Toy Flushed in the Toilet...

Wow, another reminder to me (mine's only just about old enough to start doing this) to keep the bathroom secure.

One book I read said not to even bother with toilet locks, but simply to make the bathroom inaccessible--first with a doorknob cover, then with a latch if still needed. There are just too many germs, hazards, and mischiefs they can get into in there.

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Eeeew, we had this happen with a Little People chicken toy a few months ago. It plugged our toilet too - I did a bunch of research and found that if we tried to get it to go down further we could be asking for much bigger and more expensive plumbing problems down the line. I hate to tell you this, but I think the only/best thing to do is to take your toilet up and find the toy and pull it out - it's likely in the kinked "trap" in the back of the toilet itself. My hubby was thrilled about that job (ha ha, yeah right), but it did the trick. If your husband isn't up to the chore you can call a plumber, but they aren't cheap. Removing and resetting a toilet, especially if you've done some renovation or remodeling work before, is not very complicated.

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I work at a wastewater treatment plant and we do occasionally get those types of things coming through to the plant (we found one of those small rubber ducky’s recently), it's really advised that you call a plumber. I flushed a kitchen sponge down the toilet (I use them to clean the toilet) and besides the laughter from the plumber, he said it was a good thing we called rather then trying to plunge it.
I can't wait for that age =O)

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It would be better to try to retrive the toy than flush it into the house drain. The toy will never deteriorate and may cause accumulation of waste that ultimately plugs up the house drain system.
Try making a hook out of coat hanger wire to catch the toy. If snagging the toy doesn't work, the toilet should be disconnected, drained and unbolted from the floor. When the toilet is loose from the floor, turn it over and pull or push the toy out. Get a new wax ring and reset the toilet when it is cleared out.
Ask This Old House has how to do things like this all the time. If you are not an amature plumber, you may have a neighbor who is. If all else fails, call the pros but don't flush the toy down.

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We had a similar experience at my house when my son put something in toilet. We had to pull the toilet and then get the toy out that way. Once you pull the toilet, you'll have to tip it upside down and force toy back out the same way it went in. That's the only way it will come back out. My husband carried our toilet out in the yard and used the hose to force the toy out. Then we put the toilet back and everythings been fine ever since.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

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M., We are very used to this very thing. I don't know how handy your husband is but a plummer is expensive and this will probably not be the only time you child does this. Plunging won't work especially if some things can get by. my three year old flushed a little mcdonalds toy last week. So my husband had to pull the toilet off and then retrieve it out of the "s" curve. snaking didn't work. I have a six year old that flushed things so often when he was three that my husband was pulling the toilet off a couple of times a week. He got really good at it and didn't have to replace the was ring each time. You will need to replace the wax ring if you pull the toilet off since it hasn't been pulled for a while. Good luck. I feel your pain. J.

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Well, it is your lucky day!!! My husband is a plumber and I am a nail tech...heehee
The comments have been partially right in their advice......If you cant reach... toilet must come off ,if it is not in the pee trap you may need to have someone "snake" it out! It is advised to get it out BEFORE it causes problems
Are you in Anchorage? Call around....get quotes for snaking.... Roto Rooter may be cheaper!!!(No, he doesn't work for them)
Hope this helps!

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My grandson dropped something in the toilet which plugged it up. I couldn't fix it with a plunger(perhaps because I lacked confidence and did it in a wimpy manner with a cheap plunger) but the apartment maintenance staff were able to unplug it with a plunger. Instead of pushing it further down the pipe, the plunger brought it up and out.

As I write this I'm wondering if I remembered correctly. I didn't see them doing it. You might want to ask for advice from a plumber. Calling doesn't mean you have to have them come out. My father was an appliance repairman and he often gave advice to callers so that they could do it themselves. It was good PR.

After I wrote this I thought the problem through. I also was thinking that plunging should push it down further. However, when I've plunged for other reasons such as too much paper or too large of a bowel movement, everything comes back up before it goes back down. To remove the fingernail scrubber you'd probably have to grab in quickly.

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My husband is a plumber in the Navy. He says that the clog is because it is stuck in the S bend. He also said that plunging might pull it out or push it further, but if you can get it out of there, it will be fine, either way. He also said that you might be able to reach in there and pull it out.

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M.,

If you can, snake out the toilet. It will either pull up or push the toy clear. If this doesn't work, you may need a plumber.

If your daughter is not potty trained, you may want to introduce the idea that she flush the toilet after you use it, when she has a diaper change, or if she expresses interest in trying...my boys have not put anything except toilet paper down the toilets (SO FAR), and I let them experience the idea of what a toilet does. This may help keep her from flushing more toys or objects that do not belong.

Good luck.

T.

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M.,

My daughter flushed her favorite rock she found outside down the toilet. I thought it was a poopy and kept trying to flush it down, but the water kept flooding. I finally had the courage to reach in to grab the little brown thing out only to find it was just a rock and we had a good laugh. Maybe you could put some gloves on and search for it.

Good Luck!
G.

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At any hardware store, you should be able to find what my dad calls a "nabber-grabber." It's a long thin flexible metal tube with a handle like a syringe on one end and four little hooks that come out the other end when you push the handle. My parents used it to retrieve everything we flushed down the toilet.

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M.,
You don't mention a septic tank so I am assuming that you live in the city. If this is correct then I wouldn't worry about it unless the toilet is still plugged. If it is, your husband can rent a snake and try to get it out that way. If he is unable to, then call a plummer.
We live in the country and have a septic tank. Three years ago, on Christmas day our oldest son flushed down some toy (we think Legos) and it got stuck before the garage trap to the tank. Needless to say we were calling a plummer because we had sewage backing up into our basement from flushing our toilets and water usage that day. It was very expensive because they get paid extra to come out on Holidays. I don't recommend it.
Try the snake then a plummer.
Good luck.

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The only thing I know if is to get a snake - you can rent one from a place where you can rent tools or equipment - it is a plumming tool and it is really called a "snake"
Good Luck!

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My son was known for flushing things down the toilet. We actually had to retrieve three tooth brushes. We plungged. It took a lot of effort and trying several times but, we finally got it out. we had to do this each time. You may need to stick your hand in the hole and pull it out. It's no fun. Good luck!

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Been there, done that, different toy. We used a plumbers snake after hours of using the plunger. In the end pipes cleared and one less toy to pick up. The pipes beyond the toilet are larger than the water pipes so no worries there.

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Hi M.,

I agree 100% with the other ladies--if it's causing back-ups, take the toilet off and *then* remove it.

My older two kids once flushed one of those metal Bugs Bunny die cast cars down the toilet when they were little(oh, the things they flushed down that poor toilet!!). It sat down there for quite awhile, clinking away everytime we flushed. Then one day I guess it moved, and lodged so the toilet finally started backing up all over the floor. We had to have a plumber come take the toilet off the floor and get the toy out. Thank God it was military housing. Like Heidi said, plumbers are NOT cheap! Maybe your hubs is handy heehee.

Good luck!

K. W

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get a toilet snake or call the plumber. typically it will still be in the pipe of the toilet.
my 2 yearold flushed a disposable diaper. :)

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We had to pull our toilet years ago when something got flushed down and was stuck in the actual toilet. We bought a simple plumbing book from Home Depot and it gave us step by step instructions on how to do it. You could probably find this information on the internet. One piece of advice is to go to the hardware store and pick up a toilet seal before you start the job as you will need to replace this when you put the toilet back. If you aren't comfortable with this, then I would suggest you call a plumber. Good luck!

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I think a plumber snake is the only things that can get toys out of pipes.

Oh dear...mine is starting to try and flush anything and everything she can down the toilet.Thats what we get for letting her flush the toilet after we use it since she's showing so much interest in it and wanting to use the potty.Since we've started potty training on her own schedule I didn't think about the toy factor but it's there.lol
Good luck.I haven't yet had something successfully slushed.Niece (who's now 6) tried it with my old nokia when she was about 2 but thank god the old cells are too heavy...it just sat at the bottom.lol

Call a Plumber. If you (or your husband) try to fix it yourselves, you may cause more harm than good. Don't do anything until you call a professional.

Sorry - but I think you'll need a plumber...and then buy toilet locks.

call a plumber before you do any more damage!