Manly Chores: Using My Snake to Unclog the Toilet Is Easy; It's the Clean-Up!

Dear Mr. Man Points,

I don't have any problems unclogging a toilet with a snake. The problem is cleaning the snake after I'm done with my job. The snake is disgusting, so much that I'm afraid to describe in detail the difficulty in cleaning it.

Let's put it this way, Mr. Man Points, I put the snake under the faucet head and spray the snake with chlorox spray and there is still concrete-like particulate matter stuck to the snake's claw-like tip. Shit, man, cleanup is a nightmare.

What do I do?

Dear Reader:

You need to carefully break apart the particulate matter with both a disposable plastic fork and/or use an old toothbrush. Wrap the snake in a towel, dry it off, and put it back in the garage. Then take a long shower.  Keep in mind, the cleanup takes five times longer than the actuall unclogging. You can do this, man.

Related articles

Clear a Clogged Drain

Campground Injuries Increase Need For Signs

How to Keep Your Air Conditioner From Braking Down: So Cheap!!!

How to Grow a Perfect Container Garden

10 Ways to Fix It Yourself and Save Some Dough

Comments

[Ulysses]

I use one of these:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/mp1600-toilet-plunger

Rinses clean easily without having to touch anything.

[herculodge]

I have such a plunger but sadly it did not work today. The snake is for these emergencies.

[Angelo]

Can't you take the snake outside and hose it off in your driveway or in the yard?

[StarHalo]

Garden hose and a patio brush, should take only a minute. Dry in sunlight to assist disinfection.

[herculodge]

Garden hose and scrub brush and dry outside. Now that sounds like a winner. Thanks.

[Bill Bush]

Pine Sol is good to use for the psychologically uncomfortable chores, because the smell convinces you everything is really clean the minute you start using it. Take it from one who does cat rescue. Think it's not manly? Everybody does dogs. You have to be independent and self-confident to go trapping kitties.

[Woolman]

A pressure washer is very useful for many chores like this. It is much more effective than a simple garden hose. The pressure washer provides substantially more cleaning power while using less water overall.

They are available in electric or gas powered configurations. I have not used the electrics but they should be adequate for general household cleanups. You can use it to wash the car as well.

Additionally, a small wet/dry vac is great for draining the toilet/tank for repair or even routine cleaning.

[A. Black]

Try pouring in some boiling water and let it sit for a while. That may unclog it without any mess.

To prevent the clogs in the first place squirt some dishwasher detergent down the toilet weekly.

[herculodge]

I read that warm water is better than hot because if the water is too hot, say boiling, it can crack the porcelain.

[A. Black]

I think boiling water would be more effective though. I have always used that and the toilet has never cracked.

[StarHalo]

The hot water trick is usually done in conjunction with dishwasher liquid: Dump at least a half a cup/a lot of automatic dishwasher liquid in the clogged toilet, chase it with a copious amount of stove-heated water, the idea being that the detergent will go to work on the organic material like it does in the dishwasher, and after fifteen minutes it should flush. The catch is that this is obviously a rather expensive way to maybe unclog something that will for certain become unclogged using tools.

Most people don't use the plunger correctly anyway; you have to start by laying it sideways under the water and agitating it a bit to remove any air in the bell, then with a good seal on the drain, bounce it rhythmically in time with the water sloshing in the bowl - the weight plus momentum of all the water leading up to the clog working together puts much more force on the problem than the momentary shove or pull of trying to use your arm strength.

[Bill Bush]

While we're on the topic, I have a dark blue plastic plunger that is about a foot of circular pleats, giving a high percentage of compression to push a good volume of water down into the pipes. It has been very effective and cleans well with a hose and a bucket of Pine-Sol water. You can get it 90% clean in the newly funcitoning commode, which you will want to flush several times anyway to be sure the clog has truly moved on to that big sewer pipe in the sky, so to speak.