Instead of having to pay a plumber to take care of your toilet clogs, it would be more cost efficient for you to learn how to do the job yourself. Using a toilet plunger is easy, and should take care of most of the clogs you’re likely to encounter. When using one, make sure there is enough water in the toilet bowl to cover the plunger’s rubber suction cup. Water doesn’t compress under pressure, so having water in the pipes is far better than air. Good toilet plungers create a water tight seal over the toilet’s drain, minimizing slippage.

Of course there are clogs out there that can’t be solved with a toilet plunger, especially if you have purchased one of those cheap toilets for sale, with a poor flush performance and narrow trapway. While some experts might suggest using a wire hanger to hook whatever is blocking the trapway, it’s probably a better idea to purchase a toilet auger or plumbers snake instead. An auger is designed specifically to unclog your toilet and you won’t run the risk of damaging the porcelain as you would if you were to use a wire hanger. Toilet augers can be found in most hardware stores, and usually cost less than $50, so after using it just once it starts to pay for itself.

A toilet auger works similarly to a drain snake. The first thing you need to do is insert the auger into the toilet bowl, making sure the wire bit at the end is inserted into the drain. There should be a rubber sleeve surrounding the part of the auger that comes into contact with the porcelain, preventing any scratching or scraping. Once you’ve got the auger in place, turn the crank on the other end until it feels tight. This is a sign that the wire bit has reached the clog. Turn the crank in the opposite direction to pull the blockage out of the toilet trapway, solving your problem.