9 Things to Do When Your Ring Falls Down the Toilet

You know that sinking feeling. You hear the plop and then the tink of your ring against the porcelain in the toilet, and your toddler quickly flushes it down. You are devastated. It’s a ring you love and a relationship you cherish. The symbol of that relationship has literally gone down the drain.

Rings fall down toilets, but not all is lost! Your ring may still be in there, or there's another way to restore your jewelry. Follow these 9 steps to learn what to do when a ring falls down the toilet.

What to Do When Your Ring Falls Down the Toilet

1. Try to retrieve it manually.

Sometimes it will just stay in the back of the drain and you can reach it easily. It’s heavier than waste or toilet paper, so this is a real possibility. If you aren’t able to reach the item with your hand, there are tools that can reach deeper into the plumbing. One great tool is a snaking tool. It has grips along the sides for removing hair from a drain. A re-purposed coat hanger is another idea. The hook may find the ring and bring it up to you.

2. The coat hanger only has one hook.

A tool with more hooks is a good idea. You could use a fishing lure. Tie several hooks onto the fishing line. Make sure the line is at least four feet long. Flush the lure and slowly pull it up using the line. All those extra hooks may find your lost ring. If you still haven’t retrieved your ring after this step, there’s still hope.

3. Remove the toilet.

Don’t panic this isn’t as hard as it sounds. If you love the jewelry you lost, it’s well worth the effort.

4. Turn the water off using the knob on the water supply line behind the toilet.

Flush the toilet to drain the water. Remove the rest of the water from the tank. You can do this by bailing the water out with a cup and then sponging up the rest. Lay out some towels around your workspace, some water will get sloshed around during this process.

5. Remove the tank from the bowl.

The tank is attached by two nuts and bolts underneath the tank. Carefully lift it and place it away from your workspace.

6. Remove the toilet seat.

The seat is attached behind the bowl by two bolts. It’s fairly easy to remove this part.

7. Remove the toilet bowl.

To do this, loosen the screws that hold the toilet to the floor. These are housed under the rounded caps at the base of the toilet. Make sure not to lose the caps or the screws. They are vital to replacing the toilet later.

8. Shake the toilet.

You can see there is a curvy pipe shape along the side of the toilet bowl. That’s the actual shape of the plumbing, and your ring could be lodged anywhere in there.

9. Get another person to help you lift and shake the toilet.

You may be able to hear the ring rattle around in there. You may even need to turn the toilet bowl over completely. By now, if the ring is still in the plumbing of the toilet, it will have fallen out.

Some people have found lost rings years later during remodels of their bathrooms, so your chances of finding it are good. If it still hasn’t appeared, definitely dig around in the plumbing again using your snake or fishhook tool.

Hopefully by now you found your ring! A super common occurrence, we hope these tips will help you to retrieve your precious ring in no time! Performing a chore like this is a chance to learn about your own plumbing. If you tackle this job you may find that the next time there’s a plumbing problem you can handle it by yourself and not have to spend the time waiting for a plumber.

Accidents happen, so if you find yourself needing to clean some jewelry, pop it over to us and we can get it sorted in no time- get started here!