No, Drano is not ok to put in a toilet.
I know it’s tempting. You want a mess free way to just get that toilet flowing again.
Plunging is messy and if you lack strength won’t be effective. A toilet auger, though effective, is not something you may want to deal with.
It would be nice to just pour a liquid and come back a few minutes later to an unclogged toilet.
The good news is that there are liquids that you can use in place of Drano since you can’t use that. They are as effective as you would want them to be, too.
In this article, I will go over several Drano alternatives for your clogged toilet.
Is it bad to put Drano down the toilet?
One of the reasons Drano is not ok to use in toilets is that the drains are constructed in a way that the Drano, or Liquid Plumber too, can’t easily get to the clog.
The fact that it sits for a while can cause three different problems and all of them are bad.
You can’t plunge after
Let’s suppose that you pour some into your toilet and it sits and sits and nothing happens. Now what do you do? If you try to use a plunger, you risk it spraying up on you.
As I mentioned, it sits in the lower part of the drain since it is much heavier than water. Before the clog in other words.
So now you are stuck with the clog since plunging or using a toilet auger is risky.
It will soften your PVC pipes
Again, with it sitting in the pipes for a while, it can either be corrosive and damage the joints between pipes or the PVC itself. You’ll be dealing with a clogged toilet and then leaks on top of it.
It just isn’t worth the potential to damage your toilet and drain for the sake of convenience.
It can break your toilet
The least likely, but still possible, reality is that it can crack the porcelain of your toilet.
As it sits the chemicals reacting with the water cause it to heat up. And this heat can be enough to literally crack the pipes in the toilet.
If you have this happen, even if it is a small crack, that is the end of your toilet.
You’ll have to replace it.
What is the best drain opener for toilets?
There are a few natural recipes to unclog your toilet if you think the clog is not too serious. For things like toilet paper or hard poop, then you can DIY a liquid to dislodge the clog.
For more serious clogs that need to be dissolved, like from flushable wipes that aren’t actually flushable, then you’ll need some chemical to get it flowing again.
In the next section you’ll see my recommendation for a Drano alternative for a toilet.
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Though it isn’t a liquid, it works in much the same way as a Drano or Liquid Plumber would to dissolve your toilet clog, but without the dangers and potential for damage.
Instead it comes in pre measured packets of powder. You simply dump it in the toilet, come back in a few hours or overnight and it should be working fine.
Well, it’s actually two steps. After you pour the packet into the bowl you should follow it up with hot water. Not boiling water, though as that could crack your toilet bowl.
It does have sodium bisulfate which is a dry acid so you do have to be careful when handling it.
If you have a stubborn clog that you really don’t want to have to use a toilet auger on or call a plumber, then you will love how easily and effectively this works.
They come in packs of 2 but I recommend getting the box to always have some on hand.
Best liquid to unclog a toilet
Some of the best liquids to unclog a toilet can be made from items in your pantry.
You have access to a non toxic and eco friendly toilet clog cleaner and probably don’t even realize it.
Here are a few of the homemade toilet clog cleaners you can try yourself.
Natural DIY Drano Alternative - Baking Soda & Vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar are found in just about everybody’s pantry and make quite a potent duo when mixed together. Add hot water to the mix and it can do a number on many different types of clogs.
Pour about a cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl. Next, pour a gallon of hot water into the toilet. DO NOT USE BOILING WATER! The hot water will crack your toilet bowl so make sure it is hot but not boiling.
Then add a cup of white vinegar.
This mixture is going to bubble up quite a bit so hopefully there is some room for it to grow in your toilet bowl.
The reason it works is that the soda will help dissolve some of the greasy bits that are stuck in the pipes. The hot water helps to soften it and then the bubbles from the reaction from the vinegar finishes the job.
Hot water and dish soap
Just like with the mix of baking soda and vinegar, the soap and hot water work to dissolve any greasy residue in the clog. It can help break up a wad of toilet paper if that is the culprit and hard poop also gets softened enough to dislodge from the pipes.
Use about a cup of liquid dish soap and a gallon of hot water (again, not boiling) and let it do its thing. It should take around 30 minutes to fully work if it is going to.
You may need to repeat with more hot water a couple of times to get things moving.
Bleach and powdered soap
Be very careful with the bleach when doing this method. You don’t want any to splash up on you as you do this.
The doses are 2 cups of bleach, 1 cup of powdered soap and then a gallon of hot water (not boiling!). Just add the bleach slowly to the toilet bowl and then the cup of powdered soap. Follow it up with the gallon of hot water.
After about 10 minutes the clog should start moving. You may need to repeat for really stubborn clogs.
Bio Enzymatic Liquid
- Reduces fat, oil & grease build-up in drains
- Reduces grease trap pumping
- Eliminates odors
- Treats kitchen and restroom drains, plus grease traps
Though this isn’t a household item that you find in your pantry, Instant Power 1510 is worth ordering to have in your house.
It is a commercial drain cleaner that works great on stubborn toilet clogs. It is designed for use in some heavy settings like restaurant grease traps and works effectively there so you can imagine how it can flush your clogged toilet.
It uses bio enzymes to eat away at the organic matter in the clog to soften it up enough to flush.
Conclusion
There are other liquids for toilet clogs, as you can see. So, since Drano is not ok for clogs, just try any of these recommendations above and you should be fine.
Of course, if none of them work, you’ll have to use some elbow grease to get rid of the clog.
If you have any questions at all, just leave a comment in the box below and I will get back to you ASAP!