How to Dissolve Plastic in Toilet Bowl? Easy Methods

If you ever wondered how to dissolve plastic in toilet bowl and you’re stuck not knowing what to do, don’t worry – you don’t have to call your plumber right away.

First-time homeowners might not entirely be knowledgeable about this, and I am here to walk you through the best, easiest, and simplest methods you can do.

If you find plastic stuck in toilet bowl, you can use a plunger to get rid of it. If it’s not coming out, you can use liquid lye to dissolve it, a mixture of vinegar and baking soda, DIY dish soap, hot water, and a drain snake.

What You Need to Unclog Your Toilet

Clogged toilet bowls are not rare occurrences for anybody.

That’s why over the years of owning a home, I was able to come up with a few selections of products I use for unclogging.

Here’s a combination of over-the-counter and homemade (DIY) products and materials I use on a regular basis.

Liquid Lye (Liquid Sosa)

Liquid lye or more commonly known and referred to as Liquid Sosa is one of the few over-the-counter solutions that are comprehensive when it comes to unclogging drains by dissolving them.

This independent solution is a great tool especially if you want it to be resolved without exerting much effort.

Homemade (DIY) Drain Snake

If you have a drain snake, then that’s good.

However, if you don’t have one and you need to do a quick unclogging of your bowls, don’t worry – making one is easy!

Here’s how you can create your very own snake drain.

1. Purchase a 3-ft x 1/8-inch woven wire
2. Fray one end by untwisting it using pliers
3. From there, you can attach it to a power drill and use it as a snake drain

NOTE: Making a homemade drain snake is fine, but you can purchase one for a cheap and inexpensive price.

Hot Water

For homemade and DIY solutions, hot water will be our main staple. It doesn’t have to be boiling but boiling hot water will be a great way to go, too.

Oftentimes, hot water will be combined and mixed with dish soap, or any other slippery product to help with the process.

Dish Soap

This pantry staple is one of the few-best perfect solutions for unclogging your toilet.

How?

It can break down the plastic and make it slippery, which will then allow the plastic to go through the drain effortlessly.

NOTE: Dish soap with hot water is the perfect combination for unclogging if there’s plastic stuck in toilet bowl.

Vinegar

Another kitchen staple that you can use as an effective plumbing product is vinegar.

Akin to dish soap, though, vinegar is usually partnered up with either hot water or baking soda for the process to be effective.

Baking Soda

And lastly, baking soda. Baking soda should also usually be partnered up with vinegar for it to push plastic or whatever’s clogging the toilet.

These are the top products and materials you can do to successfully unclog your toilet bowls.

Remember, these work as a team – so, using one of them only wouldn’t be effective.

Can I Use Acetone to Unclog My Toilet?

Acetone is a type of solvent that’s used for breaking or dissolving other materials – and plastic is one of these materials.

That being said, would acetones be effective in unclogging your toilet? Yes, it is. But would I recommend it? No, I won’t.

Experts from ReAgent say that acetone is effective in dissolving the plastic.

It could only work on the front end of the problem, and it could just stop there and not dissolve it all the way through.

Not to mention that you’ll need a substantial amount of acetone to be able to dissolve just a square inch of plastic; it’s a total waste of acetone if you ask me.

How to Dissolve Plastic in Toilet Bowl? 4 Easy Methods

You’re lucky because when I was first starting out as a first-time homeowner, I had to learn things all by myself (of course, with the help of my significant other).

But in your case, you have this guide! Here are the 4 best easiest and most convenient methods of unclogging your drain.

Method #1: Liquid Sosa (Liquid Lye)

The first method is pretty straightforward, and this is where we’ll be using liquid lye.

It’s simple and direct-to-the-point – all you need to do is to remove all standing water from the bowl. Then, pour in about 150 ml of liquid lye, then leave it for 30 minutes.

After that, pour in 250 ml more, and leave it there overnight.

One important factor in using liquid lye is to make sure that you don’t flush it with water for at least 7 to 9 hours. 

You need to let the solution seep through the bowl and the drainage system so that all pathways are clear.

Method #2: Hot Water + Dish Soap

For this method, we’ll be using 2 of the most basic household items you have – hot water and dish soap.

This is usually the second go-to method when using your plunger isn’t working.

There are many different ways to do this, but over my experience, I found this to be the best and most effective way of using this concoction:

1. Drain water from the toilet bowl. You can use any type of container to scoop the water out.
2. When done, squirt dish soap down the bowl.
3. Squirt enough dish soap that the path is slippery enough and that it gets to the floor flange.
4. When it’s slippery enough, pour hot water into the bowl.
5. Pour about 2 liters of water for better and stronger pressure.

The pressure can break up and loosen plastic that could’ve been stuck on the pipeline of your drainage system.

Method #3: Vinegar + Baking Soda

These products, out of all the simple and household products you can use, have been named the best and most effective because of the similarities of their effects with over-the-counter solutions.

Furthermore, this is also a non-toxic solution, which means that it’s perfectly safe!

Here’s how you do it.

Step #1: Drain Water From the Bowl

In doing this, you don’t want any excess water to be situated in your toilet bowl.

So, drain it either by sipping it with a machine or by scooping it and manually getting rid of it.

Step #2: Add Baking Soda

When you’ve cleared out standing water from your toilet bowl, the next step is to pour baking soda down the toilet bowl.

About a cup of baking soda is enough for it to dissolve and break down whatever’s blocking the path.

Step #3: Pour in Vinegar

Then, what you want to do next is pour in the vinegar. 2 to 3 cups of vinegar would usually be enough.

Usually, the amount of vinegar you’ll need will be proportionate to the amount of baking soda you’ve added.

Step #4: Repeat Until the Floor Flange Loosens Up

Leave it for about an hour or two, and then try to flush it down the drain. If it’s still clogged, repeat the process until you see any sign of improvement.

NOTE: Don’t mix baking soda and vinegar outside the drain. Make sure to pour in the baking soda first, and then the vinegar right after (while inside the drain).

Method 4: Drain Snaking

Last, but most definitely not least is drain snaking. This process entails using a drain snake, or if you don’t have one, you can create one using the method I outlined above, or a wire hanger.

If you have a wire hanger, remove the knotting from it using pliers, and stretch it out as far as it can.

Do this to 2 wire hangers, then, tangle them together in a spiral movement.

Here’s how you perform drain snaking:

1. Using your snake, push it to the toilet bowl until you reach the floor flange.
2. Move it around to scrape some of the debris or scum that could be causing the blockage.
3. While you’re doing that, it’ll be helpful to pour boiling water down the drain to help soften and loosen dirt.

Continue this process until you’re able to flush your toilet bowls properly.

Read Next: How To Get An Object Out Of Shower Drain?

The Bottom Line

Learning how to dissolve plastic in toilet bowl is a skill you want to have so that when you don’t always give your local plumber a ring when instances like this happen.

Before you pick your phone up to contact a professional plumber, try these steps first!

Only contact your plumber if you’ve done all you can do, and your drainage system is still acting up.