Remember the bathroom scene from Dumb and Dumber? You know – the one where Harry drops a horrendously large deuce in Mary’s bathroom, clogs up the toilet, and then frantically tries to fix the problem without getting caught? I think we’ve all been there at one point or another, and if you’ve got stubborn drains, sometimes even a plunger can’t fix the problem. So to save yourself and your future houseguests from experiencing that kind of embarrassment, we strongly suggest you whip up some of these handy DIY toilet tablets.
The folks over at SavvySugar put together a simple combination of common household chemicals to make a highly effective, eco-friendly drain de-clogger. You can make these things in batches and keep them in a jar or basket next to the toilet. Then, in the event that your commode ever starts showing signs of clogging (slow flushing or complete backup), just drop in one of these tablets to clear everything up.
Here’s what you’ll need to make ’em:
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1/4 cup Epsom salts
- 8 to 9 tablespoons liquid dish detergent
- Muffin tin
- Muffin liners
To start, mix together the baking soda and epsom salts, and do your best to ensure the mixture isn’t clumpy. The smoother you can get it, the better. We recommend using a whisk or fork to eliminate clumps. From there, slowly stir in the dish soap, one tablespoon at a time, until the entire mixture takes on a consistency similar to that of wet sand.
Next, stick the liners into the muffin tin, and pack a healthy amount of your mixture into them. Once you’ve got them good and dense, set the pan somewhere and let it dry out overnight, or perhaps even longer. You’ll know the tablets are ready when they’re completely dry and come out of the liner easily.
When it comes time to use one, just drop it in the congested toilet, followed by a couple cups of hot water, and let the tablet dissolve for awhile. An hour or two is good, but the longer you can wait the better. Once a good chunk of time has passed, try your plunging/flushing routine again. If everything worked correctly, the chemicals should’ve dissolved whatever was clogging the drain and cleared up the pipes a bit.
[source/images: Lifehacker via SavvySugar]
