The Unexpected Kitchen Ingredient That Can Unclog Your Toilet In A Pinch

Unclogging a stopped-up toilet is no one's favorite job, but luckily this common household ingredient can help you get your bathroom functioning again. Rather than giving up and calling a plumber, try checking your kitchen pantry first. Using regular table salt, or iodized salt, along with baking soda is an easy way to unclog a toilet, and you'll likely already have the ingredients. Though this method is effective, it will have to sit overnight to work properly, and may not be able to tackle drastic clogs. Other types of salt are also successful in clearing clogs.

Start by mixing a cup of table salt with a cup of baking soda and combining it with 12 cups of hot water. Make sure not to use boiling water, as this could damage the porcelain on your toilet. Pour your solution into the bowl and leave it there for eight hours. After it's had time to set, plunge the toilet one last time, flush, and the clog should be gone.

Rock salt is another type of salt that can be used to unclog a toilet. Simply add a cup of rock salt to 2 gallons of hot water and pour it into the toilet bowl. Allow it to set overnight, and in the morning the clog will flush right down the drain. While it's not as common as table salt, rock salt has more minerals than iodized salt, making it more powerful for breaking up clogs.

If you have less time, use Epsom salt rather than iodized salt. Instead of waiting hours for salt to unclog your toilet, Epsom salt will solve the problem in less than 20 minutes. Try dumping a cup of Epsom salt directly into your toilet bowl. After a moment, it should begin to make noise and bubble, which is a chemical reaction that occurs when magnesium sulfate is combined with water. Within 15 minutes, the salt should loosen the clog, making it easy for you to flush it away. Whether you choose table salt, rock salt, or Epsom salt, your clogged toilet will be easier to fix.