The Right Way To Use A Toilet Plunger For An Efficient Flush
If you think that you can use any old plunger in any old way to take care of a tough clog in your toilet, think again. The best way to unclog your toilet is by using the plunger. A correct way to use this tool does exist, though, helping you have more success in clearing difficult clogs and putting your toilet back to normal operation.
Using your toilet plunger the right way is a pretty easy process. All plungers have a cup or bowl shape. Place this part inside the toilet bowl and tilt it, allowing it to fill with water. If this isn't quite working, you can pour water inside the plunger cup as you hold it in the toilet bowl. Using a pre-filled cup on the plunger helps it to generate additional pressure against the clog. If the cup only has air in it, trying to push air through the water in the toilet bowl to reach the clog doesn't offer the same level of power as pushing only water.
Place the cup of the plunger directly over the hole in the bottom of the bowl. You want to create a seal over the hole as tightly as possible. Grab the handle and quickly move the handle up and down. The act of pushing the water from inside the plunger cup into the waste pipe of the toilet and then sucking water back out should loosen the clog. Continue the motion until the clog alleviates.
Other considerations for plunging a stubbornly clogged toilet effectively
Beyond using the plunger correctly, having the right type of plunger on hand to clear stubborn clogs should give you a better chance of success. A cup-shaped plunger is probably the wrong type of plunger to use on the toilet for really stubborn clogs. A flange-style plunger, which has an extra flap of rubber that extends downward from the center of the cup, can generate better pressure and suction than the cup-shaped plunger that doesn't have this extra piece.
Prepare for splashes, as the vigorous motion required to use the plunger always creates a chance of water sloshing out of the toilet bowl onto the floor. You may want to place towels on the floor around the bowl to catch these splashes and to make cleanup easier. To reduce the chances of splash back, make sure that you fill the cup of the plunger with water. An air-filled cup could increase the amount of splashing that you experience.
Although these techniques should dislodge the clog effectively, if you have a particularly tough clog, you can try blocking any holes in the bathroom plumbing where air would escape. Place duct tape over holes in your bathroom plumbing like the drains in the sink, bathtub, and shower. If you don't block these holes, it reduces the pressure you can generate on the clog. But you really only need to take this step if the clog is not responding to basic techniques.