It absorbs odors and keeps the toilet cleaner with a sweet fragrance.

Just in case you don’t know how to make a toilet bomb, here’s how to do it yourself in your home.  

Get your ingredients. You need a cup of baking soda, a quarter of citric acid, fourth drops of essential oil, and 1-3 spoons of water. Mix your baking soda and citric acid in a bowl. Add essential oil, one drop at a time and mix well after each drop. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of water into the mixture, one at a time and mix. Do this until the mixture holds together. Pack the mixture into a mold and allow it to dry for at least 12 hours. And that’s it, ready to use.

Drop one toilet bomb into the toilet. When it starts fizzling, scrub the toilet with a brush. And flush.

5. Use Baby Oil to Shine Fixtures

Baby oil is mostly used for baby skin to maintain softness. It is also used by adults for several reasons, one of which is for the toilet. Surprisingly, this fantastic cleaning agent can make your toilet gleam and give you a sparkling white toilet seat.

Baby oil is also effective for shining your bathroom fixtures like faucets and showerheads. You can use it to clean the toilet bowl as well. You will be amazed at how the oil will make your toilet chrome fixtures shine.

For the best result, put little oil in a soft and clean cloth. Buff your toilet handles and polish them well with the cloth.

6. Use Nail Polish to Prevent Rust

Rusty toilet seat hardware is very unpleasant. Nail polish happens to be the best for the job of preventing rust in your toilet. Get a clear nail polish and use it to coat your toilet seat hardware.

Apply it to the screws and bolts and allow it to dry. It will prevent rust from forming. The nail polish will also tighten the screw and make it last longer.

You can also use it to coat the bottom of your can shaving cream to prevent it from rusting on the bathtub.

Nail polish is cheap, and most women have them in their make-up boxes.

7. Prevent Toilet Sweat Using Bubble Wraps

toilet cleaning hacks 

It is mostly used for packing fragile items. But can also be used to prevent sweating toilet tanks by reducing condensation.

Here’s how it is used.

First, turn off the water supply to the toilet and remove the tank lid. Flush the toilet and wait until the tank is all drained out. When it’s empty, line the tank with a layer of bubble wrap. The layer acts as a form of insulation that helps to keep the outside of the tank warm.

8. Use Hot Water to Fix Clogged Toilets

Take note, it’s ‘hot water’ and not ‘boiling water’. Hot water is perfect for a clogged toilet. Fill a medium saucepan and heat the water but don’t let it boil. Boiling water may cause your toilet seat to crack. After heating the water, pour it in a bucket, then straight into the toilet seat. Let the water sit for a while, then flush. Your toilet will unclog quickly.

These hacks have made the toilet cleaning nightmare easier. They are everyday items that you can find in the house and will cost you less than other branded toilet cleaning agents. It’s fun to try these weird toilet cleaners. The weirdness will urge you to clean more often.