When you notice that your toilet got clogged, often you just can’t call the plumber at the right moment before the situation gets worse.
At that time, you need to take a quick initiative to solve this problem. The most known equipment for unclogging toilets is a plunger. But if you do not have any, what should you do?
Will you be startled if we tell you to use a Shop Vac in this situation? Buckle up because we are going to tell you everything about how you can unclog toilet with Shop Vac.
So that you don’t have to wait for the plumber and let your washroom get all dirty in the meantime.
Why Use a Shop Vac?
It is indeed an emergency situation for you if the toilet of your washroom gets clogged. Sometimes, it goes so bad that the toilet overflows. Even thinking of such a situation might get you a panic attack.
Without a plunger, you can try different home remedies to unclog a toilet, but they might increase your hassle rather than lowering the heat of the situation.
Often people suggest that wire hangers can do pretty well to tackle this mess. But they are rigid material, and there is a chance of getting scratches on the porcelain of your toilet.
A Shop Vac is a type of vacuum cleaner that can help you to clean up spills and wet debris. Clogged toilet is definitely a nightmare for anyone, and this situation needs immediate action in which you can definitely rely on a Shop Vac to get yourself out of this mess.
Things to Do in Advance!
Before you start the process of unclogging, you should take care of a few things that can ease the procedure and prevent unnecessary hassle.
- If you can manage, get yourself rubber hand gloves, rubber shoes, and an apron because that can help you stay well and tidy if things get messy
- Keep a bucket and a mop ready with you in case of water spills so that you can clean up easily without wasting time looking for those
- You can get a fan or a dehumidifier so that things dry up quickly while you unclog the toilet
Getting Started

Using a Shop Vac to unclog a toilet might be a new task for you. But don’t get yourself stressed, as we are here to help you out to make things easier for you. Here you will know about the step-by-step procedure of unclogging a toilet with the help of a Shop Vac.
Unclog Toilet with Shop Vac
Step 1 – Turning off the Water Supply
The first thing you should do is to ensure that there is no water flow inside the toilet. You need to turn off the water supply with the water shutoff valve. It is attached to the pipe behind the toilet.
Step 2 – Removing the Air Filter
Before you start using the Shop Vac, remove the air filter attached to the starting point of the vac. This will enable you to vacuum the water easily and prevent wastage from getting stuck in the filter.
Step 3 – Sucking out the Water
Remove all the water from the toilet bowl with the Shop Vac. If the storage bag fills, dump that water and repeat the process again until the toilet bowl is empty.
Step 4 – Getting All Debris Out with the Tube
Now that you have an empty toilet bowl, it’s time to clean the debris that caused the clogged toilet. Enter the tube of the vac into the toilet drain, and try to fit it tightly so that it can create a nice suction.
Turn on the vac, and after a few seconds, you will see all the debris and waste coming out of the drain.
Step 5 – Flushing Thoroughly
After removing the debris from the toilet drain, turn off the vac and remove the tube. Now turn on the water supply and flush water for better cleaning. If you want to ensure complete cleaning, you can flush for a few times repeatedly as this could clear the remaining waste that might have been left out while using the vac.
Step 6 – Cleaning Up
Finally, take care of the wastewater spills around your toilet and turn on the fan or dehumidifier for a quick dry. Now, the toilet will be as new as before the clog. Take the Shop Vac outside to clean the debris inside the tank and then attach back the air filler to it.
Do’s and Don’ts
In the whole process of unclogging your toilet, you need to follow some do’s and don’ts so that you might not worsen the situation instead of finding a solution.
- Never use the vac in the toilet along with the filter. Shop Vac is basically a vacuum cleaner that cleans every type of debris, including waste, water, and other liquid spills, and much more.
If you don’t remove the filter, chunks of waste materials inside the toilet drain could get stuck there, causing damage to the filter.
- After the shop vac has completed cleaning the toilet, make sure to clean it properly and use disinfectant.
Because the Vac has to deal with a huge amount of germs and bacteria and a really bad odor, if you do not clean it properly, the odor might remain inside the vac and create a really disgusting environment around it when you use it again.
- When you are trying to unclog the toilet with the tube, a single try might not be enough. Because often the debris just clings to the drain too hard. So, don’t just stop the process and go for several attempts.
Final Words
Refrain yourself from throwing things inside the toilet to prevent unwanted situations like having a clogged toilet. But yet if you have to face this nightmare, then use all the methods discussed in this article to unclog toilet with Shop Vac. Hope this helps!
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Williams Kane is a blogger and writer. He’s passionate about writing and connecting with the community, especially when it comes to sharing his ideas through writing.