This is why you should regularly pour some dish soap in your toilet
We can’t think of a lot of things that are more frustrating than a clogged toilet. When you flush, the water rises and you hear an ominous kind of gurgling. If you’re out of luck, the nasty water will spill over the edge as well, which makes the whole thing even worse.
Dish soap is something everybody always has a bottle of at home. Even if you own a dishwasher, you’ll probably have a bottle of the stuff in a cupboard to wash a couple of dishes with every now and then. The cleaning product is composed in such a way that it’s not irritating to the skin but it does dissolve grease. That’s why it’s also used to wash animals and birds with that have come into contact with oil. Now, we’re not about to wash some wild animals, but we are happy with these ten bonus dish soap tips before giving away the ‘toilet trick’!
1. Remove stains
Did you spill something on the carpet or on the fabric of a sofa or chair? Mix a tablespoon of dish soap with two cups of hot water. Drench a clean cloth in this soapy water and dab at the stain until it disappears. Rinse it with a clean sponge and cold water and then dab it dry with a tea towel or some paper towels.
2. Floors
You can mop floors made out of ceramic tiles, vinyl or linoleum using soapy water made with dish soap. Add one or two tablespoons of dish soap to a bucket filled with hot water and use this to mop your floors with. Don’t use this method for wooden floors, though, they might end up looking very ugly!
3. Windows
Has it been a while since your windows have been cleaned and are they looking very smudgy? Make some soapy water with hot water and dish soap and use this to clean your dirty windows with. You’ll remove most of the grease and dirt this way. When you’re done with this, clean the glass with glass cleaner as well to make them shine.
4. Surfaces
Use a mild type of dish soap to clean surfaces like kitchen counters, window sills and baseboards. Dilute a little bit of dish soap in hot water and transfer this to a spray bottle. That way, you can easily spray some of the mixture onto the surface in question and then simply wipe it clean. You can also very easily clean the greasy tiles on the walls above your kitchen counters with this.
5. Jewellery
Add a droplet of dish soap to a bowl of sparkling water and let your dirty jewellery soak in this for five minutes. Use a soft toothbrush to brush off the dirt.
6. Laundry
You’ll be able to remove oily stains out of your clothes in a jiffy if you use dish soap. Pour a little bit of the liquid directly onto the stain and let this soak into it before washing the item of clothing on the highest possible temperature (look at to the care label on the item of clothing to determine this temperature). This trick works especially well for stains made by greasy foods, like dressings with an oil base. Did you get a stain in clothing that can’t be washed in the washing machine, like wool or silk? Add a little bit of dish soap to a bucket of water and put the item of clothing in question in the bucket. Carefully wash it with your hands and then rinse it with clean, cold water.
7. Kitchen cabinets
When you’re cooking, a lot of grease and oils mix with dust, smoke and other kitchen muck to form a sticky, greasy layer on your kitchen cabinets. Many people forget to clean these cabinets, but they can get pretty grimy. Make some soapy water with warm water and dish soap and remove the greasy layers from your kitchen cabinets.
8. Window blinds
Cleaning window blinds can be a really tedious chore. You can try cleaning them while they’re hanging, but the easiest thing to do is to remove them from the wall and clean the blinds one by one with a mix of warm water and dish soap.
9. Fans
Prepare some soapy water with warm water and dish soap to clean all of the fans in your home. The air that gets sucked up by the fan contains a lot of dust and filth and leaves behind a greasy film. Remove the fans from the ceiling or walls, if possible, and soak them in the soapy water. Scrub them clean with an old toothbrush.
10. Kitchen appliances
Clean kitchen appliances like blenders, toasters, microwaves and ovens with a bit of dish soap and warm water. You can also use this soapy water to wipe off the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer.
Clogged
You usually start the process by using a plunger, but that isn’t always effective. We’re not big fans of those expensive, chemical products you’re supposed to pour down your toilet, though. Luckily, there’s an easier and cheaper solution you’ll most likely already own: dish soap!
Dish soap
Yes, really; all you need for this trick is dish soap and warm water. Pour a generous splash of dish soap into the clogged toilet. You’ll see it’ll start to slowly sink to the bottom. Now add warm water (not boiling hot, though – this can damage your toilet bowl) to the toilet until the entire bowl is filled. Wait for 20 to 30 minutes so the soap and the water can do their job. The water will find its way around the blockage and will slowly go down. You can now flush the toilet and the blockage will be gone!
Precaution
Do you have a clogged toilet on a more regular basis than you’d like? Try pouring a splash of dish soap into the bowl every now and then; that way, your toilet will clog much less quickly. So, it also works as a precautionary measure!
The video below shows how easy it is to unclog your toilet: