Aside from the smell and the splash of the toilet water, there is not a lot to like about clearing a blocked  toilet. Not funny, I know. All kidding aside, what do you do if a vigorous application of the plunger is not producing results?

Obviously, more rigorous measures must be employed. Here they are in ascending order of difficulty.

Wait Twenty Minutes

Allowing the blocked toilet to settle will sometimes loosen enough of the material to allow the plunger to finish the job. Just don’t flush the blocked toilet until the clog has been removed or you will have a big mess on your floor to clean up.

Use a Hand Held Snake

Every hardware store sells a tool specifically designed to rout out the six feet from the bottom of a toilet bowl to the junction with the larger, main sewer pipe. It is extremely easy to use and clears 90 percent of toilets stoppages.

Rout with a Power Snake

The need for a power snake indicates a problem more severe than one human can produce. In other words, there is a significant stoppage somewhere in the main line. Renting a machine from a big box store and routing the outside main should usually remedy this problem in short order.

Hire a Professional

At this point, you have exhausted all the solutions available to the average do it yourself guy. Unfortunately, something significantly large has blocked your main sewage line. It could be anything from feminine hygiene products to children’s toys. If you are exceedingly unlucky, a tree root has collapsed the line somewhere in your front yard. The only solution is to bring in a professional drain cleaner with a camera and an industrial sized router.

It may sound trite, but the first step in fixing a blocked toilet is to remain calm. Repeatedly flushing the toilet will only result in a mess. Use the plunger and hand held router, if available, and then decide if you will try resolving the problem yourself or call a professional drain cleaner.