Plunger

• Every home should have a plunger. It is one of the simplest tools to use for clearing drains and it is almost always effective. A regular bell-shaped plunger will work on sink or tub drains, but for the toilet you should use one with a tapered aperture to get better suction. Always make sure there is water in the fixture before you plunge, or the tool won't make a seal. Pump it a few times and remove it to see if there is any improvement, then repeat. You may have to do this several times before you notice any effect.
  
  

Hand Auger

• A plumbing auger, or snake, is an effective tool because it breaks up clogs rather than forcing them farther down the drain, and you can use it even if the fixture is full of water. Hand augers have a handle that you manually crank after you've fed the snake into the drain. The head is formed into a sharp spiral, and cranking the handle rotates it so that it can cut its way through the obstruction. There are separate augers for toilet and sink drains, and they have a maximum reach of about 3 feet.
  
  

Power Auger

• The heavy-duty version of a hand auger is an electric power auger, and it's the tool you need for obstructions buried deep in the drain line. It has a reach of up to 50 feet, and develops more cutting power to work its way through stubborn clogs. Inserting a power auger into the drain line through a clean-out plug is preferable to trying to work it through the P-trap. In the absence of a clean-out, remove the toilet or P-trap, if possible, and insert the auger directly into the drain line.
  
  

Pipe Disassembly Tools

• In some cases, there may be no alternative but to remove the toilet or disassemble the P-trap on a sink drain and manually remove the obstruction. You only need one tool to disassemble most drains or remove a toilet, and that is a set of slip-lock pliers. It serves the function of a wrench for unscrewing bolts and P-trap nuts and is also useful for gripping pipes to pull them apart. Besides the pliers, have a large slot screwdriver on hand to pry debris from inside the trap or toilet, and a flashlight so you can see what you're doing.