A clogged toilet is an inconvenience that can quickly leave you facing an unsanitary mess in your bathroom if dirty water overflows the bowl. Watching the water level creep steadily higher is stressful, but fortunately, fixing a clogged toilet is something you can handle without having to call a plumber. All you need are a few supplies, some basic household tools and the right know-how to unclog a toilet. Watch our short video, and read on for a more detailed look at why clogs occur and how to fix one quickly, before disaster strikes.

Understanding Why Toilets Get Clogged

Toilet drains have a curved-shape trap where regular waste, excess toilet paper and foreign objects can easily form a clog or cause a partial or complete blockage. If the toilet trap is blocked, you won't be able to successfully flush because water and waste have nowhere to go, and the bowl can quickly fill up or, even worse, overflow.

How to Unclog a Toilet — A Step-By-Step Guide

First, shut off the valve located on the water supply line leading to your toilet tank to prevent a potential overflow. Once that's taken care of, follow these three tried and true methods to unclog a toilet:

1. Use a trusty toilet plunger

According to Family Handyman, up to 90% of clogs can be cleared using a toilet plunger, which is equipped with an extra-long flange. If you don't have a toilet plunger, you can buy one of these inexpensive, handy tools at Home Depot and most hardware stores. You can also use a regular cup plunger and do the following:

2. Get out the snake or auger

Knowing how to unclog a toilet using a plumbing snake or toilet auger can save you the expense and hassle of calling a plumber if plunging doesn't work. These drain cleaning tools can cut through regular waste and hook a foreign object, such as a child's toy, if that's what's blocking the drain. Toilet augers are sold at most big-box home centers and hardware stores. Using one to remove the clog is easy — just follow these steps:

3. Try loosening the clog naturally

If you lack tools, there are still steps you can take to unclog a toilet without a plunger or snake. Head to the kitchen and grab a measuring cup, a box of baking soda and some plain white vinegar.

• Measure out one cup of baking soda and pour it into the toilet.
• Wait a couple of minutes, then add two cups of vinegar.

If you don't have baking soda and vinegar on hand, you can try the hot water and liquid dish soap method — you'll also need a bucket or large bowl for transporting the water and an extra container for dirty water.

• Partially fill the bucket with the hottest water possible from your bathroom or kitchen faucet and pour it slowly into the toilet until the bowl is half full.
• Next, squeeze in a generous amount of dish detergent — about a quarter cup should do the trick.

Whichever method you use, give the ingredients 10 to 15 minutes to loosen the clog and then check to see if the water level in the bowl is receding. If it's not, turn on the water supply and try flushing the toilet a couple of times, but be ready to shut it off again before the level of water in the bowl gets too high.

If there's no change, repeat the procedure — it may take a few attempts for the clog to release. In between tries, be ready to scoop water from the toilet bowl to prevent an overflow, just be sure to wear rubber gloves.

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