Toilet clogs can be extremely disruptive and they often tend to happen in the most inconvenient and ill-timed moments. Fortunately, most toilet clogs can easily be addressed with simple tools you likely have lying around the house. If you want to learn how to unclog toilets like the pros, here are some tips and steps you can follow do exactly that without damaging your toilet fixture and its mechanisms:

1. Avoid overflow.

  • Toilet clogs can be frustrating but relax we can help. Resist the urge to be trigger happy on your flush valves. This will cause water to overflow and create even more problems.
  • If your toilet isn’t flushing properly after one turn or push of the flush, DON’T try and flush again. This will only pump more water into the toilet bowl.
  • To prevent overflow or perhaps the continuous flow of water into your bowl, take the toilet tank lid off and close the flapper to prevent more water from getting pumped into the bowl. The toilet flapper in your tank resembles a drain stopper that’s attached to a chain.

2. Prep your bathroom.

  • When experiencing clogs in the toilet, it’s always wise to prep the bathroom for the possible mess. This will make cleanup easier afterwards.
  • Placing scrap paper, paper towels, or anything that can soak up liquid on your bathroom floor around the toilet bowl is a good precaution in case of splashing and flooding occurs.
  • Turn ventilation on in case of foul odors.
  • Arm yourself with the right sanitary gear like rubber gloves to protect yourself from pathogens that might be present in dirty toilet water.

3. Try to clear the obstruction.

  • Check to see if the obstruction can be cleared with simple plunger action. If the source of the clog is visible, you can try reaching into your toilet (gloves on) to clear the clog with your hands.
  • Children’s toys, paper products, and other large debris are often to blame for surface clogs.

4. Use a quality plunger.

  • Invest in the good quality plunger to keep handy at home. There are heavy-duty rubber plungers that you can find in the market, some with a ball-shaped or fold-out rubber flange that forms a seal for your toilet.
  • When using rubber plungers, run the tool under hot water to soften up the rubber and make it easier to create a seal for pushing clogs out of the way.

5. Secure the plunger into your toilet bowl.

  • When inserting a plunger into your bowl, make sure that it covers the hole completely and that the rubber is submerged in toilet water for maximum effectiveness.
  • You want to push and pull water and not air through the toilet opening.
  • If necessary, add more water into your sink bowl so that the plunger is fully submerged.

6. Flush your toilet to check if plunging did its work.

  • If water still doesn’t clear, repeat the steps until the stubborn clog loosens.
  • However, if plunging is doing nothing for the clog in your toilet bowl, consider using products that are purposefully built for clearing out clogs in toilet bowls and septic systems. These products will help dissolve clogs and make plunging much easier.

To prevent clogs in the future, try Danco’s newest brand of drain cleaners and toilet/sink uncloggers—TruFusion.

Trufusion’s Washout Monthly Maintenance Drain Cleaner Build-Up Remover has a septic-safe formulation that contains non-pathogenic materials, enzymes, and biologicals that eat away build-up without being harsh on your drain pipes and without disturbing the balance within your septic system.

This makes it a safe choice for unclogging home drains as well as cleaning septic systems. This product is aggressive on clogs and buildup and not on your drain pipes, working hard to break down layers upon layers of sediments that have accumulated inside your pipeline.