How To Unclog Cat Litter From a Toilet?

If you have a cat, you need to clean the litter box regularly. But we know how irritating it is so that you can make a mistake flushing the clumped litter into the toilet.

After that, you’ll get a toilet clogged with cat litter and don’t understand what to do. In that case, you need to know how to unclog cat litter from a toilet?

Pour 3-5 tablespoon dishwashing liquid with 2 gallons of hot water into the toilet bowl to loosen the clumps. Let it sit for 1.5 hours. If needed, take a plunger to break the clumps. Afterward, flush the toilet water to move the residuals into the pipe.

But if this method doesn’t work, Don’t worry because you can employ some alternative methods to unclog the drain. In this post, we’ll show you another 4 effortless, easy, and effective methods to help you get back your toilet working order.  So, let’s begin.

How To Unclog Cat Litter From a Toilet?

Method	Effectiveness	Ease of Use	Cost	Time Required	Potential Damage
Plunger	High	Easy	Low	10-30 minutes	Minimal
Hot Water and Dish Soap	Medium	Easy	Low	30-60 minutes	Minimal
Enzyme-based Cleaners	High	Easy	Medium	1-4 hours	Minimal
Plumbing Snake	High	Moderate	Medium	30-60 minutes	Minimal
Vacuum	Low	Easy	High	10-30 minutes	Moderate
Professional Plumber	High	Easy	High	Varies	Minimal to High

One of our articles –Can You Use A Toilet Plunger On A Sink?

We prefer to get rid of unpleasant situations with a quick solution. And that’s why throwing cat litter or cat feces into the toilet is a common mistake of the majority of cat owners. This mistake causes toilet clog, water skid marks, stains, etc. 

Even if you’re thinking of buying flushable cat litter, one question can hit your mind: is It Ok to Flush Cat Litter Down the Toilet? So first, get the answer. 

Is It Ok to Flush Cat Litter Down The Toilet?

Well, it’s not a wise idea to flush cat litter in the toilet.

Cat litter is designed to form clumps and become larger when soaked in the water. Bentonite Clay Litters can expand as much as 15-20 times than their actual size. Thus it turns hard as cement and easily clogs your toilet or drain pipe. Moreover, you’ll need to call a plumber to fix it, which will cost a lot of money. 

Otherwise, you can buy Flushable Litters. But you have to avoid this one because it can sometimes clog your toilet. Besides, this flushable kitty litter is made from biodegradable materials, polluting the water supply and harming humans or animals. So it’s better to stay away from flushing litter down the toilet. But if you’ve to face this unwanted situation, let’s discover how to tackle it with some common household tools.

Method – 1: Using a Toilet Plunger

The plunger is a great toilet plumbing tool that has widespread uses to unclog the blockage of pipes and drains.

This tool is designed to attach a rubber suction cup with a wooden or plastic stick. It breaks up the clumps when the rubber cup covers the drain opening and is sealed to create water force. You have to move the handle up and down. The pressure of water breaks the clogs and moves down through the drain. 

The list of things you need

• Plunger
• 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap
• 1 cup of hot water

Step 1 –  Prepare the Toilet

First, remove toilet paper, big wet clumps, etc., from the toilet bowl. Then seal the drain opening with the plunger and follow the next step. 

Step 2 – Use the Plunger in Proper Way

Pump the plunger slowly for the first plunge because the first plunge will push the air through the toilet bowl. Then convey the plunger pull up and push down with fast movement for 2 to 3 minutes. It will disturb and loosen the clogs. 

Remember to keep the head of the plunger submerged in the water. If the toilet water begins to drain, it understands you’re luckily unclogging cat litter. Otherwise, go for next. 

Step 3-  Pour the Dishwashing Liquid and Hot Water

Take 1 tablespoon of dishwashing soap and pour it into the toilet bowl with 1 cup of hot water. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. Hot water and dishwashing soap will help to loosen the intact mass. Lastly, use the plunger again to break the mass.

Method-2: Using a Toilet Snake

A Toilet snake is a long and retractable metal wire. It has a protective rubber coating above the metal shaft that prevents damage and scratches in the porcelain in your toilet bowl. Using a toilet snake effectively loosens the clumped litter and is also a cheap process. 

List of things you need

• Toilet snake
• 1 small shovel
• Toilet plunger 

Step 1- Remove Clumps from Toilet Bowl 

Pull out all the large wet clumps with a small shovel to prevent clogging in your toilet pipe. But you can leave residual sand. 

Step 2-  Insert a Snake 

Insert the toilet snake’s wire end into the hole of your toilet bowl. The Snake has a metal wire with a spiral end, so be careful about not scratching your toilet bowl while inserting. 

Step 3- Continue to Crank

Turn your snake handle and try to feed the toilet snake as far as it can go. Next, begin to crank it clockwise until you notice the toilet water starts draining. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of your toilet because the residual clumping litter can be stuck on the pipe. 

Step 4- Use the Plunger 

Get the Snake out carefully and flush the toilet to remove the sand residues. After that, use a plunger to ensure the broken clogs go down into the pipe with the flow of water. 

Method-3: Using a Homemade Drain Cleaner

If the back of your toilet bowl is an “S” shape, then Snake won’t work. Or, if you don’t have a plunger, you can still unclog your toilet with homemade drain cleaner. Vinegar and baking soda work as a chemical process when you mix them and help to dissolve the clog. This solution is also helpful to clean toto toilet with sanagloss.

You can also use dishwashing liquid to loosen the clumped litter and hot water to soften the clog in this process.

List of things you need

• 2 cups white vinegar
• 2 tablespoon baking soda
• A moisture-proof bag
• 3 tablespoon dishwashing liquid
• Hot water
• A large jar

Step 1- Clear the Toilet Bowl

Clear the toilet bowl if there are any large clumps of toilet paper. Take the clumps into a moisture-proof bag and throw them into your trash can. 

Step 2- Prepare the Solution

Pour 2 cups of white water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda into a large jar. Then mix the ingredients properly to make the DIY solution. 

Step 3- Apply the Solution

Pour the solution into the toilet bowl and let it sit overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.

Step 4- Pour Dishwashing Liquid 

The next morning or 4-5 hours later, take 3 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid and pour it into the toilet. Afterward, pour 3 cups of hot water quickly into the toilet and let that rest for an hour and a half.

Step 5- Flush the Toilet

Once the dishwashing and hot water sit,  try to flush the toilet. If you see the toilet water overflowing instead of draining, stop flushing right there. 

Step 6- Pour Hot Water Again

If the previous steps still didn’t work, pour boiling hot water again. Take a jar consisting of 9-10 cups of hot water. And pour 8-10 jars of boiling water into the toilet. Make sure to give an interval of about 1 minute to 2 in between back-to-back pours. Flush the toilet several times when the water begins draining.

Method-4: Using Mouthwash

Using mouthwash to unclog litter is quite uncommon. But it works like magic. If you don’t want to get elbow grease and struggle with so many things, then give a try to mouthwash. It works great for unclogging the toilet from scoopable kitty litter in two simple steps. 

List of things you need

• Mouthwash
• Toilet Plunger

Step 1- Pour Mouthwash

Pour a few ounces of mouthwash or you can pour half a bottle into the toilet and leave it there for 2-3 hours.

Step 2- Plunge and Flush the Toilet

Now, plunge the toilet water several times and flush it. You may need to do back-to-back flushing to ensure no broken clog residues remain on the pipe. So that’s all. 

5 Useful Tips About Fixing Cat Litter From A Toilet

We know you don’t want to damage your toilet plumbing and need a proper solution to unclog the toilet from cat litter. Thus, it’s easy if you follow some tips and tricks. So, here are 5 helpful tips that’ll be beneficial for you. 

• First, wear a pair of rubber hand gloves. It’s not for protection but sanitary purposes if you don’t want to grow bacteria and germs in your hands while unclogging the toilet.
• Run the plunger for 30 seconds under the hot water before using it.  Because this process will soften the rubber cup and help create a good seal. 
• Avoid flushing if the clog is still there and the toilet’s water is not draining. Otherwise, frequent flushing can cause the toilet overflowing and mess up your entire bathroom.
• Try to avoid chemical drain cleaners for unclogging the toilet. Because these are extremely hazardous and toxic that can cause damage to your toilet bowl. Even if you’re not cautious, it causes harm to your skin and eye. 
• When you apply hot water into the bowl, don’t pour it near the rim. Maintain distance about waist size because it’ll create a water force into the bowl that can help unclog the toilet. 

Related Questions 

How do you break up cat litter in a drain?

Break up cat litter using a correct plunger in a drain. If you need to unclog the toilet drain, use a bellows-style or bell-shaped toilet plunger. But if it's a sink drain, then a dome-shaped sink plunger is the convenient option. 

Submerge the plunger into the water and push down the handle to let air escape. After that, while plunging, you only plunge water instead of compressing air. Press frequent forceful pumps to break up the clog and send it away through the pipe.

What happens if cat litter goes down the drain?

If the cat litter goes down the drain, it clogs pipes and drains. Otherwise, cat litter is a solid cat waste that adds more load with the biological mix of your septic tank. As a result, the cat litter damages septic systems.

Will Drano Unclog Cat Litter? 

No. Commercial drain unblockers can't dissolve cat litter. So they are stuck with clumps litter inside the pipe and can cause serious damage to the pipe.

And if you unclog the pipe and disassemble it, these drain cleaners can splash back out from the drain. So be aware because it can burn your skin.

What can I do with clumped litter?

If you would like to avoid clogging the toilet or sink with cat litter, then don't flush the clumped litter into the toilet.

You can Scoop the clumped litter with a little plastic scooper and put them in a moisture-free double-layered trash bag. Lastly, throw it in your outdoor trash can. 

 Does crystal cat litter dissolve?

No. Silica crystal litter doesn't dissolve in water. Though silica gel is not prone to expand like the other clay litters, it also highly absorbs moisture and expands when wet. 

Does flushable cat litter clog drains?

Flushable cat litter can potentially clog drains due to its clumping nature and the potential for it to expand when exposed to water, leading to plumbing issues.

Can you put cat litter down the toilet?

It is generally not recommended to put cat litter down the toilet as it can cause clogs, damage plumbing systems, and pose environmental risks due to the materials used in cat litter.

Conclusion

So finally, we’ve reached the end of our article. Hopefully, you already get your answer on how to unclog cat litter from the toilet.

We showed you the 4 best methods, which are easy and effective enough to fix your plumbing problem without a plumber. No matter what method you try, follow the steps carefully to get the best result.