As you probably know, it’s as hard to find a good plumber as searching for the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I have rental properties and I get a call at least once a month about a clogged up toilet.  (The tenants must be using it as a garbage disposal.)

This tip just in from an an internet buddie. It’s worth a try…

He said he met an old-timer who worked for the city sewage department. He told a story about clogged drains in the city’s buildings, as it was his job to unclog these drains. He had a sure-fire method and it only took a big bucket!

When he went into the bathroom, the first thing he did was to run the hot water full blast and filled his bucket with the hottest water he could get. Then he poured the hot water down the toilet. He did this three times!

Viola! This cleared the toilet slick as a whistle.

“I tried this and it works,” said John. “The only difference is I boil my water to a rolling boil and it clears our drains quickly and easily.”

Here’s another tip that I’ve used with a clogged drain in the sink. Pour a cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl. Add vinegar. According to the My Clogged Toilet website, the baking soda and vinegar react by foaming and can help to clean out the clog. Keep pouring in vinegar until everything stops foaming. Again, you may need to do this a few times before the clog is freed.

A bottle of vinegar is way less expensive than calling a plumber.