How do you clean a toilet vent?

If you need to stop the flow of water to the bowl at any time, you can turn off the valve to the toilet (usually located behind or to the side of the toilet), or you can open up the toilet tank and lift the float arm. When the float is lifted past a certain level, the water will stop. It will resume when you let go of the arm.

Before a clog: If you see (or hear) water backing up in the sinks or showers whenever you flush, that means there's a deep clog that will eventually stop your toilet from working properly. Don't bother with the above methods. Call a plumber.

Clean up diligently. Disinfect the toilet bowl with a disinfectant cleaner after you've cleared the clog. Dispose of the wire (if used) and disinfect or dispose of the rubber gloves and any other tools (such as a plunger or snake) that you used.

These tools can spread germs and start to stink if not properly cleaned. A used plunger (especially flange plungers) may still have water inside of it after plunging. Keep it over the toilet, turn it a bit, and shake it slightly to drain it so it won't drip on the floor.

Regularly clean the jets around the toilet bowl's edge so that the toilet can flush at full power, making it less likely to clog. If you haven’t cleaned them in a while, you might need to carefully use a screwdriver to clear buildup. If nothing works, you may have a problem deeper in the plumbing lines, and you'll probably need to call a plumber.

If the toilet gets clogged often, try to figure out what clogged the toilet and prevent it from happening again. Common culprits are too much toilet paper, tampons (some are flushable but most are not), toys (both kids and pets are suspects), cotton swabs, and baby wipes. Consider having a little "what not to flush" presentation in the best interest of your plumbing.