How to Unclog a Toilet
Learn how to unclog a toilet with a plunger, hot water and dish soap, baking soda and vinegar, or a toilet auger. Step-by-step methods plus when to call a plumber.
We will say it plainly: a clogged toilet is one of those household problems that feels ten times more urgent than it actually is. The water is rising, you are standing there thinking about your flooring, and every second feels like a countdown to disaster.
You are not alone in this. A Kohler survey found that 28 million toilets clog per month in the United States. The good news is that the vast majority of those clogs are easy to fix yourself in under ten minutes with tools you probably already have. We have dealt with more clogged toilets than we would like to admit, and the techniques below are the same ones that work every single time. No plumber required for most of them.
Flange plunger (the kind with an extra rubber lip inside the cup) Rubber gloves Old towels or newspaper for the floor around the toilet Bucket Liquid dish soap Pot or kettle for heating water Toilet auger/closet auger (for stubborn clogs) Baking soda and white vinegar (optional, for chemical-free approach)
Stop the water before it overflows
If the bowl is rising after a flush, act fast. Lift the tank lid off the back of the toilet and push the rubber flapper valve down to seal the drain hole. This stops more water from entering the bowl. Then reach behind the toilet and turn the oval-shaped shutoff valve clockwise until it stops. If you cannot find the shutoff valve or it will not budge, lift the float ball or float cup inside the tank upward and hold it. This prevents the tank from refilling and sending more water into the bowl. Keep holding it until the water level in the bowl stabilizes.
Heads up: Do not flush a second time hoping the clog will clear itself. A second flush with a full bowl is how bathroom floods happen.
Grab a flange plunger and seal it properly
You want a flange plunger, not a flat cup plunger. A flange plunger has an extra rubber lip that folds out from inside the cup, and that lip creates a much tighter seal around the toilet drain opening. Flat cup plungers are designed for sinks and tubs. They work poorly on toilets because the drain hole is curved and recessed. Run the plunger under hot tap water for a minute or two before you start. Cold rubber is stiff and does not flex into a tight seal. Warm rubber is pliable and grips better. Insert the plunger at an angle so the cup fills with water, not air. You want hydraulic pressure, which is water pushing against the clog. Air compresses and loses force. Fit the flange snugly into the drain hole so no gaps remain around the edges.
Good to know: If you only have a flat cup plunger, fold the edges inward to create a makeshift seal. It is not ideal, but it works in a pinch.
Plunge with steady, controlled strokes
Start gently with the first few strokes. The goal of the initial pushes is to force air out of the cup and get water moving back and forth through the drain. Once you feel resistance and the plunger is sealed tight, increase the force. Push down firmly, then pull back sharply. The push-pull action creates alternating pressure and suction that works the clog loose from both directions. Keep the plunger submerged the entire time. If the cup breaks the surface, you lose the seal and have to start over. Do about 15 to 20 vigorous strokes, then pull the plunger out and see if the water drains. If the water level drops, the clog is clearing. Flush once to confirm. If the bowl fills up again without draining, repeat the plunging cycle. Most clogs clear within two to three rounds.
Try hot water and dish soap for stubborn clogs
If plunging alone is not working, remove as much standing water from the bowl as you can using a disposable cup or small container. Then squirt a generous amount of liquid dish soap into the bowl, about half a cup. Heat a pot or kettle of water on the stove until it is hot but not boiling. You want it around the temperature of hot tea. Pour the hot water into the bowl from waist height so the force of the pour helps push things along. The soap acts as a lubricant, reducing friction between the clog and the porcelain drain passage, while the hot water softens and loosens organic material. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. The combination often dissolves or loosens clogs made of toilet paper and waste, which account for the vast majority of household toilet blockages. After waiting, try flushing. If the water drains slowly, repeat the process one more time before moving on.
Heads up: Never pour boiling water directly into a toilet bowl. Porcelain can crack from thermal shock. Use water that is hot to the touch but comfortable enough to briefly dip a finger in.
Use a toilet auger for deep or solid clogs
A toilet auger, also called a closet auger, is a three-foot flexible cable inside a protective metal housing with a rubber sleeve at the tip. The housing prevents the metal cable from scratching the porcelain, which is why you should never use a regular drain snake on a toilet. Insert the auger into the drain opening with the rubber-sleeved end going in first. Crank the handle clockwise while pushing the cable forward. You will feel resistance when the cable reaches the clog, usually within a foot or two. Keep cranking to either break through the obstruction or hook onto it. Once you feel the cable move freely, slowly pull the auger back out. The clog material may come out attached to the cable tip. Flush the toilet to test. If water still drains slowly, run the auger through once more. Toilet augers handle objects that plungers cannot reach, like toys, cotton swabs, or excessive toilet paper buildup deep in the trapway.
Good to know: A toilet auger costs around 15 to 30 dollars at any hardware store and lasts for years. It is the single best tool investment for a homeowner who wants to avoid calling a plumber.
Try baking soda and vinegar as a chemical-free option
Remove as much water from the bowl as you can. Pour one cup of baking soda into the bowl and let it settle to the bottom. Then slowly pour two cups of white vinegar over the baking soda. The mixture will fizz and bubble, which is the chemical reaction between the acid and the base. This fizzing action helps break apart soft clogs made of organic material and toilet paper. Let the reaction work for 20 to 30 minutes. After waiting, pour a pot of hot (not boiling) water into the bowl from about waist height. The combination of the chemical reaction and the hot water often clears clogs that plunging and dish soap could not. This method is gentler on pipes than commercial drain cleaners and safe for septic systems.
Know when to call a plumber
If you have tried plunging, hot water and dish soap, baking soda and vinegar, and a toilet auger without success, the clog is likely beyond the toilet itself. It may be in the main drain line or even in the sewer lateral that connects your house to the municipal system. Other signs you need professional help: multiple fixtures backing up at the same time (toilet and shower, or toilet and sink), gurgling sounds from other drains when you flush, water coming up through the floor drain in the basement, or sewage smell throughout the house. These symptoms point to a mainline blockage, which requires professional equipment like a motorized sewer snake or a hydro-jetting machine. Also call a plumber if you suspect a hard object fell into the toilet and you cannot retrieve it with an auger. Forcing a foreign object deeper into the drain can create a much more expensive problem farther down the line.
Prevent future clogs
Most toilet clogs are entirely preventable. Use only toilet paper in the toilet. Despite what the packaging says, flushable wipes do not break down the way toilet paper does and are a leading cause of household and municipal sewer blockages. Keep a small trash can with a lid next to every toilet. Cotton balls, dental floss, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, and hair all belong in the trash, not the toilet. Dental floss in particular wraps around other debris and creates stubborn clogs over time. If your toilet clogs frequently, the issue might be the toilet itself. Older low-flow models from the mid-1990s were notorious for weak flushes. Modern low-flow toilets, especially those with EPA WaterSense certification, use 1.28 gallons per flush and clear the bowl reliably. Replacing an old toilet often solves a chronic clogging problem permanently. If you are already dealing with slow drains elsewhere in the house, our guide on how to unclog a drain covers kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, and shower drains. And if your toilet runs constantly after you clear the clog, that is a different fix entirely. Our guide on how to fix a running toilet walks through the flapper, fill valve, and float adjustments that stop the problem.
A clogged toilet is not a crisis. Nine times out of ten, a good flange plunger and a couple minutes of steady plunging will have things flowing again. The hot water and dish soap trick handles most of what the plunger misses, and a toilet auger takes care of the rest. If you have worked through every method here and the toilet still will not drain, the problem is almost certainly deeper than the toilet itself. That is when a plumber earns their money. But for the everyday clogs that account for the vast majority of calls, you now have everything you need to handle it yourself.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
We do not recommend it. Most chemical drain cleaners like Drano are designed for sinks, not toilets. The active ingredients can damage the wax ring seal at the base of the toilet and corrode older metal pipes with repeated use. They also create hazardous fumes in the small enclosed space of a bathroom. A plunger, hot water with dish soap, or a toilet auger are safer and more effective for toilet clogs specifically.
Frequent clogs usually come down to one of four things: using too much toilet paper per flush, flushing items that do not break down (wipes, cotton products, feminine hygiene products), an older low-flow toilet with a weak flush mechanism, or a partial obstruction deeper in the drain line that catches debris over time. Try reducing the amount of toilet paper per flush first. If clogs continue, run a toilet auger to check for a partial blockage in the trapway. Persistent problems across multiple fixtures usually mean the main sewer line needs professional cleaning.
The hot water and dish soap method is your best bet. Remove excess water from the bowl, squirt in half a cup of dish soap, wait five minutes, then pour in a pot of hot (not boiling) water from waist height. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. The soap lubricates the passage while the hot water softens the clog. You can also try the baking soda and vinegar method: one cup of baking soda followed by two cups of white vinegar, wait 20 to 30 minutes, then add hot water.
Sometimes, yes. If the clog is made of toilet paper and organic waste, it may dissolve on its own over several hours as the paper fibers break down in the standing water. This works best if the bowl is not completely full. Leave it alone for a few hours (or overnight), then try a gentle flush. However, clogs caused by foreign objects, wipes, or excessive buildup will not clear on their own and need manual intervention.
A plunger uses suction and pressure to dislodge clogs near the top of the drain. It works on most everyday clogs caused by toilet paper or waste. A toilet auger (closet auger) is a flexible cable that reaches two to three feet into the drain to physically break through or pull out clogs that a plunger cannot reach. Think of the plunger as the first tool you grab and the auger as the backup for stubborn clogs. Most homeowners will solve 95 percent of toilet clogs with just a plunger.
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