Ugh, not again. Did you ever go to a friend’s house, use their bathroom, and the minute you flush, the water starts to rise? Granted, this is a regular occurrence in any lavatory — but when this happens at someone else’s home, especially when they’re holding a social gathering, things could get a little awkward. Before panic has a chance to settle in, here’s what to do if you clog their toilet.
Stop Flushing, Start Plunging!
No matter how many times you jiggle the handle and try to flush, matters will only get worse as the water will start to rise even higher. The minute that you sense that something is wrong, just let that initial first flush finish and don’t reach for the handle again. Next, you’ll want to locate the toilet plunger and use it.
Nowadays, it’s common to find a toilet plunger in any bathroom — even in restaurants. The minute the flush has ceased, it’s time to start plunging. When using a toilet plunger, you’ll want to do the following:
- Descend the plunger slowly into the toilet.
- Align the plunger with the trap (hole at the bottom).
- Create an air-tight suction the best you can.
- Begin to pump the plunger up and down.
- Once the clog has been “pushed” into the trap, you should be good to go!
Before Leaving the Restroom…
After the clog has disappeared, you’ll want to flush the toilet and see if it really did go away. If everything is good to go, then just make sure to clean the bathroom before leaving it. If you’re not sure where to start, give these a try:
- Wipe up any water that’s on the floor.
- Make sure to check behind the base of the toilet, just in case water migrated back there.
- Give the area one more glance before washing your hands and leaving the restroom.
If the Clog Didn’t Go Away…
Say you gave the toilet a thorough plunging, but the clog didn’t go away. Well, we have some bad news: you’re going to have to tell your host that there’s a clog. Regardless of the possible embarrassment, you might feel, it’s important to do this because if someone else goes to use the restroom, there could be a bigger problem on the homeowner’s hands.
Does Your Toilet Need to be Unclogged?
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