DIY – How to Remove an Old Toilet in 5 Easy Steps

It’s inevitable. There will come a time when you will have to replace your old toilet. It may be broken beyond repair. Or, maybe you just want to upgrade to something more stylish, or Eco-friendly like a water saving toilet. Either way, removing your old toilet is a simple do-it-yourself task that can be completed in no time. If you’re good with your hands and enjoy working with plumbing supplies, you’ll get a kick out of this DIY project. There’s no need to call a plumber to remove your old toilet.

Items Needed

• Old rags or newspapers (thick towels for ceramic flooring)
• Bucket for scooping out water
• Pliers or screwdriver for unscrewing the nuts
• Utility knife for loosening the toilet’s seal

5 Easy Steps for DIY Toilet Removal

Once you have familiarized yourself with the different parts of a standard model toilet, you’re ready for your DIY toilet project. Here are five simple steps for your DIY toilet removal project:

1. Protect Your Bathroom Floor

Before you start your DIY toilet removing project, cover your floor with old rags or thick layers of newspaper. This is what you will set the toilet on after it’s been removed. It’s recommended that you use thick, cushioning towels if you have a ceramic tile on the floor in your bathroom. If you accidentally drop the toilet, you can crack or even destroy your ceramic tile. So, try to make the cushion as thick as possible. You don’t want to have to start a DIY ceramic tile replacement because you made a careless mistake.

2. Drain the Water

• Turn of the main water supply to the toilet. This is usually located directly behind the toilet bowl. Once the water has been disconnected, flush the toilet numerous times. This repeated flushing will empty out the water from inside the toilet tank. This will also help to remove most of it from the toilet bowl.
• Use a container, such as a bucket or pot, to scoop out the remaining water. Water left in the toilet will more than likely leak out as you’re carrying the toilet through your home for disposal. It will also sit in the abandoned toilet, causing a build up of fungus, mold and bugs.

3. Disconnect the Toilet

• Locate the nuts that connect the toilet to the water supply line. Unscrew these nuts.
• Locate the caps that cover the bolts located on the base of the toilet. Unscrew these nuts, too.

4. Loosen Seal Around Toilet

• Use a utility knife to loosen and score the caulking seal around between the toilet bowl and the floor.
• Rock the toilet from side to side until it’s completely free from the caulking and no longer sealed to the floor.

5. Remove the Toilet

• Make sure your towels or newspapers are laid out properly.
• Lift the toilet from its foundation. Make sure to hold the toilet by the bowl, not the toilet seat, for a secure grip.
• Sit the toilet down carefully on the towels or newspapers.
• Use a rag to block the now open drain pipe. This will prevent sewage gases from escaping into your home.

When you’re ready to install your new toilet, we can help with that too. Check out our article entitled, “DIY- How to Install a New Toilet” for assistance.