To use a potty (kitchen bowl)

[nadadise]

Our toilet has broken, can't afford to fix it.

Is it really awful to use a kitchen washing up bowl?

I hate doing it but I can't think of any alternatives. Any ideas?

The 'plunger ' was a misinterpretation. Rephrase - 'I tried plunging my hand into the loo to unblock whatever was in there but it didn't work.'

Have also tried boiling water and sink unblocked and caustic soda (last night after this thread.) I also ordered the toilet plunger then. Evidence below

No, I really don't want people feeling sorry for me.

Last year - God, it was awful. Maybe then I'd have wanted people feeling sorry for me :) At present, I'm so grateful it's over and that this problem is one that can be solved in a couple of weeks. I have repeatedly said things like - I have a job, it's well paid, this situation is temporary. I have refused offers of money.

The thread was started, as I said on page 1 just to see if there were alternatives - as I know some Mumsnetters will have been, if not in the exact same circumstances, certainly in a position where they're temporarily without running water or whatever, and there has been some great advice. I'm not about to confess this to any friends and I don't actually have any family - my surviving parent, my wonderful dad (who would probably have sorted this problem in a heartbeat ) died very suddenly last year in his 60s and that was the catalyst to a chain of events that meant things were difficult.

I'll say again - I really am doing my best and don't feel sorry for me. I'm here, I'm healthy, I have a job with fixed hours and a warm home that will slowly be made beautiful.

Can we possibly end this thread on that note? I realise asking people not to post on threads is bad form but I don't see anything useful or helpful that can be said that hasn't already been covered.

Thanks, Jeeves. Similar experience here with tradesmen.

Hopefully the attached photo will show I did indeed order a loo plunger yesterday evening after the soda was unsuccessful.

As such I hope this confirms I was NOT ignoring helpful advice, am NOT a liar (if I was I am a stupid liar who is £18 poorer because of her lies) and I have been working most of today and hence Amazon was the most convenient option rather than going to a DIY shop.

Thanks again for the suggestions and tips and for those who came to my defence!

No, it's not posting my photo and I don't know why. I've tried twice now - you'll just have to take my word for it!

You don't need to prove anything don't even waste your time trying.
If you were planning on lying for attention I'm sure pooping in a bucket wouldn't be the first thing to come to mind. Hope the plunger works

Op, I'm sorry you had such a bad time last year, it's great things are on the up for you.

Hope the plunger works

The plunger is def the way to go, our loo was majorly blocked a while back, tried caustic soda (several times) and got nowhere, plunger fixed in 10 minutes flat. We bought one specially designed for loo's, took a bit of practice to get a good seal but once we got the hang of it did the job in no time. Top tip, do it in the daytime if poss, makes an ungodly noise when it unblocks! Good luck, let us know how you get on

Sorry to respond again when the OP wanted the thread to die down but seeing Charmin mentioned above reminded me that it has a reputation of keeping plumbers busy with unblocking drains.
We have drains that are prone to block and a septic tank and have been warned never to use Charmin or any of those thick and quilted types of paper. They're made of strong stuff and don't biodegrade as well as you'd hope, so now we stick to the cheaper and thinner stuff and have less problems.

Please do not flame or insult me. Please.

But I wanted to update the hugely helpful posters. The toilet plunger was outside the door of the apartment when I got in from work; I used it immediately and at first I didn't think it had worked as water filled the toilet again but then it went down and the toilet is now back to its former glory.

I am TREMENDOUSLY grateful to you :) - I didn't realise toilet plungers existed until this thread!

So thank you for your helpful suggestions and I thought it was only polite to let you know one worked (seriously, no snippy comments - I'm absolutely exhausted and if I read one I will probably overreact and get all emotional and stupid!)

I'm glad that you've sorted the toilet out. I'm amazed that you never knew toilet plungers existed! It's funny the little gaps in knowledge that people can have. Reminds me of this

xkcd.com/1053/

Hooray! Glad to see a happy ending :)

OP I never knew about toilet plungers until I had need of one and I'd been married about 26 years by that time, so there you go. Now you know and problem solved. Hooray.

Buy cheap loo roll from now on too.

Glad normal service has been resumed :)

Good you're sorted and agree there was no need for the negativity displayed by some. Nobody knows everything. I only learnt about plungers specifically for toilets about 7 years ago via a friend of a friend. He also told me about using cheap loo roll is best! And not to use long untorn strips of it (part of my ocd).

Just for general information, when we were without a working toilet due to the cast iron waste pipe on the outside of the building exploding all over the yard, social services loaned us a chemical toilet until we could get the pipe replaced.

Brilliant news

Hooray!
Glad it's over for you now.

Glad it worked for you op!
There really was no need for some of the nastiness on this thread xx

So glad it worked for you op.

And I hope things are on the up for you. Sounds like you've had a tough time

Yay to shitting on a toilet again

Really pleased it's sorted op.

I've just read this whole thread and the only thing that's shocked me is how anyone can get to adulthood without knowing how to use a toilet plunger!! It's a basic skill, right?

FWIW OP well done. There's a real sense of accomplishment that comes with being able to manage your own toilet.

sneepy - seriously? I'd never heard of them although I did know about rods. I'm well into adulthood and have never had to deal with a blocked loo myself.

OP - sorry I missed that you had tried all the suggestions before I posted the last time. I didn't apologise sooner - you didn't want the thread to continue at that point. Anyway, glad it's all sorted and didn't require a plumber.

When we had a blocked drain we were told by the company who unblocked it never to use a half flush on the toilet as by doing so not enough water goes down to clear the drains.

Oh and I didn't realise until I read this thread that there was such a thing as a toilet plunger. And I'm married to a handyman...

I wouldn't be at all surprised if a local plumber would sort this out for free. One I know makes his money doing new bathrooms etc but sorts out blocked toilets/leaky taps for free, especially for little old ladies and those with small children. Maybe ask around for a personal recommendation. Failing that I'm sure you'd find one who'd fix it as an emergency and let you pay at the end of the month.