Blocked toilets are often the bane of homeowners’ housekeeping problems, with the task of clearing one being unsavoury as it is thankless.
Flushing excess toilet paper and unsuitable items – from wet wipes to cotton wool and even cat litter – as well as limescale build-up are among the biggest culprits to a blocked WC. But thanks to some helpful tips from social media users, two intrepid home renovators have stumbled upon a quick and easy hack to leave homeowners flushed with pride.
Liam Linley, who runs the Two Houses into One Instagram account with his wife Nici, demonstrated the simple trick on their page following some tips from their followers.
The Barnsley-based couple use their account to chronicle their days creating their forever home – by merging two terraced houses into one. Videos from their DIY exploits include knocking down the wall joining the two homes, stripping the wallpaper and fitting all the appliances.
After Liam came unstuck one night trying to clear out their blocked toilet using his hands – which he described as the “dig your hand in and start digging approach” – he and Nici then posted an Instagram story asking for suggestions.
To their surprise, their feed was flooded with helpful tips ranging from using wire hangers to inverted plungers. However, it was the suggestion of using cling film, washing-up liquid and boiling water that caught Liam’s eye.
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He showcased the skills on an Instagram video, which has received 1.6 million likes since it went up last Saturday.
The first step was pouring some washing-up liquid across the bowl to make the waste products move smoothly. The second step was pouring a full kettle of boiling water to create heat. The final step was covering the toilet bowl with layers of cling film.
As Liam described: “The idea is you create an airtight seal around your toilet. I was really sceptical about whether this was actually going to work.”
Not content with putting four layers of cling film over the toilet, Liam revealed that he sealed the bowl shut using duct tape. Then the moment of truth came as he flushed the toilet and pushed down the cling film to force the toilet to unblock.
“Oh, my word, it works! That is amazing!” he exclaimed with glee. “To everyone who suggested doing washing-up liquid, boiling water and definitely the cling film trick, we’re going to be using that again! 100%!”
Reaction to his toilet hack was generally positive. One user said: “Ha ha! Love this!” while another revealed: “We literally have ‘bathroom cling film’ for this purpose!”
One user left a tongue-in-cheek comment about the hack, saying: “This was millimetres away from being a really minging fail video.” In response, Liam said: “So true, I’m glad it was a win and not a fail. I do not want to be cleaning up a poo floor.”