Having a clogged toilet is one of the few things we try to avoid inside our bathroom. Not only does it make a mess, but it can also cause other problems in the future. Fortunately, there are already tons of products made available to remove this toilet ordeal of ours quickly.
Coke or any phosphoric acid-filled drink can unblock a toilet. The amount of phosphoric acid it contains can help break down buildups in your toilet’s pipeline. Simply pop a bottle, chug it down your toilet, then wait for its corrosiveness to do the work for you.
Coke is one of the few household items that can serve as a hack with several problems we encounter in our home. As we read through this article, we can learn more about how Coke can help unblock your toilet. So, before you go out and buy a drain cleaner, check if you have a bottle of Coke inside your fridge; it’ll surely come in handy.
How Phosphoric Acid Unblocks a Toilet
Believe it or not, you can find phosphoric acid not only in your favorite drink but also in bathroom cleaners.
However, it’s good to note that we can also naturally find phosphoric acid inside our bodies working hand-in-hand with calcium while supporting kidney function.
While being mainly used as an additive to some foods and drinks, it’s no longer a question that it can aid in both cleaning and unclogging your toilet.
The phosphoric acid concentration in the solution you’ll be using in your toilet will eventually break down the clog or blockage within the pipeline of your toilet.
The corrosiveness of phosphorus is known to dissolve clogs in toilets; that’s why it’s a key ingredient in cleaners as well.
When To Avoid Soda as an Unclogging Agent
Though plumbers have proven that soda helps unclog toilets, it still has drawbacks once it is used as an alternative unclogger.
One main concern is, once it unclogs the pipes, it leaves a sticky syrup around the pipelines, thus might lead to some other problems in the future. It’s best to use Coke for minor or small blockages since it will use smaller amounts to do the work.
How To Unclog Your Toilet With Coke/Cola
Unclogging your toilet or drain may sound like a science experiment or a recipe for disaster. However, as strange as it sounds, it has simple steps you can follow to ensure optimum effect:
- Grab a two-liter (67.62 fl oz) bottle of Coke. If you don’t have one, you can opt to buy it at your local grocery store. Once you have it, don’t refrigerate; make sure to tone it down to average room temperature.
- Pour the Coke. Once it’s within the normal temperature, you can start pouring it down your clogged toilet.
- Let it rest. Allow the Coke to settle down for at least an hour or up to 24 hours, depending on how bad the clogging is.
- Flush your toilet. If the Coke has already settled down to the right amount of time, you can start flushing it using boiling water.
- Repeat the process if necessary.
- Call for professional help. If the clog persists despite multiple attempts, it’s best to reach out or hire a professional plumber to help you out. There could be more significant lingering problems within the pipeline if it’s still clogged.
Source: Today: How to use Coke to clean a toilet
Phosphoric Acid As Hazardous Waste
As they say, great power comes with great responsibility. And it’s pretty true when it comes to phosphoric acids. Though we learned that it could help us unclog our toilets, it can still adversely affect our environments if used irresponsibly.
Based on the National Pollutant Inventory of the Australian Government site, phosphoric acid has moderate acute and chronic effects on aquatic life in waters with low alkalinity.
Meaning, when smaller amounts of phosphoric acid touch water with low alkalinity, it can still be neutralized. However, higher volumes can lower the pH levels of waters, leading to a potential risk to our aquatic and marine life.
If your country has a modern water treatment facility, the Coke trick wouldn’t be much of a problem to our aquatic friends. Otherwise, you might want to tone it down with the Coke unclogging and get a professional instead.
Neutralizing Phosphoric Acid
Though phosphoric acid acts as hazardous waste to bodies of water, there is a way to neutralize it to avoid adverse effects once it drains into your toilet’s pipeline. Suppose you ever decide to use Coke as an unclogging agent to your toilet.
In that case, you can mix it with a baking soda to help neutralize the possible effects once it reaches the bodies of water. Baking soda naturally removes the acidity of phosphoric acid while still being capable of unclogging your toilet.
Other Cleaning Hacks of Coke
As far as Coke is concerned, we’ve learned that it’s a great alternative in terms of unclogging a toilet. But did you know, Coke can also serve as a cleaning agent for the whole bathroom as well? With the use of Coke’s corrosive properties, it can act as a cleaning agent for your bathroom tiles and ceramics.
Not only can it clean, but it also helps to whiten them as well. Though Coke doesn’t give the same fresh smell a cleaning solution does, it’s still an excellent alternative since it doesn’t contain the same hard chemicals.
Conclusion
We’ve learned how Coke can unclog our toilets. However, it still contains drawbacks and can still impose possible dangers if misused.
Coke or anything with phosphoric acid can do the trick when it comes to unclogging or cleaning your toilet. Just make sure to use it responsibly by using the said additives to counter the possible adverse effects of phosphoric acid on our waters.
Once all else fails, you can call a professional for help. They can teach a thing or two when it comes to better ways of unclogging your toilet.
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