DIY Drano for Toilets
This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.
It worked! This all-natural DIY Drano for toilets really worked. Not just once, but it did the trick several different times on my completely clogged toilet. (Yes, we have really crappy toilets–no pun intended.)
Why I Love this Home Remedy for Unclogging Toilets
Let me tell you, I was one happy homeowner upon discovering this simple, cheap, and safe DIY Drano solution! That’s because a plumber visit costs at least $150 and Drano and Liquid Plumbr scare the snot out of me. Seriously, listen to the warnings from the Liquid Plumbr company itself about the dangers of its product:
“…Never use Liquid-Plumr with other drain-cleaning products. The bleach contained in Liquid-Plumr can react with other chemicals, such as ammonia, to create toxic vapors. Also, use of a plunger can be dangerous, as the product can damage skin, eyes and mucus membranes on contact…Handling lye in any form can cause chemical burns and skin damage, and ingesting it can result in permanent injury or death.”
Do I want a chemical compound like that in my house, near my babies, in our water system? No spanks.
The best part, besides the fact that this all-natural DIY Drano for toilets actually works, is that it only requires two CHEAP ingredients out of my kitchen cabinets and perhaps a pot of boiling water. I know you’re curious now.
My Test Results of This Home Remedy for Unclogging Toilets
Original Test Results from May 2013: The toilet was VERY clogged, as usual. I tossed in the DIY Drano and let it sit for a couple of hours. When I returned, the standing water was gone and the toilet flushed right away!
However, the first time I used this recipe, I had to let the concoction sit overnight in the toilet. After a good plunging, it began to work a little better. I used the DIY Drano one more time, and after a few hours, the toilet was completely unclogged.
Since my original test years ago, I’ve used this recipe countless times to unclog my toilets. You can see from all the comments that it’s worked for many other people, too!
Can You Use Drano in a Toilet?
One question I originally asked was “Will store-bought Drano unclog a toilet?” (This also happens to be why I ended up making my own homemade version!) It turns out that the manufacturer, SC Johnson, doesn’t recommend using Drano in a toilet. Not only will it act very slowly on tough clogs, if it all, but it will be dangerous if you decide to try to plunge it later. If you splash the Drano on you while plunging, it could harm your eyes or skin. So, please do not use the store-bought Drano in your toilets. Just use my safe, all-natural drano recipe that works!
All-Natural DIY Drano Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup baking soda
- 2 cups vinegar
- 1 gallon boiling water (optional)
Instructions:
1) Into a clogged toilet filled with standing water, dump 1 cup of baking soda. Let it sink to the bottom.
2) If the toilet doesn’t have much water, add 1 gallon of boiling water to really get things moving.
3) Next, add 2 cups of vinegar slowly, so it won’t fizz over onto your floor. Ickkk!
4) Let it sit for a couple of hours and see if the water has drained. If it has drained, then try flushing. If it has not drained, then do this…
What If My Toilet Is Still Clogged After Using the DIY Drano?
Do not fear! Just let it sit overnight and then plunge, if needed, before flushing. If that still doesn’t work, you may have add more of the solution, let it sit again, and plunge again.
Now, if it still doesn’t work after a few tries, then call a plumber. Years ago, one of my kids flushed a toothbrush unbeknownst to me and it was the issue. No amount of DIY Drano was going to fix that problem!
Is This DIY Drano Safe to Use in Sinks?
From my research, it sounds like this recipe is safe and effective to use in kitchen and bathroom sinks and drains, as well. One tip I read was to hold something over the opening of the drain so the fizz goes down it instead of back up and out. Obviously, I didn’t do this for my toilet!
May the toilet unclogging force be with you next time you give this DIY Drano a try!
apple cider vinegar doesn’t work i tried you need white distilled
Today, 6/17/18, I had a smaller female pad trapped in my plumbing. I tried your DIY Drano Recipe with Baking Soda, Hot Water, and White Vinegar. It worked! My toilet is working again! Thank you so much for your help!
That’s great to hear, Marge!
Can anything be sub for vinegar on the diy toilet???
I haven’t tried anything except white vinegar, so I don’t know.
I hope this works it is 2:30 in the morning and my toilet is clogged I sure hope this work as I need a working toilet. Soap thing did not work when I started at 1 am didn’t want to wake up the matience team to my building. Oh and I so need to get a plunger in the morning off to bed
will this unblock the toilet way down the pipe ?
many thanks
I tried it last night. To be honest, it really seemed that the baking soda made the blockage significantly worse. Toilet is still flushing, but a lot slower than it was. Some baking soda is still sitting in the bottom of the toilet
Sorry you didn’t have luck with it!
Our toilet has been blocked for 5 days. The thought of a plumber was not even one I would consider. I found this DIY option and being a great fan of bicarbonate and vinegar as a cleaner thought I’d give it a go. This toilet was so blocked it was just disgusting. It still filled with water from the cistern but it just filled up the bowl and slowly the water would drain but nothing else went away. SO! This arvo after googling, I happened upon your formula. I sprinkled a very generous amount of bicarbonate in the bowl then added a jug full of water which I’d boiled but cooled with tap water. It was NOT boiling water but it was hot. After several hours the water had drained but all the junk was still there so I added the vinegar SLOWLY and let it react with the bicarbonate that was still there in spots. The bubbling effect happened and once the bubbling stopped I flushed and VOILA!! It flushed all the problem away. Seriously. I had been sweating on this disgusting mess for days and as simply as that my problem is no longer. And my toilet is as clean as a whistle. THANK YOU ? ????
Sweet! I’m so glad this worked for you and saved you the plumber cost.
does it need to be vinegar
does it work with that apple cider vinegar
I think any vinegar would work.
Use some white vinegar to clear the baking soda. If the Baking soda is just sitting you did not use enough vinegar to make it fizz and “wash” away.
Wow! We were about to bite the bullet to call a plumber after reading we shouldn’t use drano to unclog our toilet which had been clogged for days after plunging and using a toilet auger to fix it. When I found this DIY recipe, I had to try it. After doing it once, it made more progress than anything else so I did it again and let it set for a few hours. Thank you thank you thank you! It worked miraculously and saved our sanity and lots of money we were about to spend on a plumber.
That’s awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Janet.
My toilet was clogged so badly that the tank wasn’t even filling with water. I tried plunging but it made it worse. I found this DIY and within minutes had a working toilet… and it did a decent cleaning job in the meantime. I’m a single mom and a plumber is not an expense I was excited about. I did use hot (not boiling) water and then held a trash can over the drain. SO HAPPY this worked! Thank-you!
Hey, I don’t even know how, but my toilet been like that for a few months
Wow! Just tried this on my toilet. It worked perfectly. I did not want to use the harsh chemicals. This worked! Thanks!
Glad it worked! Thanks for the feedback, Jean.
THANKS a bunch for this…worked like a charm! yey!
I looked up how to unclog a toilet when a plunger won’t work and found your site. I’m trying the method you described and am waiting 2 hours before I check on it. If necessary, I’ll use baking soda and vinegar again and let it sit overnight. I feel the same way you do about Drano and other similar products so I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will work. I’ll post an update.
Bought some Drano for a stopped up commode . But first I read this article .
WOW …….magic . Followed directions , let sit 5 hours ……done !
Thanks so much ?
This was a life saver for me! I payed $350 the last time this happened and it was a disgusting mess as both toilets and showers backed up. This time, we caught it early, used the baking soda, boiling water, vinegar and a good squirt of Dawn dish washing liquid and woke up to unclogged toilet!! yeah!! thank you!!
Awesome, glad to hear this worked well and saved you so much money!
thank u sooooo much!
Oh!! Finally!! Thank God I found this blog!! Recently we moved to a house which is pretty old..the toilet got clogged and tried every possible way to unclog. The plunger and all those expensive drainer everything failed . Finally a cup of baking soda and vinegar did the magic!! So relived!! Thanks Polly n Rachel!!
I highly recommend Drain-FX. I heard about it on the Gary Sullivan show. I cleared my drains without having to use any chemicals! I had to buy it online but it was well worth it!