How to Dissolve Plastic in Toilet Bowl: 5 Easy Ways

There are so many things that can happen when you accidentally flushed plastic down the toilet.

For starters, the plastic material can get stuck together with other substances in the pipes, causing a serious blockage in the sewer system.

Second, plastic can harm marine life once it reaches the natural water systems, hence the necessity to know how to dissolve plastic in toilet bowl.

Thankfully, plastic can be dissolved to avoid large plumbing issues. Learn the ways below.

Ways to Dissolve Plastic in Toilet Bowl

1. Liquid Drain Cleaner

If you want a quick fix to melt plastic in the toilet bowl, use liquid drain cleaners. Their active ingredient is safe for different pipe materials like PVC and copper and burns away any clogs and dissolves them in as fast as five minutes. To use, here are the steps.

1. Wear your gloves and a mask if you have a sensitive nose.
2. Pour a generous amount of the cleaner into the bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes.
3. Next, use a plunger or auger to dislodge the clog.
4. Dump hot water into the toilet. The toilet should flush properly at this time. If not, run more hot water.

Though this chemical solution is cheap and widely available, some formulas with acidic components can cause pipe damage if left in a drain for too long. Check your product and ensure it’s safe first.

2. Boiling Water

If you don’t want to risk your pipes with a caustic soda such as liquid lye, you can use boiling water alone. The intense heat from the boiling water may melt any plastic stuck in your toilet. Here are the steps.

1. Boil water in a pot.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, make the right preparations. Shut off your water valve to cut the water lines and empty your toilet bowl.
3. Once the hot water is ready, pour it into the bowl and let it sit for a few minutes.
4. Turn the water back on and flush the toilet.

3. Dish Detergent

To speed up the dissolution process of your toilet bowl stuck with a plastic bag, you can add dish detergent to hot water. As the hot water tries to melt the plastic, the dish detergent will make the dissolved material easier to pass into the pipes.

1. First, close the water line going into your toilet.
2. Empty your bowl to ensure that the declogging mixture penetrates deeply. You can scoop out the remaining water in the bowl with an old cup.
3. Boil a gallon of water. While waiting for the water to boil, pour some dish detergent into the bowl.
4. Now, add hot water to the bowl and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.
5. Return the water line and flush the toilet.

4. Water extractor or wet/dry vacuum

Unfortunately, there are few commercial products to help break down a plastic object in a drain. You only need to look at the state of plastic pollution to know this is a serious problem.

So, consider sucking or removing the offending blockage from your toilet instead.

1. Get a wet/dry vacuum or water extractor.
2. Use the suction of the appliance to create enough pressure, and the clog should come up through the hose.

5. Toilet Auger

If you’ve got a large toy stuck in the toilet, you can use a toilet auger to try to take it out. You can purchase this item in your nearest local hardware or home improvement store. If unavailable, you can look for any flexible metal rod to do the declogging job for you.

1. First, cut off the water lines and scoop out any remaining water in the toilet bow
2. Insert the auger into the bowl. Reach and twist once you hit something solid.
3. Pull the auger out and, hopefully, you’ll have made a hole into the plastic toy to remove it easily.

Learn how to use a toilet auger in this video.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to dissolve plastic in toilet bowl, you can prevent any large repairs in your pipes. Most of the time, the auger and hot water methods can help solve your clog problem. If that doesn’t work, you can try to call a plumber before the plastic causes more troubles for your pipes.

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