Blocked Toilet? What to Do — and What Not to Do

A blocked toilet is one of the most common call-outs we get — and one of the easiest to make worse. Here's how to handle it.

Don't flush again

If the water is rising, a second flush is how bathrooms flood. If it's close to the rim, lift the cistern lid and push the flapper or float down to stop more water coming in.

Try a plunger — properly

Use a flange (toilet) plunger, not a flat sink plunger. Make a good seal over the outlet and push and pull firmly 10–15 times, keeping it underwater. Often that's all it takes.

Warm (not boiling) water and washing-up liquid

For paper blockages, a squirt of washing-up liquid followed by a bucket of hand-hot water poured from waist height can help. Never use boiling water — it can crack the pan.

What not to do

• Don't use coat hangers or rods that can scratch the pan.
• Don't pour drain chemicals into a blocked toilet — they sit in the bowl and can splash.
• Don't keep plunging if nothing changes after a few minutes.

When it's not the toilet

If the toilet is slow, the bath gurgles when you flush, or water appears in the shower tray, the blockage is probably in the soil pipe or main drain. A plunger won't reach that — you need drain equipment. Check your outside manhole: if it's full, see our guide to who's responsible for drains.

When to call a plumber

Call us if plunging doesn't work, something solid has gone down, it keeps happening or other drains are affected. Our blocked toilet service runs 24/7 across North and Central London.