How To Unclog A Toilet With Poop In It (8 Ways To Do It)

Nick Durante
by Nick Durante

Unclogging a toilet is a hassle, and it only gets worse if there is poop in it. This raises sanitary concerns and quickly becomes a major inconvenience. With that said, what can you do to unclog your toilet even if it has poop in it?

Use a plunger or plumbing snake to unclog your toilet that has poop in it. Both methods can break up and loosen blockages, and even toilet brushes can too. Otherwise, use a baking soda and vinegar combination, Drano Max Build-Up Remover, or hot water and dish soap.

Even shampoo can help loosen and dissolve blockages in your toilet, and it can come in handy. Many of these solutions are in your home, you won’t have to spend a dime. Let’s take a look at how you can unclog a toilet with poop in it.

Do You Need to Hire a Plumber?

Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.

8 Ways To Unclog A Toilet With Poop In It

1. Plunger

The oldest trick in the book is to bust out your plunger to unclog the toilet. Some homeowners are apprehensive because of the risk of a mess with this method, but plungers are the standard for a reason. You need to be careful if you plunge a toilet with poop in it, but the results are worth the trouble.

There is no set rule for many times you should try to plunge your toilet if it’s clogged. However, you can expect to attempt to plunge the toilet as many as 20 times for some clogs. The blockage eventually knocks loose, and you can flush the toilet as needed.

Make sure that you clean the plunger itself once you successfully plunge the toilet and clear the blockage. Pour bleach into the toilet after 1 or 2 flushes and run the plunger through the clean water. After a bath in 2.5 cups of bleach water, you can tuck safely tuck your plunger away for further use.

2. Plumbing Snake

Plumbing snakes aren’t as common in households as plungers, but they are just as useful. You can kick things off by using a plumbing snake, but sometimes it’s best to use it in concert with a plunger. Snakes are more aggressive and directly push through the obstruction to clear the blockage.

Simply feed the plumbing snake into the toilet and move it back and forth as you approach the obstruction. Some plumbing snakes have buttons that activate an extension on the other end to break through obstacles. Move the plumbing snake around enough to wear the blockage loosens, then pull the snake out and flush the toilet.

You can repeat the process as many times as it takes for the toilet to become unclogged. Clean your plumbing snake with dish soap and hot water after each use.

3. Bleach

Unclogging your toilet can be as easy as pouring enough bleach in it sometimes. Even toilets with poop in them can be unclogged if you use 2-4 cups of bleach. The key is to pour enough bleach and give enough time for the bleach to properly dissolve the blockage.

You may spend as long as 5 or 6 hours while the bleach breaks down the obstruction, or even longer. That is why you must use enough water concerning how severe your blockage is. You may need to use up to 4 cups of bleach if the toilet bowl is filled with too much water from flushing attempts.

Exercise caution to avoid spilling bleach on the flooring, getting it on your hands, or anywhere near your eyes. You will be able to tell when the bleach breaks down the blockage, and when it is time to flush the toilet. It’s not great to regularly put that much bleach in the toilet, but it’s an easy solution if it’s clogged.

4. Drano

Many homeowners wonder if Drano is effective for unclogging a toilet with poop in it. Luckily, Drano is a great solution for this particular problem, and it is one of the quickest options. Only use Drano in this scenario if you have their Max Build-Up Remover because it is ideal for that type of blockage.

Drano Max Build-Up Remover is as ideal for slow-flushing toilets as it is for one that is clogged. Simply pour the Drano into the toilet and allow it to sit undisturbed for 5-7 minutes. The chemicals break down the blockage during this time frame so that you can easily flush the toilet from now on.

It’s important to avoid using Drano regularly as it can damage your toilet and pipes. However, Drano comes in handy when you have to unexpectedly unclog a toilet. Make sure that you use the Drano intended for buildups, otherwise you risk damaging the toilet.

Note: Timing is everything with chemicals, and that is especially true when it comes to Drano. Leaving Drano or Liquid Plumber in the drain too long can lead to permanent damage to your pipes.

5. Baking Soda

Look no further than your kitchen cabinet for a great solution to a clogged toilet. Baking soda can dissolve the poop in the toilet without any problem, and it may be all that you need. Heat some water and pour it into the clogged toilet, then quickly add baking soda.

Add no more than one cup of baking soda and make sure to use moderately warm water. You can increase the efficacy of the baking soda by covering the top of the toilet with plastic wrap to speed up the process. Otherwise, you can leave the toilet uncovered, but the baking soda may not work as well.

Remove the plastic wrap after 30-60 minutes have passed and make sure to dispose of it cleanly. The clog should be removed after this time, and you’ll be able to flush the toilet.

Vinegar

Throw some vinegar into the mix if you want to make your baking soda go further. Add two cups of vinegar to the baking soda in the toilet to create a better and more effective reaction. You can use as little as one cup of vinegar but use up to two cups if the blockage is strong.

Expect to make a slight mess with this fix as the vinegar and baking soda reaction creates a foam that rushes up quickly. Try to pour no less than one cup of vinegar slowly to minimize the mess of foam. Now, wait to see how the reaction affects the blockage over a few minutes.

Chances are that the vinegar and baking soda combination was more than enough to unclog the toilet. Otherwise, you may need to supplement the solution with some boiling water to get the job done.

6. Toilet Brush

Most homeowners have a toilet brush in one or more of their bathrooms. A toilet brush can take care of and unclog a toilet that has poop in it with no problem. However, toilet brushes can only handle mild and moderate clogs, so they aren’t ideal for every situation.

Use the toilet brush similarly to how you would use a plumbing snake to move the clog down the drain. It may take a few tries, but you should be able to move and unclog smaller blockages. Don’t insert the toilet brush entirely in so that you don’t get it stuck and create a worse problem.

This method is a great last-ditch effort to unclog a toilet, and it often works. Be careful, however, as the toilet brush can agitate the water in the toilet and splash around.

7. Shampoo

You only need 2-4 tablespoons of shampoo to unclog your toilet even if there’s poop in it. The shampoo can break down and dissolve the obstruction so that you can flush the toilet. This method is easy and simply requires some spare shampoo and your patience.

Pour hot water into the toilet to help break up the clog, then quickly add shampoo. The reaction is similar to baking soda or vinegar but may require more patience. Wait a few minutes and check to see what kind of shape the blockage is in.

You won’t find a blockage and you could flush the toilet if all went well using this fix. Shampoo is a great alternative to using vinegar and baking soda to unclog a toilet.

8. Dish Soap and Hot Water

Finally, the classic combination of dish soap and hot water is a trustworthy solution for a clogged toilet. This is not the solution for you if you want an immediate fix for your clogged toilet. That is because it may take two or three tries before you unclog your toilet with hot water and dish soap.

Add dish soap to water and boil it, or simply add the dish soap to the water after boiling it. The heat of the water and chemicals in the dish soap will both soften and loosen the blockage in the toilet. That is why this method is so effective, and it’s one of the least messy options.

It shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes for the hot water and dish soap to unclog the toilet. This method is the safest bet at unclogging the toilet without doing damage or making a mess.

Do You Need to Hire a Plumber?

Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.

What Did We Learn?

You can reliably use a plunger or toilet brush to unclog your toilet even if it has poop in it. The plunger is the most convenient way to unclog a toilet, but it can create a wet mess. Otherwise, plumbing snakes are great because they can completely break up any obstruction in the toilet so it will flush.

Kitchen items such as baking soda and vinegar are also great ways to unclog a toilet with poop in it. Use the baking soda on its own, or you can add vinegar to create a more powerful mixture. This method is great because it dissolves blockages, and everyone has the ingredients at home.

Hot water is a great way to soften obstructions and unclog a toilet, especially if you mix it with dish soap. Otherwise, you can use chemicals, such as Drano Max Build-Up Remover that can unclog a toilet in under 10 minutes. All of these methods are great to remove clogs and obstructions in toilets no matter what the cause is.

Nick Durante
Nick Durante

Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.

More by Nick Durante

Next