When the toilet has a seemingly unplungeable clog, try quickly dumping a bucket of water directly into the bowl’s drainage hole before calling a plumber.

The rapid stream may be just enough to break up blockage and create a suction effect in the toilet’s U-shaped bend.

This will usually send the contents down without so much as a jiggle of the handle.

This trick works even if nature desperately calls while your water is shut down.