For a simple tool, for those who have never used a plunger before, it can be a little nerve-wracking. Typically, the situation is messy and no one wants to make it messier. To confidently handle a plunger, just follow this simple tutorial.

A simple rubber plunger is the most common. To use a rubber plunger you simply position the hole in the plunger as evenly over the hole in your drain (toilet or otherwise). Once in position, press firmly to push the air out of the plunger. Don't let the plunger lift up from its position around the drain while you press down. This will give you a vacuum seal.

When you release the pressure, the suction should hopefully pull up from the drain that did not want to go down. If you have an excessive amount of tissue paper in a toilet, for instance, due to an over-eager child using more wipes than should ever go down the pipe at once, you can use the plunger to pull the wad of wet paper away from the drain as it flushes. Then, with a plastic bag and rubber gloves, you can move that paper to a trash bag. It may be gross, but no worse than flooding your toilet if you insist on trying to force more down a hole then will fit.