It happened at the worst possible time while you were busy trying to get everyone out the door and on their way.
You reach over to flush the toilet, only to hear a loud gurgling sound as water starts backing up in the bowl. Panic sets in as you realize your trusty old porcelain throne has clogged—seriously, no other toilets are available!
After doing some quick detective work (soaking up some unsuspecting paper towels to bail out the water), it’s time for action: how do you unclog a toilet with paper towels inside? Don’t worry; I’ve got all of your questions answered here. Read on for effective ways to unclog your toilet without additional headaches or stress!
How Do Paper Towels Cause Toilet Clogs?
Paper towels may seem like a gentler alternative to plain toilet paper, but they can be the source of major clogs in your toilet.
Paper towels are often made from thicker and stronger materials than regular toilet paper. So when flushed, they don’t degrade as quickly, clogging up the pipes.
Poorly-disposed paper towels also get caught around objects in the pipes, gathering at curves and bends, further reducing drainage flow and causing a blockage that could take plumbers hours to remove.
Therefore, it is recommended to properly dispose of used paper towels in a wastebasket after use instead of risking a clog in your plumbing system.
How Long Do Paper Towels Take To Dissolve In The Toilet?
Paper towels are generally made of more durable fibers than regular toilet paper, so understandably, they will take much longer to dissolve in the toilet.
When experimenting with paper towel dissolution in a toilet, it was found that individual squares could take anywhere from two weeks to a month to break down fully.
It should be noted, however, that multiple pieces of paper towel tossed into the toilet at once can easily create clogs.
With this in mind, better alternative fluids to help break down small pieces of paper towel are advised for those wishing to dispense of it without creating a blockage.
What Are The Consequences Of Flushing Toilet Paper?
We all know that flushing toilet paper is a necessary part of using the restroom, but it can have unintended consequences if not done correctly.
Flushing too much toilet paper at once or biodegradable flushing products such as facial tissues and paper towels can clog pipes and toilets.
Blockages in plumbing systems are painful for homeowners; these blockages can cause sewer backups into homes, presenting potentially hazardous living conditions and costly repairs.
In addition to causing issues in the home’s bathroom, there are larger-scale implications from the inappropriate disposal of toilet paper.
In areas where many rely on shared septic tanks or toilets connected to an underground sewage system, one misused flush can lead to large problems across an entire community.
When wastewater leaves a building through piping or septic tanks instead of being discharged directly into a lake or stream, excess toilet paper may solidify around valves that control the flow of wastewater leading to overflows that spread disease among people and pollute waterways nearby.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that nearly 10% of wastewater spills come from sanitary sewer overflows resulting from inappropriate discharges like flushing too much toilet paper down at once.
To avoid this problem, households must be mindful about how they use their bathroom fixtures — meaning no flushing facial tissues or large amounts of TP at once — so we don’t end up fouling our water resources while trying to manage our hygiene needs!
How To Unclog A Toilet With Paper Towels In It | 4 Pro Ways
Use Auger
If your toilet keeps getting clogged and you’re unsure of how to unclog it, an auger may be just what you need. An auger is a tool used for clearing blockages in pipes. It works by pushing a long metal wire down the pipe and breaking through whatever is causing the blockage.
Step 1: Wear rubber gloves and safety goggles before working on your toilet. You don’t want bacteria or other substances to come into contact with your skin or eyes as you work on the drain.
Step 2: Unscrew the bolt from the handle of your auger until there’s enough slack in its cable to fit around the base of your toilet bowl. Make sure it fits securely so that when you start cranking, it won’t come loose or slide inside the bowl during operation.
Step 3: Run some hot water through the pipes first; this may help dissolve some of whatever might be blocking them up before using more forceful measures like an auger.
Once everything has been cleared out as much as possible, insert one end of your auger into either side of the U-bend located beneath and behind where paper towels are usually inserted into toilets to flush them away properly without clogging (be very careful not to damage anything).
Step 4: Begin turning the crank slowly at first – only use enough force necessary for loosening up any material blocking movement within pipes. Then gradually increase speed once resistance lessens from inside walls.
This should allow the auger head to eat past potential build-ups further down the line such as bits/pieces/objects caught between two bends that could otherwise cause slow drainage issues later-on if left unattended now!
Keep progressing these steps until all obstructing matter has been punched through & pulled out completely; repeat the process multiple times until no more materials come out after each run-through session (if you are still having trouble with particularly stubborn areas).
Try Plunger
Unclogging a toilet with paper towels using a plunger is surprisingly quite easy! Here are the step-by-step instructions to do so:
Step 1: Start by finding the right plunger for the job – make sure it’s an adequate size and shape for your toilet opening.
Step 2: For optimal results, you may want to add some water to the bowl before beginning; there will be enough liquid for suction to form when you plunge.
Step 3: Position the lip of the plunger over the drain hole, ensuring it is properly seated there. Any gaps or cracks can cause an ineffective seal and reduce suction power dramatically (which could prevent blockage removal).
Step 4: Now, start plunging up and down in semi-quick succession but don’t go too fast; this should create suction around whatever has caused your clog (most likely those pesky paper towels!).
You should also feel the pressure building up until you hear that satisfying “gulp” sound indicating success! If, after several attempts, no satisfactory gulp is heard or handled, discontinue use, as further attempts might damage components inside or outside of your plumbing system (e.g., pipes and washers).
In addition, please note that if you have children let them know not to watch while actively plunging as water from within can sometimes spray out during use, thus creating a hazard they should avoid at all costs!
Step 5: After unclogging, flush away any finalized remnants with clean, fresh water – voila! one unclogged toilet thanks to paper towel removal via plunging action.
Wire Hanger is Also The Best Option
If you don’t have a plunger and auger in your bathroom, then worry not because you can also use a wire hanger to deal with this situation. How? Follow the following steps.
Step 1: Put on rubber gloves as a safety precaution.
Step 2: Unwind a wire hanger and straighten it out as much as possible. Feed the wire hanger into the toilet drain, moving it around until you feel resistance, indicating that you have reached what is causing the clog.
Step 3: Carefully pull up on the end of the wire hanger to break apart any pieces of paper towel or other debris that may be stuck there. Remember that if you bend or break off any pieces, they must be removed with pliers later.
Step 4: Move your hand back and forth along with running water through your taps (hot and cold) simultaneously so that it can push down whatever is blocking your toilet pipes further away from where you are trying to clear them out with your wire hanger.
This should help loosen all types of materials (like paper towels), allowing them to slowly move away from their current location and travel further down through your pipes towards an exit point instead of remaining lodged inside of them.
Due to force created by pressure from buildup behind it being put onto its surface area – ultimately lowering overall stress levels within these systems and enabling better drainage performance throughout your home’s plumbing network!
Step 5: Once all contents have been shifted around enough for most materials/debris components to be washed away.
Use a combination of plunging motions paired together with running hot/cold water again before attempting one last make out session utilizing some long-handled tool (e.g., rods) dispatched towards this same general area which should finish up removal work even further.
Thereby clearing away everything except those few stubborn objects which may still linger after previous efforts were made.
Finally, vacuum, extractor, or additional chemical agents could come into play during these “final stages” depending upon individual circumstances & conditions encountered while completing this entire project!
Use Sewer Jetter
Yes, I know many people don’t know about sewer jetters. Or have no idea about how to utilize it for unclogging. However, if done correctly, unclogging a toilet with paper towels is relatively straightforward using a sewer jetter.
So, Here are detailed steps you should consider when attempting to use sewer jetters to unclog a toilet with paper towels:
Step 1: Shut off the water supply to the toilet by turning off either the shutoff valve behind the bowl or your main water supply line. This will help prevent any further flooding in case something goes wrong while trying to unclog the toilet.
Step 2: Place two rags at both ends of your sewer jetter so that they make contact with both ends of the pipe and allow it to create suction for effectively removing debris from inside your pipes.
Step 3: Turn on your sewer jetter and feed its long hose down into your clogged drain until it reaches its full length – usually about 20 feet deep.
So that there is enough pressure build-up for effective cleaning action down in those depths where traditional plungers cannot get access too easily or quickly enough!
Ensure not to exceed this depth, as going beyond can cause damage due to excessive pressure buildup within pipes, which could result in bursting them open instead!
Step 4: Feed more sectioning cable into the clogged drain until you feel resistance, indicating it has reached the bottom end (use gentle force only).
Push the button at the handle of the machine several times, rapidly releasing high-pressure jet spray onto surrounding walls, helping break down tough debris like thick ribbons of paper towel blocking the main flow line.
Now start pushing the cable back towards the entry point slowly breaking apart stubborn blockages along the way.
Repeat several times if necessary till blockage clears completely & free flowing again – remember not exerting too much power cause risk damaging subterranean system permanently!
Step 5: Once you’re able to clear out all debris from blocked areas, flush out final remnants by running hot water through empty lines until everything runs cleanly without any sign obstructions left behind from original blockages.
Test this multiple times making sure sewer jets have done the job properly before shutting the machine off or disconnecting hoses for next stage operation…done!
Also Read:
What To Do If You Clog a Hotel Toilet
What To Do If Your Toilets Are Still Blocked Despite Your Best Efforts To Clear Them
If your toilets remain blocked despite best efforts, diagnosing the issue before attempting a solution is important.
Find Out The Blockage Reason
First, if multiple toilets are in your home, check whether they are still working. If they all appear blocked, you can assume that the blockage is caused by an obstruction on the main drain pipe leading from the house.
If only one of your toilets is blocked, then it’s likely that something has become lodged inside the drainage pipe itself instead of being at an earlier point in the system and causing a blockage for every toilet in your house.
This could include items such as toys or sanitary items that have been flushed down but become stuck at some point (often close to bends or narrower points), along with other obstructions such as tree roots and limescale build-up from hard water areas.
Find Out The Exact Blockage Location
Your next step should be to identify where exactly in the system this obstruction is likely located so that you can decide how best to tackle removing it.
Use Safe And Specialist Chemicals
Otherwise, specialist chemicals can also be used if you’re confident using them safely.
Follow instructions precisely and read up online about appropriate safety precautions beforehand, as these acidic substances must be handled carefully!
For partial blockages due to limescale buildup over time, try dissolving natural acidic liquids like lemon & white vinegar diluted 1:3 into warm water instead.
Although this won’t always resolve complete blockages, it may bring some relief so worth giving a go first before resorting to chemical solutions!
Whichever route you choose, make sure afterward it’s worth taking preventative measures too. Such as timely removal of debris left outside drain covers after heavy rainfall periods plus using mesh strainers on sinks when washing away food & cooking oil residues, etc.
Plus regular maintenance calls every 6 months depending on usage ensuring drainage pipes stay clog-free throughout their lifetime!
The Risks Of Utilizing Certain Cleaning Equipment For Toilets
When it comes to using cleaning equipment for toilets, there are a few potential risks that you should be aware of.
In particular, using certain chemical cleaners can lead to the corrosion of your toilet bowl and tank components due to their acidic nature.
For example, chlorine bleach is often used as a bathroom cleaner; however, it can slowly corrode metal fixtures if left in contact with them for too long.
Beyond the corrosion caused by chemicals, misuse or overuse of bathroom cleaners can harm low-grade sealants used on pipes and fittings inside toilets and tanks.
Suppose these sealants were weakened by applying an incorrect cleaning product or adding too much chemical cleaner at one time. In that case, this could lead to water leakage from those areas in extreme cases.
Furthermore, many traditional chemical-based toilet bowl cleaners contain strong fragrances that may cause respiratory irritation for some people who inhale their fumes during operation or afterward.
In short, then: Utilizing certain cleaning equipment can present potential risks from both causing corrosions on metal parts due to their highly acidic contents as well as weakening any seals that are present between parts due to the amount added at once when not done properly.
Leading possibly even further problems like water leakage; plus some chemical-based cleaners have strong fragrances which can sometimes cause respiratory issues in some users.
So caution must be taken when handling such products around bathrooms, especially in larger quantities than directed on labels!
Bottom Line
If your toilet is ever clogged with paper towels again, don’t despair. There’s an easy way to unclog it using items you already have in your home. Just follow any of the methods I’ve outlined above, and you’ll have your toilet back in working order before you know it.