The short answer
Most clogged toilets we see in Northern Virginia clear with the right plunger used the right way: a flange plunger, sealed over the hole, 15 to 20 firm strokes. If that doesn’t move it, a toilet auger clears nearly everything a plunger can’t. If the auger doesn’t clear it, or the tub and sinks are slow too, the clog is past the toilet, and that’s when to stop.
First, stop the water
If the bowl is close to the rim, don’t flush again. Lift the tank lid and press the flapper, the rubber flap at the bottom of the tank, down to stop more water coming in. Then turn the shutoff valve behind the toilet clockwise until it stops. If the valve won’t turn, lift the float and hold it up. Put old towels on the floor before you start, because plunging splashes.
Free Second Opinion
Holding a big HVAC or plumbing quote? A tech looks at the system you were quoted on and tells you what it actually needs, with our price if you want it. Get a second opinion
Use the right plunger
A flat cup plunger is a sink plunger. On a toilet it can’t seal the curved opening, so most of the push goes out the sides. A flange plunger has a soft sleeve under the cup that fits into the hole at the bottom of the bowl. That seal is the whole trick.
- Leave enough water in the bowl to cover the cup. If it’s nearly dry, add some from a bucket. A plunger pushes water, not air.
- Run the plunger under hot tap water for a minute so the rubber softens and seals.
- Set the flange in the hole and press down gently first to push the air out of the cup.
- Then 15 to 20 strong strokes, push and pull, keeping the seal. The pull does as much work as the push.
- Break the seal and watch the water. If it drops, flush once with the tank lid off and your hand ready on the flapper.
Two or three rounds of that is fair. If the water still sits there after the third, a plunger isn’t going to get it.
Then a toilet auger
A toilet auger, also called a closet auger, is a short cable inside a rigid tube with a crank on top and a rubber sleeve at the bend so it doesn’t scratch the bowl. Every hardware store in Northern Virginia sells them, and it’s worth having one in the house.
- Pull the cable up into the tube so only the tip shows.
- Set the bent end in the bowl, sleeve against the porcelain, pointing into the hole.
- Crank clockwise while you push the handle down. The cable feeds through the toilet’s trap, the S-shaped channel built into the base.
- When it stops or catches, keep cranking. That’s it hooking or breaking up the clog.
- Crank it back out while you pull up, then flush.
Don’t use a regular sink snake on a toilet. The bare cable leaves gray scratches in the porcelain that don’t come out, and it kinks in the trap. How to use a drain snake covers which tool goes where.
What not to pour in
Skip chemical drain cleaner. A clogged toilet holds it in the bowl because it can’t get past the clog, and if it doesn’t work, whoever plunges next is splashing lye. Is Drano bad for your pipes? explains why. Skip boiling water too: a sudden pour of boiling water can crack a porcelain bowl. Hot tap water with a squeeze of dish soap, left for 20 minutes, sometimes softens a paper clog. That’s about the most a pour can do.
When it isn’t the toilet
A plunger and a toilet auger only reach the toilet itself. These are the signs the clog is past it:
- The tub or shower gurgles, or water comes up in it, when you flush.
- A basement floor drain has water around it.
- More than one toilet is slow.
- The toilet clears, then clogs again within days.
- The auger goes all the way in and comes back clean.
Any of those points to the line the toilet drains into, often the main line to the street. Plunging harder only pushes water up somewhere else. One drain or the main line walks through how to tell.
Why toilets clog in the first place
Most of what comes out of a clogged toilet is one of four things: wipes, too much paper at once, paper towels or tissues (made to hold together when wet, which is the problem), and small objects like toothbrush caps and toys. “Flushable” wipes clear the toilet and then catch in the main line, sometimes months later. What never goes down a drain has the full list.
Some of the first low-flow toilets from the 1990s just don’t move enough water, and a lot of them are still in Northern Virginia houses. If you’re plunging every week and the other drains are fine, it may be the toilet, not the pipe. Toilet repair and replacement covers what a new one involves.
Toilet overflowing and it won’t stop? Shut the valve behind it and call (703) 997-9757. We run 24/7 emergency plumbing.
When you’d rather we do it
A sink clogged at the trap is $99 with our sink clearing offer, up to the P-trap. A toilet, tub, shower or any drain past the trap is drain cleaning, $200 to $800. The main line to the street runs $550 to $1,650, and when grease or roots keep coming back, hydro jetting clears the pipe wall. You get the price before we start. A plumbing diagnosis visit is $49, or $250 after hours.
Call (703) 997-9757, day or night, or see every current deal on our offers page. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
How do you unclog a toilet fast?
A flange plunger, sealed over the hole, with enough water in the bowl to cover the cup, then 15 to 20 firm strokes. If three rounds don’t move it, use a toilet auger.
Can I use a drain snake on a toilet?
Use a toilet auger, not a sink snake. A toilet auger has a rubber sleeve that protects the porcelain. A bare cable scratches the bowl and kinks in the trap.
Does dish soap and hot water unclog a toilet?
Sometimes, on a soft paper clog. Add a squeeze of dish soap and a bucket of hot tap water, not boiling, and wait 20 minutes. It won’t move wipes, a toy or a clog in the line.
Why does my toilet keep clogging?
Wipes or paper building up past the toilet, an early low-flow toilet that doesn’t move enough water, or a partial clog in the main line. If more than one drain is slow, it’s the line.
When should I call a plumber for a clogged toilet?
When a plunger and a toilet auger don’t clear it, or water comes up in the tub when you flush. Plunging harder only pushes water somewhere else.
