# Dropped the Dove Soap down the toilet--how to dissolveP **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383 "2008-05-23T17:42:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/1 "2008-05-23T17:42:42Z")
Last night around 7PM we dropped a bar of Dove Soap down the toilet. It’s too far down to reach, but it’s still preventing the toilet from flushing the way it should. The water will go down, but it doesn’t “suck and gurgle” the way it’s supposed to. Instead, after it’s flushed, the bowl nearly fills to the top and then the water level slowly goes back down in a few seconds. Is there any way to make the soap dissolve more quickly? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/2 "2008-05-23T17:53:25Z")
Well, you could try and make it so the toilet runs non-stop (tape the handle down or something). Probably take hours though to dissolve (although it really only needs to dissolve enough so it will wash down the pipe). Best choice really is to get a [pipe snake](http://www.jackstoolshed.zoovy.com/product/53733?meta=FRG&utm_source=GBASE&utm_medium=CPC&utm_content=&utm_campaign=) and dig it out. Or, shut off the water and drain the toilet and undo the pipes in the back if it is stuck there. Or call a plumber. ---
**Author:** ![samm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@samm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/3 "2008-05-23T18:41:27Z")
If a tooth will dissolve when left in a can of cola overnight, why won’t a bar of soap also dissolve that way? Pour a few liters of Coke down there! Actually, I would think that just from sitting there soaking in the water it would soften up and be flushable before too long. As long as you have a different bathroom to use in the meantime! ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/4 "2008-05-23T18:42:37Z")
A similar [thread](http://www.rantsnraves.org/showthread.php?t=1884) from a different message board (I wasn’t reading a non-Dope MB, honest! I just Googled “what dissolves soap.”). It’s got a couple good suggestions, a good science answer, and a nice list of things to do with the perpetrator. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/5 "2008-05-23T21:00:16Z")
One suggestion in that thread was boiling water, but you may want to be wary of this option. In theory, boiling water could crack the bowl. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/6 "2008-05-24T01:13:08Z")
Very hot water will do and is easier. And have you tried a toilet plunger? ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/7 "2008-05-24T01:42:22Z")
You don’t use a SNAKE to clear a toilet, you use a [Closet Auger](http://homerepair.about.com/od/termsaf/g/gloss_auger.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/8 "2008-05-24T02:46:59Z")
[QUOTE=samm] If a tooth will dissolve when left in a can of cola overnight [/QUOTE] [It doesn’t](http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/tooth.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/9 "2008-05-24T19:39:29Z")
FTR it seems to have dissolved, as of this morning, sufficiently to allow the toilet to flush normally. ---
**Author:** ![Pixilated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/10 "2008-05-24T19:45:26Z")
Whenever I run across a clogged toilet I’ve downed a couple cans of coke (or dr pepper) & let it sit for a couple of hours then flush. It’s always worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/11 "2008-05-24T20:43:50Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] FTR it seems to have dissolved, as of this morning, sufficiently to allow the toilet to flush normally. [/QUOTE] And a nice clean toilet it is, too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/12 "2008-05-24T21:41:34Z")
My uncle the plumber told me to use white vinegar on the clogged stuff in my toilet (it was grit and dirt that was on the toilet when we moved in). You empty the bowl, pour in a ton of white vinegar and let it sit for 6-8 hours. Then flush. Anything should be dissolved and the way should be clear. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/13 "2008-05-24T22:00:24Z")
Think soap is bad? My Mom recently accidently flushed a wash cloth down the toilet ! Thing couldn’t be snaked out or anything. Anyways, after about a month of flushing, the toilet started acting right again. No probs since. I would turn the water off in back of the toilet and then just take the whole toilet off the wax ring it’s sitting on and try getting it out that way. But that’s me. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/14 "2008-05-24T22:25:55Z")
[QUOTE=diggleblop] My Mom recently accidently flushed a wash cloth down the toilet ! [/QUOTE] A washcloth? Child’s play, says I! When I was 15 years old, I worked at a YMCA camp, and one of my jobs was cleaning the bathrooms. Those little monsters would flush anything not nailed down. Some of the more creative included pine cones and light bulbs, carefully shoved deep into the siphon. Another bitch to remove was a roll of toilet paper that had swollen up until it was stuck tight; I had to dig that one out by hand. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/15 "2008-05-24T22:52:31Z")
Yeah, well… …try fishing out a still-vibrating motorized dildo out of a toilet. Yeah, I don’t miss working at Goodwill. ---
**Author:** ![VanillaGorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/16 "2008-05-24T22:56:05Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] A washcloth? Child’s play, says I! When I was 15 years old, I worked at a YMCA camp, and one of my jobs was cleaning the bathrooms. Those little monsters would flush anything not nailed down. Some of the more creative included pine cones and light bulbs, carefully shoved deep into the siphon. Another bitch to remove was a roll of toilet paper that had swollen up until it was stuck tight; I had to dig that one out by hand. [/QUOTE] Pine cones and light bulbs? Ha! When I was younger I would have been GLAD to pick that stuff out of the toilet. My dad used to flush live bears and used cars down the toilet, and we, the kids, had to try and get it out. He did it every day, and it took us FOUR days to get one thing out. We had no tools to use, and dad had broken our arms, so we had to use our teeth! ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/17 "2008-05-24T23:21:45Z")
[QUOTE=Justin Bailey] My uncle the plumber told me to use white vinegar on the clogged stuff in my toilet [/QUOTE] I wonder how this would work on soap. It could work because it protonates the soap and causes it to separate out, but I strongly suspect that acids are going to do a lot of nothing. Bases like draino won’t do anything either. I think the best bet is to leave the toilet running until it clears out, but I don’t know how the water bill would be on that. Hot water will be more effective. Maybe if once every couple of hours you dumped some hot water in. Eventually it will dissolve. I’m sure you’ve seen soap that’s been sitting in a wet soapdish for a while. Soap will dissolve. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/18 "2008-05-25T00:00:21Z")
I would suggest the first thing to try would be to reach in and try to grab what ever is in there with your fingers. Before trying repeated flushes. But, you seem to have gotten it. Peace, mangeorge. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/19 "2008-05-25T02:40:22Z")
Ordinary drain cleaner is mostly sodium hydroxide (lye), and works on grease clogs by reacting with the fatty acids to form SOAP. Soap, being water soluble, really shouldn’t be seen as a long-term clog problem in the first place, as the OP has discovered. Had the issue come to my attention sooner, I’d have recommended time and a bit of hot water. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383/20 "2008-05-25T02:58:45Z")
You just leave any toilet blockage overnight and the toilet fairy comes and clears it. I just wish there was a dirty dishes fairy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-the-dove-soap-down-the-toilet-how-to-dissolvep/450383.md?page=2)