You Accidentally Flushed Clorox Toilet Wand Head? We Have a Solution

Many people rely on Clorox toilet wands to clean the toilet and eliminate odors. This convenient technique has become so widespread that hordes of homeowners keep the product in their homes at all times.

But this article isn’t about the pros of using Clorox — it’s about accidentally flushing Clorox toilet wand heads down the toilet.

Let’s make it clear and state that throwing Clorox wands in the toilet is not good. It will rarely go through the entire plumbing system to end up in a sewer. Most times, the object will stay in the toilet trap or somewhere down the toilet drain.

So what should you do after flushing a Clorox wand head? Keep reading to find out! 

Practical Reasons to Avoid Flushing Clorox Toilet Wand

You might think that throwing your everyday cleaning product in the toilet is not a big deal, but it is. A typical Clorox toilet wand is large enough to make a clog in your toilet and obstruct the usual water flow.

Its fibers aren’t water-soluble. On the contrary, they are waterproof because it allows Clorox to clean toilets in a moisturized environment. It makes Clorox extremely durable and resistant to toilet flushing, so it’s likely to form a clog.

Besides that, wand heads collect other particles and debris that flow through the pipes. Even if they don’t clog your toilet instantly, they will grow over time to make a waste ball and block the drains.

You need to remember that human waste and toilet paper are the only things that run through the toilet smoothly. Everything else — including your Clorox toilet wand — can only disable the sewer line.  

What to Do if You’ve Accidentally Flushed Clorox Toilet Wand Head?

If you already flushed the Clorox toilet wand head, we bet you’re eager to learn how to remove it. After all, you don’t want it to get stuck and wonder whether the toilet will eventually unclog itself.

Bear in mind that chemical cleaners can’t help you here, so you’ll need to remove the wand head manually. Use one of the following solutions:

Solution 1: Use Your Hands

The first option may sound ugly, but it’s the best thing that can happen when you flush Clorox toilet wands. In case you see the item close to the toilet bowl outlet, you can pick it up with your fingers.

Before doing that, make sure to wear waterproof rubber gloves — they will protect your hands and make the experience much less unpleasant. You should also scrub the entire toilet bowl using a wipe to avoid getting dirty or wet. 

If you don’t like soaking fingers in the water, you can empty the bowl using a plastic cup and a sponge. When you remove excess water, push your fingers as deeply as possible and pinch the wand head. Take it out, and you solved the problem.

Solution 2: Grab It With a Coat Hanger

More often than not, Clorox toilet wands will be too deep for you to reach them with your fingers. In this case, the second-best option is to grab the object with a metal coat hanger.

Here’s how it works — take an old coat hanger and straighten it to form a long metal wire. Bend a small part of the wire at the end of it to create a hook. After that, you can insert it into the toilet and try to get hold of the wand head using the hook.

Push it back and forth, but don’t be afraid of rotating the coat hanger. It helps you catch the Clorox toilet wand and pull it out eventually.

Solution 3: Dig It Out With a Toilet Auger

If the first two solutions don’t help get the wand out, it’s time to use something stronger. Put on rubber gloves and fill the toilet bowl with two gallons of water. Wait a few minutes and use a toilet auger to extract the wand head.

The auger, AKA the drain snake, is an advanced version of metal wire with a corkscrew. It is long enough to drill through the drains while collecting debris along the way. How does it work?

Insert the drain snake into the toilet — put as much pressure as possible and keep rotating the tool clockwise with a rubber handle. Do it gently because the auger can sometimes damage the drains, especially PVC pipes.

When it reaches the Clorox wand head, the auger will catch it with its corkscrew — you will hear the sound of it, so you can start pulling the tool out. If everything goes smoothly, you will take out the wand head. 

Solution 4: Try a Plunger

You don’t need to be a household manager to recognize the value of a toilet plunger.  The tool is cheap and effective, while the only downside is that plungers may require some effort.

To clear out your toilet, place the plunger over the opening and cover it with water. Use your hands to press the plunger head against the hole firmly — you should create a solid seal to block toilet entries.

Now it’s time to push the plunger. Go up and down with it, plunging the toilet until you create a vacuum force strong enough to pull out the wand head. Alternatively, the plunger will do the opposite and push the wand to the sewer.

When you feel the tool can’t go up and down anymore, you can release it. Check if your Clorox toilet wand is in the bowl — if not, the plunger probably made it go down the drains and into your septic tank or sewage system.

Solution 5: Suck It Out With Wet Vacuum

After checking simple tips and tricks, it is time to discuss a couple of advanced solutions. The first one is using a dry/wet vacuum cleaner. It’s a powerful device that you can use to suck the wand head out of the S-shaped trap.

But be cautious because you don’t want to destroy a costly piece of equipment. First of all, open the lid on top of the cleaner to remove the dry filter and the dry bag — a critical move that stops you from ruining the vacuum cleaner.

After that, you can put the rubber hose into the toilet bowl and turn on the tool. Let it suck water from the toilet trap until you hear the wand flowing into the hose. It’s a sign that you can turn off the wet vacuum and take out the hose.

There is also the option of not catching the wand on a single try, so you must turn off the cleaner to empty the water tank. After that, try again until you finally grab the Clorox toilet wand head.

When you get it out, open the water tank and pull the wand out. Alternatively, the wand will remain in the hose, and you will need to pull it out from there with your fingers.

As soon as you do it, remember to flush the toilet a couple of times to refill the bowl. It will help your toilet go back to normal and able to flush toilet paper again.

Solution 6: Remove the Toilet Bowl

The last solution means you have to get your hands dirty and go through a complex toilet-fixing process. It’s far from impossible, but you need to follow a step-by-step procedure.

Firstly, secure bathroom flooring by closing the water supply valve. It’s a small valve hiding on the wall behind the toilet bowl or right next to it. Twist the knob clockwise to close it — the valve will lock into place and prevent water from flowing to the tank.

After that, you must find and detach the fill line from your toilet bowl. It’s a metal hose that brings water from the mainline to the toilet tank. A couple of thread nuts connect the hose to both ends, so you need to unscrew them with pliers.

In case your toilet nuts are rusty, you can spray WD-40 to moisten them. That way, you will have an easy time unscrewing the nuts. Be patient when doing it — do not force your tools, take your time, and you won’t damage anything.

When detaching the fill line from the toilet bowl, place a bucket under it to catch excess water. Now it’s your turn to flush the toilet and empty the tank. Remove the lid from the top and wipe the bottom of the tank with a sponge to pick water droplets.

Once again, use a pair of pliers to remove tank bolts. A single bolt is holding the tank on each side, which means you can remove both quickly. Now nothing is stopping you from removing the toilet tank.

Finally, you need to unscrew the bolts from the toilet base. 

It’s a pair of bolts that sticks the bowl to the ground and prevents the toilet from leaking at its base. When you remove them, place the bowl on the floor horizontally to look for the Clorox wand head.

You will probably spot it immediately, so you can pick it with your fingers. After that, you should repeat the process in reverse and reinstall the toilet bowl:

• Put the toilet bowl in its position
• Screw the base bolts
• Attach the toilet tank and tighten the tank bolts
• Close the tank with the lid
• Reinstall the supply hose by attaching it to the tank
• Turn on the shutoff valve to enable water supply
• Wait for the tank to fill 
• Press the flush valve to check whether if the toilet flushes properly

The Bottom Line

Flushing things down the toilet is never a good idea, especially if you throw hard items such as the Clorox wand head. Your toilet can only digest urine, feces, and toilet paper — everything else threatens to clog the bathroom throne.

If you’ve accidentally flushed the Clorox toilet wand head, don’t expect it to dissolve because it won’t. Will your toilet eventually unclog itself? Probably not. 

The only thing you can do is to try and unclog the toilet using one of these solutions:

• Your hands or a toilet plunger
• A toilet auger or a metal coat hanger
• A wet vacuum cleaner
• Removing the bowl to take out the wand head

It’s not as complicated as it sounds. We know you can make it if you follow our step-by-step instructions. Give it a try, and make sure to leave a comment if you need additional tips from Bomisch!

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