Help! I Flushed a Bar of Soap and Toilet Won’t Flush Right

Flushing a bar of soap down the toilet can cause quite the headache! Let’s not panic yet. With the right approach and some patience, you can solve this plumbing issue.

I worked in maintenance at a major hotel for a decade and this happened dozens of times in the guest rooms and I was the one responsible for getting it fixed.

In this article, we’ll go over the steps to fix a toilet clogged by a bar of soap, providing you with the best methods to tackle this problem. Let’s get started!

image showing what happens to a toilet internally when a bar of soap is flushed. — From my decade of doing maintenance at a hotel where this was a common thing, the bar of soap would generally get caught in the bend of the gooseneck in the toilet’s trap or right below it at the flange (where the toilet meets the floor). It would restrict about 75% of things going past it. Liquids could barely flush but solids would clog.

Steps to Removing a Flushed Bar of Soap from a Toilet

Understand the issue: When a bar of soap gets flushed down the toilet, it can take a while to dissolve, often causing weak flushes or complete clogs in the meantime. The soap can get stuck in the toilet’s goose-neck trap and just gets wedged or rocks on the turn in the trap. This makes it act like a stuck check valve, impeding water flow. It’s common to still be able to flush liquids, but the flush will be weak. Solids will tend to clog.
Be patient: Since the soap bar will eventually dissolve on its own (aided by the occasional flush now and then of only liquid), you might choose to wait it out for a couple of days if it’s just a guest bathroom. However, if you’re in a hurry or the clog is causing problems, there are other methods to try.
Skip the hot water but try the plunger: Pouring hot water down the toilet might seem like a good idea, but it’s usually not effective in dissolving the soap quickly from my experience. Instead, try using a plunger in case the soap is thin and fragile enough that it might be easily dislodged with a little persuasion. If that doesn’t work, let’s go to the tried and true method next.
Use a toilet auger: A toilet auger is the most effective tool for dealing with a soap-clogged toilet. Insert the auger into the bowl and slide it in and out of the trap, moving it around as much as possible to break up the soap bar. As you retract the auger, you’ll see the water in the bowl become sudsy and cloudy, indicating that the soap is breaking apart. You’re not going to drill into the bar of soap with the auger’s corkscrew end, you’re just looking to rub the ribbed cable of the auger against the bar of soap and break it apart.
Flush and repeat: As long as the toilet isn’t already clogged, you can flush it after using the auger to help break up the soap further. Keep an eye on the flush strength and it should gradually improve as you continue to break up the soap with the auger. Repeat the process as needed until the flush returns to normal.
Prevent future issues: To avoid this issue in the future, make sure to keep soap bars away from the toilet and remind guests not to flush anything other than toilet paper (tampons, baby wipes, tooth brushes etc.). By taking these precautions, you can help prevent clogs and keep your toilet running smoothly.

image of author using a toilet auger to remove bar of soap — As you pass the corkscrew end of the auger past the bar of soap, push and retract the auger so that the ribbed cable will rough up and break up the bar of soap as it sits atop the flange or in one of the bends.

If you ended up leaving unsightly scratch marks on the inside of your porcelain throne, then you can check out my article here to quickly remove them in just a couple of minutes from start to finish.

With patience and the right tools, you can fix a toilet clogged by a flushed bar of soap. Just remember that prevention is key, so make sure to be mindful of what goes down your toilet in the future. Happy flushing!