I can’t remember who it was that told me you could flush Clorox wands, but I still curse him to this day. Not sure if I should be blaming him or me at this point. However, that was the least of my worries when I was watching my bathroom flooded with stagnant water.
Trust me when I say flushing repeatedly doesn’t make things any better. The waste seemed to overflow even faster. If the question “can you flush Clorox toilet wands” is lingering in your head, then you probably made this blunder as well. If you haven’t, then this article will serve both as a warning and a saving grace!
Can You Flush Clorox Toilet Wands?
If you already flushed a Clorox wand down your toilet, then you need to remove it as soon as you can. To give a straight answer, Clorox wands are not meant to be flushed down the toilet. Your toilet is made to flush waste materials like feces and toilet paper.
Other degradable materials can also be flushed without facing serious repercussions. However, Clorox wands don’t dissolve in water. They are non-degradable items that can easily clog up your toilet. Pushing the flush button repeatedly won’t make them go away.
You will rather end up overflowing the toilet and flooding the bathroom floor. Hence, it’s best to take care of it as soon as possible. You can either hire a plumber or try to do it on your own. A drain snake, drum auger or plunger will come in handy in this case. Wet vacs or coat hangers may also do the trick.
How to Remove a Clorox Toilet Wand?
Clorox wands shouldn’t be taken lightly if you accidentally flushed them down your toilet. This scrubbing tool can cause some serious issues and even damage your toilet’s flushing system in the long run. If you somehow managed to clog your toilet with a Clorox wand it’s best to discard it as soon as possible.
Fortunately, there are multiple ways you can take care of this dilemma, some of which don’t even require help from a professional. We have discussed some of the most effective ways to remove a Clorox wand from your toilet’s sink. Make sure you take the necessary precautions and wear gloves before you delve into it.
Use a Wire
I’m sure all of you can find some form of stiff wire lying around in your storeroom or toolshed. If not, then a coat hanger will also do the trick. Once you find a wire of that kind, try to bend it on one end to shape it like a hook. This will help you pull on the Clorox wand once you get it in.
The first thing you need to do is start pushing it down the drain as deep as it goes. Before long, the hook end of the wire will make its way out of the toilet trap and reach the flange. When you surpass this point, you can easily maneuver the wire and go even further. The diameter of the pipe is much wider down here.
If you feel the wire being interrupted by an obstacle then you’ve found the Clorox wand! In this case, you need to try and place the hook on it. Once you do so, try to gently pull it out of the toilet. Any jerky movements will make all your effort go in vain. So, stay calm and take your time.
If your wire reaches all the way down, then it probably means the Clorox wand went down the pipe. Then all you need to do is flush the toilet and see if it overflows.
Use a Drain Snake
A drain snake is one of the best tools meant for removing materials that clog up your toilet. This is a long contraption that easily slithers down your toilet all the way down to the drain. The drain snake is also pretty flexible and can bend up to 180 degrees.
So, going through the twists and turns in your drainage system will feel like a breeze. This is certainly much easier than improvising with a rigid coat hanger. You can find a drain snake in your nearest hardware store, which can surely come in handy. It’s not that expensive either.
Use a Shop Vac
This is certainly the most convenient method of retrieving a Clorox wand refill stuck in toilet. Shop vacs are cheap but effective vacuum cleaners that can remove all types of mess. With just around 50 dollars, it gives you the ability to clean both dry and wet messes.
This is a surefire way of removing the Clorox toilet wand head flushed down the toilet without ever getting your hands dirty. Simply put the nozzle down the toilet basin, and it will suck up all the waste water at first. Then you can go further down to clean all the waste and debris stuck in the toilet.
The best thing about this is that the nozzle is pretty flexible so you can easily position it inside the drain pipes. Once you put it through the pipe, it will suck up the accidentally flushed Clorox toilet wand head.
Additional Option
On the off chance that you don’t have any of the tools we mentioned, there is still a way you can remove the Clorox toilet wand flushed down the drain. If you really have a clog in your toilet, then you need to unwind the screws and take the toilet off the floor to fish the Clorox wand out of the drain.
Unbolting the toilet might be an arduous task, so it’s better to rely on a professional plumber. If you are somewhat of a handyman who is adamant about not spending a dime, then try to be careful when you are dismantling the toilet. Make sure you don’t end up damaging the shutoff valves or tamper the wax seals.
Final Words
If you have read through the entire article, then you already have the answer to the question “can you flush Clorox toilet wands?” and also know a few tips and tricks about how to fix it. If you do choose to rely on yourself, make sure you gather at least some form of plumbing knowledge beforehand.
