One day, you flush the toilet, expecting it to drain and then refill like it always does. To your horror, the water level steadily gets higher and higher until it threatens to spill all over your bathroom floor. You immediately reach for the drain cleaner, but is dumping that stuff down your toilet really a good idea?

Can you put drain cleaner in a toilet? Learn why that’s not the best move below, then call our trusted plumbers in Beaver Creek, OH.

How Does Drain Cleaner Work?

“Stops clogs immediately!” the brightly colored label on that drain cleaner says. “Perfect for all types of clogs.” That sounds like just what you need, but how exactly does drain cleaner work its clog-busting magic?

Most drain cleaners contain a mixture of lye, bleach, and potash. This combination is as caustic and harsh as it sounds. The potash in the mixture softens clogs, while the lye breaks up the bonds that hold them together.

Then there are acid drain cleaners, which are even more dangerous. They contain sulfuric acid, and while it’s true that it can blast through a clog, just imagine what it’ll do if it touches your skin. And, when mixed with water, sulfuric acid produces hydrogen gas, which can do serious damage to your lungs, eyes, and throat.

Can You Put Drain Cleaner in a Toilet? Why Plumbing Drain Cleaner Isn’t the Best Choice for a Toilet Blockage

If you were to carefully read the label on that bottle of drain cleaner, you’d see that it isn’t designed for use in toilets — and there’s a good reason for that. Your toilet’s plumbing line accumulates much more waste than a sink drain does, so drain cleaners usually aren’t powerful enough to entirely resolve the clog.

On top of that, toilet blockages are often located deep inside the plumbing line. Drain cleaner can only travel so far before it stops and gets stuck inside your pipes. This is a problem because chemical drain cleaners generate extreme heat that’s hot enough to melt plastic pipes. And, if you have metal pipes in your Beaver Creek home, it can cause them to corrode.

Even if you were to resolve the clog with drain cleaner, you can expect that blockage to come back with a vengeance. Drain cleaner might punch a hole through the clog, but it may not get rid of it entirely. So, although water can flow through your pipes again, you’ll soon have an even bigger problem on your hands.

Then there are the health risks that come with using drain cleaners. As mentioned above, caustic drain cleaner is very dangerous and can produce toxic gasses when used improperly.

Do you care about the environment? If so, you’ll definitely want to ditch the drain cleaner. When dumped down your toilet, drain cleaner eventually makes its way to waterways, where it poisons wildlife.

So, can you put drain cleaner in a toilet? Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

DIY Toilet Clog Solutions for Beaver Creek, OH, Homeowners

If you can’t use drain cleaner to get rid of that clog, what can you use? The first thing to try is the humble yet highly effective plunger. If there’s no water in the bowl, pour a bit in so you’ll get a good seal. Next, press the plunger over the toilet drain and vigorously pull up and down until the clog is gone.

No luck? The clog might be deeper in your plumbing line, but you may be able to reach it with an auger. Insert the auger into the toilet drain and wind the handle to extend it down the pipe. The auger will stop when it hits the clog. Wiggle the auger around a bit until you feel the clog break up.

Lastly, you can try enzyme-based toilet cleaners. These are gentle on your plumbing system but they can take a few hours to work. Additionally, enzyme cleaners aren’t effective against inorganic clogs.