Toilet-specific plungers get the job done faster with way less effort and mess

I use a bidet and that cuts down on TP usage, but sometimes you get a big ol' honker of a log ploppin' out and that sucker just says, "Not today." That's when the trusty turd wrangler is your best friend.

One time I was at my mother-in-laws and clogged that some bitch. I couldn't find a plunger. Turns out my sister-in-law took it when she went away to college, because she was too scared to buy one. I tried to text my wife, but I had no service. So I left it there and went and told my wife. My mother-in-law took a golf cart to the neighbor's house and explained the situation and they let her borrow theirs. Meanwhile, I'm fucking mortified that the neighbors now think I have fiber intake issues.

Always keep a plunger in a bathroom with a toilet.

Bidet is the way.

There's a lot of intriguing family history in your story. SIL scared to buy a plunger. MIL took a golf cart. Interesting group.
- Bro, that ain't the half of it. My father-in-law built an entire western town in his backyard and when he was done he built a Jurassic Park with dinosaurs essentially made of trash. Here is a shitty picture of the saloon with a bar in it. I'll see if I can find some of the dinosaur pics too.
That's what the poop knife is for.
- I try to get out… BUT THEY KEEP PULLING ME BACK IN!
Proclaim the Gospel of W. C. Jesus!
This guy poop knifes
Thanks for this story. I read it while taking a shit
Hey I have this very specific problem whenever I use this thin-USE BIDETS, USE BIDETS OR YOU WILL REGRET IT FOREVER, IT USES LESS TOILET PAPER AND WHY AREN'T YOU USING THEM YET THEY'RE PERFECT AND GREAT AND...

How you sound right now.
- Say that to my face. I fuggin' dare you, dude.

I'll keep that in mind next time I poop in the sink.

And the bidet's right there.

Good thinking.
- Damn and my kitchen faucet comes with a "power wash" mode. I can't wait to blast boiling hot water up my butthole. 🤤
- And the sink strainer is there to save and repurpose the corn.
Which brings up a good point; why would anyone need a plunger for a sink? If it gets clogged, nothing will help you short of a drain snake. And if your kitchen sink is getting clogged, it's time to invest in a garbage disposal.
- Plungers certainly do help with sinks. Loosens up a partial clog easily in my experience.
- I've found a plunger useful for a sink occasionally, a bit of back and forth plunging can loosen up a hairball or break a layer of fat/soap scum. On the other hand I've never needed to use a plunger on a toilet - I don't know how much of this is exaggeration on the internet but Australian toilets don't seem to have anywhere near the amount of issues the American designs do.

Babe quick, new toilet lore just dropped!

skibidi?
- Don't eat it
About 250 years old, thinking it's new is why I wanted a YSK post.
- yeah but I feel....
  
  always had the left style 'sink' plungers growing up. they unclogged the shitter just fine.
  
  Absolutely never, ever tried using a plunger on the sink. I guess our family didn't clog the sinks so much? what's clogging these sinks that they justify a plunger?

Am I the only one who's never used a plunger (and never needed to)?

You elfin anomaly.
Nope, same and never heard others talking about it in real life. I'm guessing there is some design issues in the American toilets that is not a problem in Europe. Or it's the large portions of low quality food?
- American plumbing is shit (pun intended) compared to Europe's. Source: I lived in Germany for 10 years and never once needed a plunger, while I've needed them regularly in the US.
Are you American though? Here in the UK, nobody really owns a plunger and they don't need to, the plumbing is different, it doesn't clog. Do need to own a toilet brush though, to wipe off the skidmarks, which is more rare in the US.
- It's not just the UK that nobody needs a plunger, it's every modern country except the US. Their plumbing is a century out of date and they eat ultra-processed junk
  
  A recipe for dis-ass-ter
- I am not, so I guess that explains it. Thanks!
Some us don't poop in the woods every day.
Of course you are. Every other human on the planet is issued a plunger at birth. What's wrong with you?
Eat more fiber.

Most plungers are both. Pull down the cone for the commode or push it up inside for the sink.

What kind of maniac uses it in a sink after using it in a toilet?
- Clean it first. Then clean the sink after using soiled plumbing tools.
Who uses the same plunger for the toilet and kitchen sink?
- I guess the kind that actually cleans the plunger after use. When I have to use one, after use, I take it outside and hose it off with the hose pipe then soak it in a bucket of bleach water.
- The sink is one of the easiest areas of your house to clean with soap and water.
I prefer not to put my hand on the business end of the doodie derby rod, thank you very much

Ok but where's the poop knife?

Where else?

on the poop knife peg.

The ol pkp.
Which raises the question of what the difference is between the sink poop knife and the toilet poop knife?
- sink poop knife
  
  :|
  
  :\

My new toilet doesn't fit either of the above shapes, but a "Beehive" plunger works great.

https://www.korky.com/parts/plungers/beehive-max-toilet-plunger

The toilet also flushed really well and hasn't gotten plugged up even once yet, but I made sure to have one that would work as soon as the toilet was ready to use.

What's different between the beehive flange and the toilet plunger flange? they look the same.

or perhaps I should ask what shape is your toilet?
- (USA) - I had the same issue as the user above due to a high efficiency toilet. The opening is more rectangular/ elongated than a normal toilet's circular opening.
- I now just imagine them having a hexagonal toilet.
- Here's the toilet, though the pics aren't helpful.
  
  https://www.build.com/product/summary/618486
  
  The exit hole is recessed backwards and squareish, with a wide channel. The flange doesn't sit properly inside it, and the circumference of the bell is too small. With the beehive the circumference is wider, and it just sort of smothers the whole area, and pumps the water through its center hole, which has nowhere to go but into the exit. Like, it's not anything precise, it would probably work great in a "normal" toilet just as well because it just fills whatever space there is.
Why did a regular one not fit?
- Basically, it's shaped weird and won't make a seal. It's a WaterSense toilet that flushes very efficiently with 1.28 gallons, with an unusual configuration of input/output under the water. Almost like a channel from front(ish) to back. If you try to use a plunger like those pictured, part of the channel isn't covered, so you just push water back out into the bowl. Good thing I was trying it with a clean new toilet! The wide deep beehive shape lays rubber all into the space, pushing the water down into the exit hole.

Why has no one mentioned this style? I’ve had one for years, and there’s never been a clog it couldn’t fix.

They're too Giger.

the regular toilet plungers also have a flange and work every time without implanting xenomorphs in your chest cavity.
I agree, although the plastic will crack /split along one of the folds eventually, rendering it unusable

Still, that style is my goto
They sell these in dollar stores here.

I didn't have to unclog a sink for years and didn't own a plunger. I was looking for a "classic one" but they only had these and I wasn't sure. I gave it a try anyway and to my surprise, it was very efficient.

Never tried on a toilet and I suspect it would work fine too, but I tried it on my bathtub drain and unfortunately it fails to make a seal.
Why do you have a man-portable Tesla Coil as a plunger?
That's totally a sex toy.

Wait....that's a flange? I always thought those were just pulled out by accident, like turned inside out. I also always just ignored it because it never hinders anything.

Think about where the splashy toilet water goes when they're flipped up inside the plunger. They're shipped that way to cut down on carton space though.
- Yes, that makes sense. TIL.
Yup, that's a flange, designed for toilet drains

Instructions unclear, plunger stuck on the ceiling, shit water all over my feet and on the walls.

No, you got it.

That all sounds correct.
plunger room of death

A manual auger works even better and doesn't splash

manual auger

This is just code for ‘poop knife’, right?
- Poop drill.
- I mean, it basically is a poop knife that can reach further down inside the toilet.
Or start using the shower instead, and stomp it through the grate.
- wafflestomp
The toilet plunger doesn't splash, but toilet augers whip back and forth while you crank them, causing splashing, plus scrape up the toilet bowl.

Augers are way more work than a toilet plunger.
Yeah, but getting it past the s trap is a pain. A plunger works for 90% of clogs.
Every home should have an auger, but a plunger will work quicker, easier, and cleaner, 99 out of 100 times.
- Yeah, I've had to help a neighbor with that 1 time out of 100. The plunger was just causing the water to slam against the turd that had created a perfect seal and splash back outside the toilet. It probably took at least 5 uses with the auger to finally clear out enough crap to finally break it apart enough to let it flush.
  
  Fortunately, the second time I helped them with a nearly identical situation, the plunger worked. But it still took a few forceful plunges in quick succession. I was worried I might have to use the auger again.

Here’s the second iteration of the OG patent.

Originally the simply device on the left was the one plunger to rule them all. It works in sinks and toilets. The flange and the concept of a toilet-specific plunger was a later concept.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US186206A/en

Yup, started with the cup and derived into the flange.

Thanks for linking the US patent!

The Sink plunger is more versetile.

Some sink plungers have a collapsible flange hidden inside
- I also enjoy touching the inside of a plunger
- That's a toilet plunger. Exactly. Sink plungers have no flange. :)
Howww so?

Like as a training sword?
- Soup bowl for feeding tall people
- I do love a good swordfight.
  
  If the flange is not collapseble it can't be used in sink.

Growing up my mom didn’t understand this and always insisted that the sink plungers were the only kind that worked (she also called them toilet plungers) and that toilet plungers (the fancy kind) were some kind of trick. Took until I was in college that I learned you shouldn’t have to break a sweat unclogging your toilet.

I strongly identify with this story.

This is wrong. Some toilets use the normal “sink” plunger because the exit opening is too large for the “toilet” marked style. You get either or whatever fits your toilet. It’s not specifically for sink only.

Not at all.

"You get either or whatever fits your toilet. It’s not specifically for sink only."

Incorrect.

The cup plunger is designed to fit over drains on flat surfaces, while flanged plungers are designed to fit inside the outtake valves of toilets.

"Some toilets use the normal “sink” plunger because the exit opening is too large for the “toilet” marked style".

This is also wrong because:

The flange is as wide as a cup plunger for sinks anyway, so a sink plunger won't work if a toilet outtake is too wide for a toilet plunger, and

the toilet plunger is made to fit inside the outtake of the toilet, not over the mouth of the drain like a cup plunger.

they are completely different designs and have different use-cases that you will only give you and others more trouble and mess for by not knowing and spreading misinformation.
- I am not wrong. There are toilet designs where the flange style literally doesn’t cover the exit chute. I have one. I have to use a “sink” style type. The flange style is small and does not form any type of seal due to the shape and size. It’s literally impossible that it is the correct solution. Everything I said is 100% correct.

Sink plungers without the flange work better on sinks, in my experience. So it's nice to have one of each.

There are different builds for drainage snakes for sinks and toilets as well.

One way to be a better neighbor is to get a good drain snake and lend it out as needed.

Until they start stiffening with age.

Usually age has the opposite effect, but I hear they make pills for that.
- /Arteries have entered the chat
- The epdm mine is made of is quite stiff after about 10 years of use

I wonder what the history of this was, and why I never knew about this.

Was there always such a distinction? Did it apply to older toilets as well? Were all my parents, relatives, friends parents just cheap and got the wrong one?

I have only seen one in a commercial bathroom and I just assumed it had to do with those industrial shaped toilets they use.

I have IBS so that's saying a lot.
"Was there always such a distinction?"

No, The first cup plunger was invented as the flushing mechanism in 1777, since the flushing toilet wasn't invented until almost 1800.

that one looked pretty similar to cup plungers of today.

As far as I can find, accordion and flange plungers were developed later to accommodate the standardized outtake valves of modern toilets.

"Did it apply to older toilets as well?"

Yup, except the first cup plunger was held like a hammer rather than a plunger is held today.

"Were all my parents, relatives, friends parents just cheap and got the wrong one?"

Mine certainly were, and again, this design difference is for some reason not common knowledge, so it's more likely they just didn't know that the flanged plunger is specifically made for toilet drains.

My favorite with the flanged is all the shit that gets caught inside and splashes when you lift it out the water.

It's important to have the right-size flange for each hole, yes.

often, the toilet plunger will look like a sink one on the shelf because they pushed the flange up inside

I guess you get less shit smeared on the top.

This little bad boy here has changed my life.

https://www.isicanadainc.com/product/one-second-plumber/

Haha, that commercial is very funny, but it actually works?

is it shooting compressed air?

it has a 12 shot magazine?

I don't quite understand what it is.
- It's essentially a handheld air cannon. The kit comes with a handle and a suction that covers the toilet hole or whatever. You press down and yeah...it's basically a air-gun shot to the clog.
  
  And yeah. It works great. Not always on the first blast. But I've never had it fail me.
I refuse to acknowledge someone is plunging enough to have their life changed by a plunger. Unless you're using that thing to do whipits.
- Ha ha. No no. I'm pretty good. No problems with the old downstairs plumbing. But it's not just for toilets. It's for bathtub sinks clogged with hair. Kitchen sinks, etc... It's just handy to have around the house. I even used it once to blow the dust out of my dryer vent.
That site has to be one of the poorest editing and proofreading jobs I've ever seen.

Does this really qualify as a diagram?

i wondered the same thing!

i checked dictionaries and i think it does as far as the flange comparison is diagrammed to illustrate the technical differences in design.

what do you suggest?

I once lived in an apartment where the bathtub drain was pretty plugged. It would drain but every shower was done in a slowly rising puddle. I tried draino but it didn't make a difference.

I eventually had a roommate move in and noticed right away that the tub drained better, asked him how he fixed it. He used the plunger. It blew my mind because up until that moment, I had thought a plunger was specifically for use with toilets.

Now I have a toilet plunger plus a smaller sink plunger since the size of the standard one can be awkward to use on a sink, plus the whole not wanting to use something that's been in the toilet on things outside of the toilet.

Not that I've even had a plugged toilet in years, and, having a bidet, it's even less likely going forward.

Bidet for the win.

that's cool, I love stories with aha and oh-whaaaat moments.

i like the smaller sink plungers also,very useful little guys

I've used both and there's not really an appreciable difference in my experience.

Hm, doubt it.

The toilets at my moms house are teeny tiny so this doesn't matter on them

But yes... without the toilet plunger on the right: Do not even try the left one with a modern day toilet, it's sooooo messy

Good post - needed it about a week ago 😂

Moved into a new place with high efficiency toilets and only had our old plunger. Spent multiple hours trying to clear it. I had no idea that these HE toilets are:

1.) More prone to clogs, need pipe maintenance

2.) Elongated and don't work well with a normal plunger

Nearly called a plumber but on a final try picked up a BeeHive plunger at the hardware store.

Took a few attempts, but got it situated correctly and fixed the clog.

Haha dang, I'm glad you got it worked out.

Until I learned the difference, I'd slosh around in there with a normal plunger only after pouring lots of hot water in, which usually works great.

Someone watches reddit stories on smosh

Sorry, not this guy. I've never seen smosh.

My new toilet doesn't fit either of the above shapes, but a "Beehive" plunger works great. The toilet also flushed really well and hasn't gotten plugged up even once yet, but I made sure to have one that would work as soon as the toilet was ready to use.

This is true for sure. You can definitely use either in either situation if you have to.

not at all effectively.

flanged plungers typically dont fit sink drains and will deform upon compression, and sink plungers dont create enough of a vacuum seal in the toilet outtake to be of much use without a lot of unnecessary effort and mess.
- True but you can make it work if you have no choice.

Wow, jackpot upvotes!

Thanks.

I was just as excited as everyone here is when I found out what the flange is for.

Oh snip snaps cumulative upvotes jackpot!

cringe
- okay...i cringed.
  
  nope, didnt get anything out of that.