Stop the water
- Lift the tank lid. Push the rubber flapper down with your hand. Water stops filling the bowl immediately.
- Close the shut-off valve — small oval handle behind the toilet, on the wall. Turn it clockwise until tight.
- Take a breath. The flood is contained.
Now clear the clog
- Use a flange plunger (the kind with the cone, not the flat cup). Cup-style plungers don't seal toilets.
- Insert at an angle so the cone fills with water, not air. Push down firmly, then pull straight up. Repeat 10–15 times.
- If water level is at the rim, bail half of it into a bucket first so you don't splash.
If plunging fails
- A closet auger (toilet snake) costs ~$30 at Home Hardware and reaches deeper than a plunger.
- Don't use a chemical drain cleaner in a toilet — it can crack the porcelain and won't reach the trap anyway.
Call a plumber if
- Multiple drains in the house are backing up at once (sewer line issue)
- The toilet keeps clogging week after week — something is stuck in the trap