A bar of soap is clogging our guest toilet causing overflow upon flushing. Snaking removed a small part of the bar but enough remains lodged to cause the problem to continue. Any tips on disolving the soap bar quickly while keeping the toilet intact?
Hello all,
First off, what a great little forum I have found here!
Two days ago I intentionally threw a mushy bar of soap (it belonged to my roommate who had just been leaving it dissolve in the shower for weeks until I just couldn't take it anymore) that was about two thirds the size of a regular bar of soap. Before throwing I thought that I was about to do something stupid but figured that the bar of soap, being so mushy and not that big would just flush down easily. Big mistake.
So for two days I've been flushing like crazy hoping to dissolve the soap. I also threw bleach in the toilet and even Drano (apparently you're not supposed to do that as per the instructions on the can) and nothing would work. My toilet was flushing so slowly that there was no way it could handle anything other than urine.
So today I read this thread and decided to pour three big buckets of WARM water and plunge the toilet for about 15 seconds in between each pour. I poured the water as quickly as I could. My toilet is now flushing great. I'll still monitor it for the next few days but all seems good.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I dropped new bar of soap in the toilet and can't get it to flush. What should I do?
You'll need a toilet snake to push this through and break up the bar of soap. Furthermore, you can try using a pair of gloves and stick your hand down in the toilet bowl and try to fish this out.
You can take a wire hanger if you don't have a snake and try that. I would try a plunger first.
If you can't get a hold of a snake, you can try dissolving it faster by adding hot water to it here and there.
My sweet autistic daughter put a bar of soap down the toilet. I tried getting it out but it went further back. Now every time we have to go to the bathroom we have to plunge the toilet because it gets real high. What do I use to dissolve this problem? I need ideas please.
I would think the more you flush, and move water past the bar of soap, the faster it will dissolve. I would flush the toilet each time I went by the bathroom. You might also ask your family to put their t. paper in the trash instead of in the hopper for a while, and that will minimize the solids trying to get by the soap.
If you have a plumber's snake, or have a friend who has one to loan, you might try either retrieving the bar with that, or breaking it up so it will dissolve faster.
Maybe vinegar would help it to dissolve faster or try boiling water poured down the toilet.
How about putting hot water down the toilet and see if that works?
Zig
P.S. Let us know the outcome. I'm sure there are other people that may have had the same problem and did not know what to do.
Aww. Poor love. I have two autistic children, ages 4 and 7. Life is NEVER dull with them. Call a plumber and ask. He might have some ideas, too. Then hug your little dear. I am sure she was trying to help 'clean' the bathroom. Just to ask, though... Have you thought of liquid soap? I bought a huge thing of it from Wal Mart for under 4.00.
That was not quite a year ago, and we still have a little bit left. So, for about six dollars, we have a nice pump and soap that has lasted about a year. Pretty good investment.
Try hot water, then baking soda, followed by the vinegar. Then hot water again
I would put boiling water down the toilet. I agree to hug your daughter. Years ago my brother dropped his screwdriver down the toilet and we had to get a plumber.
Just wanted to let you know we had to take the toilet off and since we are renting an old trailer the flooring is horrible. Love I tried the hot water and everything when honey finally got the soap out using a hose from the bottom of the toilet the soap never got any smaller. So please dear people if you have little kids or pets or anything.
Please do not keep the bars of soap near use liquid soap. I got rid of my last 2 bars. Plumber said they are buggers to get out. Talk to one on the phone. So we are not the only ones and makes we feel a bit better. Also to the mother of the 2 autistic kids you are right life is never dull and zoos are better calm and relaxing than our houses. Won't change it for the world just sometimes drives you crazy.
You might try purchasing a plumber's snake from the hardware. It will ream out the line.
Exactly dietvanilla! We had this problem at work as one of the alzheimer residents did the same thing! Toilet had to come off and to get soap out, the maintenance man had to use a hose to flush it out. It did not melt or even get soft. Strange, as when it is in our bathrooms, it seems it melts in the air!
Barb,
Sorry, I don't have a method for that either. I have a sweet 8 year old Autistic son and we are forever plunging the toilet. We use only liquid soap. We plunge because of toilet paper and diaper wipes..
Hug that sweetie :) Sarah in Washington
Turn off the water to the toilet.
Flush and plunge.
Pour boiling water down.
Let sit. four or five minutes.
Plunge again.
Do this maybe four or five times.. or until the boiling water goes down on it's own.
Turn the water back on and, once the tank is full, Flush again.
You might have to do this all several times, but it's better than the cost of a plumber.
Good Luck!
I wouldn't put boiling water in the toilet. The toilet is cold, and the hot water could cause your toilet to crack. It happened to me when my daughter was young, I had to replace the toilet. So, please think about putting hot water in the toilet.
I was soaking my feet and accidentally pored the soapy water into the toilet with the bar of soap. I used about ten pot of boiling water and the plunger for about three days. I poured the boiling water in the toilet and put the lid down so the heat stayed longer. After doing this for three days the soap dissolved and now working great. This was a full bar of soap I had used for the first time. Good Luck
Sweet autistic daughter? What did that have anything to do with the situation? Seems like you just threw her under the bus by using her mental state as an excuse. You are a lame excuse for a mother if that is the case...
Excellent ! A1 !
I just tried it the way you described ,
I turned off the toilet water and after 7 buckets of water is now flushing as before .
Thank You .
We dump 3 loads pan hot water. One at the time with 5 minutes intervals. It works soap melted and flashes normally.
Most definitely no not use boiling water it can melt your wax ring and or crack your toilet
Im still working on my bar of soap stuck in toilet . Glad I have three bathrooms. And I get paid fri so going to buy a snake
Boiling water will melt the wax ring or break the porcine.
Do not put boiling water in the toilet for one you could crack the bowl esp if it is very cold 2 you could melt the wax ring that holds the toilet in place. Only use warm not boiling
Don't put boiling water down your toilet unless you want to have an even worse problem. The seal that keeps the toilet from leaking at the floor is made of wax. Melt that and you have a real mess on your hands.
Put hose in the toilet bowl and let water run for 1-2 hours till the soap dissolves
My mom put a bar of soap into the tank of the toilet because the detergent thing has spoiled. When she flushed, the bar stuck at the hole. So now the flush lever has to be pulled more than 1 time (or could not be pulled) to fully flush. Anyone have any ideas?
By parislouise
I might not be understanding the location of the soap bar, because from what I'm understanding in your question the soap is located in an easy to reach spot; I would have gloved up and pulled the thing out of there by now.
Is that possible in your situation?
Ok...here's the REAL solution that I wish I had come across. I tried all the others...Coke, bleach, hot water, vinegar....nope. I did some powerful thinking about it, and thought...a flexible tube about one inch in diameter could be shoved down the thing and push the soap on through. I got about a three foot piece which I had in my shop, and, after having bent the end a few inches to create a bind, shoved it through, forcefully turning as it wound its way down. Eventually , I hit the soap. I did it for about fifteen minutes, pushing and turning, and finally felt a give. It worked! I wish I had read this before.
I got the same problem..i have been using different tools to unclog our toilet but it didnt work until i finally tried using the hollow leaf stalk of a papaya.its soft and doesnt get break easily. it reaches the bottom of the toilet to break or push the bar of soap .i poured hot water too to soften the soap and it worked!
