Well, thanks to this thread, and links posted, I went to Amazon and ordered a set of three toilet brush sets (ORB) .... $24.99/free shipping with Prime. I usually pay that for one!

Thanks, all. I can't believe I'm so excited for the delivery in two days. I think I need to re-examine my life.

We keep the plunger in the garage, because it grosses me out to even look at it. We've had to use it once, because I tried to flush paper towels after cleaning the mirror one day. I KNOW, I KNOW. Had a momentary brain freeze.

SO plunges often. I believe his issue is with the massive amounts of TP he uses. I have never had to plunge a toilet in my life.he insists on keeping the plunger next to the toilet in our tiny master bath. What's worse, is that it's an ugly old wooden one, that has puppy chew marks on the handle! Can anything be more gross than that?? He has owned this thing longer than we have been together, and the even the dog that chewed it is long since passed. He is very particular about the nasty thing, and refuses to let me replace it. Over the years, I've actually kept my eye out for an umbrella stand or something similar, but have yet to find anything appropriate.

In the garage, right inside the door so it's easy to find. There isn't room under the sink or I would keep it there. It gets used maybe twice a year and last time the dish soap and hot water trick worked without having to go get the plunger.

My parents have always kept theirs in a plastic bag at the top of the basement stairs.

I am in SHOCK and awe there are people who have NEVER had a reason to consider owning a plunger!! When we re-did our bath I was loosing an enclosed linen closet and wanted a concealing case that would coordinate with my trash can and paper holder--SS. Nothing to be found. Last week as we shopped for the second bathroom's re-do I found a white plastic much like others have, that blends into the white wains-cotting subway tile enough to satisfy. I want it visible so IF a guest had need they could deal with it w/o a discussion with me!!!

There was one in my house when I moved in. I've been here 6 years and have never needed it. I keep it around as a good luck charm. I think plungers are necessary for people who tend to make toilet paper mittens, wrapping the paper around the back of the hand.

I didn't know some people make toilet paper mittens!

I think it does depend on the user too... a particular 'city slickers' line spoken by curly comes to mind! one of my kids needed to use it every now and then- keep it in a linen closet inside one of the kids' bathrooms--- on the floor in a plastic pan...

My house was rented to a family with four teen boys in it this summer. They were extremely hard on the house: broke every faucet in the house (which I have yet to even figure out HOW they managed to do that), and they had gone out and bought a plunger (didn't bother to email and ask me where mine was), so I know those teen boys were using an entire roll of tp to clean their butts. Only time a plunger has been needed in my house.

I have the OXO plunger posted above next to each toilet. We are moving, and one plunger has to come with us in the car; we can't let the movers take all of them because they're holding onto our stuff for a few days.

We use our plungers almost daily. I can't imagine not having a plunger in each bathroom! No toilet paper mittens here; I train my boys to flush before even wiping... and the problem starts there. They are 6 and 9... my husband joked this morning that they have Tardis bums!! It's impossible that kids so small can produce such big problems.

Ours is in a plastic bag on the floor of the linen closet in our spare bath. The few times we've used it, DH takes it outside and rinses it off with the hose and then we put it back in a clean plastic bag. Fact of life. He also has a plumber's snake that is out in the garage.

Thank you all for your input! I must say, this thread is amusing me immensely this morning. That some people have NEVER had need of a plunger (and seem proud of the fact - LOL!) amazes me. If you don't even own one, I'd still highly suggest you buy one and have it on hand. You may have never needed a fire extinguisher either, but believe me ... when you NEED it, you'll be glad of it! ;-)

Never used one...

Great thread! I keep my brush in a marble wine chiller I found at a tag sale. Perhaps a marble utensil holder?

Not proud, auntjen, just factual. Are you proud that you need one so often you need to buy a pricey one to match your decor, that you have to search for online?? Come on, no need for a dig. It was a fun/funny thread.

a particular 'city slickers' line spoken by curly comes to mind!

That's it in a nutshell! Nothing to do with paper.

Oh, come oh, sheesh. I was joking too! I'm sorry if my humor didn't carry through. I thought the "LOL" might have done it, but apparently not.

I have ours in a plastic child's bucket. It keeps it convenient under the sink.

Part of whether you may never need a plunger is toilet brand (some of the first low-flow toilets have terrible flushing ability) and toilet paper usage ... if you have someone who uses half a roll at a time, get the kind that is water soluble (RV and septic tank paper).

And to be indelicate: body size. BIG people produce BIG poop ... so getting a toilet with a large exit is a good idea.

It's not the size of a person that makes that determination; it's what they eat.

Here in the land of lowflow toilets, plungers are essential and due to the toilet designs the best ones have a long narrow neck. They do not stand up on their own at all. A small trash can and a "U" shaped garage storage hook work well if you have a good place to hide one. No so easy when you have a pedestal sink and claw foot rub in the room

I'm finding it very entertaining myself Jenn. Hmm so should I be proud that we don't have a plunger in the bathroom? Not to worry though, we do have one of those auger (snake?) thingies.

A little funny, now why we have not had to use a plunger, back several years ago, the septic system did clog up. We had to have someone come empty out the tank, and were two guys that came to do the job. One was an old codger who looked down in to the tank then promptly tells my husband "to tell his wife to quit using so much toilet paper". WHAT? Why would he assume I use alot of toilet paper? Come to find out, it wasn't that either of us was using too much, we had never added the bacteria stuff (which helps decompose the TP).

Tina, we have a septic system, too .... UGH. We're considered to be in the city, pay higher taxes, yet get no city services. I've complained for years, to no avail.

We used to use Rid-X, but not sure if it's the right stuff or just a scam. I stopped using Charmin, way too thick. Love Scott's tp.

Boy, Jen, you really started a crappy thread. (Yuk yuk) :D

A wine chiller! Why didn't I think of that?? Thank you, mabeldingeldine!

Is a wine chiller big enough? I'm just sayin' that the wine bottles I mostly use aren't magnums and the chillers are kinda skinny. The plunger we have is wide. This is pretty amusing visualizing all these systems.

We have septic too and I do use Rid-X every few months. I don't know if it works or not, but there's just the 2 of us and we've never had any septic issues. I still use Charmin. But I stopped flushing those 'flushable' wipes when one got stuck in my new Toto low-flow right after we had it installed. Those things are evil.

Now that I think about it, I used to have a small plastic pail I used, but it kept tipping over which is why I just went back to the plastic bag.

People!

Please plunge, flush, flush again if necessary, let the bowl fill up with clean water, add bleach, leave plunger in the toilet and soak before storing it anywhere...

Oh, I hadn't considered the diameter, OutsidePlaying, but you're right. Isn't a bottle of wine only about 4 inches? Maybe an ice bucket would be better?

maddielee, would one of those chlorine tabs that get dropped into the tank be enough to disinfect?

I have a plastic bucket, dedicated to the one and only job of holding the plunger. The bucket is lined with a plastic bag, the plunger sits on the bag, in the bucket...on the back (enclosed) porch and out of the main sight near a storage bin.

My bucket is narrow and tall enough the plunger does not tip it over.

Oh, boy. I just had a flashback to Ben Stiller in the toilet scene in "Along Came Polly." The ferret! The antique towel! The loofah! Hilarious!

We have always used Charmin and I'm not switching! LOL I think it was just because we didn't know to use the bacteria stuff, which apparently does help because we've never had any more problems. They also told us to pour any old milk, etc. we had down the drain or in the toilet as bacteria in it is good for your septic. Miz G, I don't mind our septic because I do not want to live in the city!!!

I'm curious to know where else you might pour old milk, if not down the drain?

Who knew a "plunger" question would generate so much discussion...thanks all.

I used RidX monthly but recently found out it isn't necessary.

I am very careful about the wipes and even remove them from the guest bathroom when I have guests to assure that they aren't flushed.

Thanks Cathy/Maddielee.

Pretty much every home I have lived in has been on a septic tank, for this reason I would never consider not having a plunger and definitely never put it out in the garage. By the time you find it and get it to the toilet there would be a huge mess. I have a plunger in every single bathroom right behind the toilet in the holder along with a brush and holder. I have the small sink plunger under the sink in the kitchen that is used for the kitchen sink.

Those wipes are indeed evil. I recently heard a plumber say flushing them down your loo is like flushing a gym sock down. NOT something you want to be doing. "Flushable" wipes ... NOT!

Oh, some of you need to experience a relative who flushes a stopped up toilet (since we are being real, #2) twice, even three times, and runs all over the floor and into the hall. OMG, such fun.

We have one of those decorative plunger thingies that's tucked as far back behind the toilet as possible. Not a lot of plunging going on around here, but when you need one - YOU REALLY NEED ONE!

I have a funny plunger story: My sister and I were staying at a very old historic hotel on one of the top floors. I did my business, and wouldn't you know it - clogged. So I go to dial housekeeping and my sister has a total freak out because she would be so embarrassed to have someone come and unclog the toilet. So I said fine, I left the room in my PJs, walked down a few hallways, found the housekeeping closet, found a plunger, walked back to the room (yes, I passed a couple of people in the hallway) and unclogged the toilet. I was going to walk the plunger back to where it belonged but the whole thing left my sister with heart palpitations so I just called housekeeping to retrieve the plunger (I wrapped the plastic laundry bag around it.)

I found the whole thing hysterical while my sister wasn't amused in the least. I think one of us was adopted.

Too funny Magda!! That would be my sister too.

Hmmm no plunging in the kitchen either, perhaps there is something to the idea of a one level house (as someone mentioned above). I do know we had an exceptional plumber.

Bumblebeez, so true. You only have to be around to see one toilet overflow to both be grateful that lower volume flush toilets are less likely to overflow and to always have a plunger in your own home. It's cheap insurance against having an experience like that at midnight and not being able to do anything about it until the next day. But then, my dad was an insurance agent and I was taught a lot about preventing problems and being prepared for the ones I do encounter.

Mag, your sister thinks no one knows that people actually use the facilities and with how many rooms and different guests every night or few nights, no one ever needed a plunger before? Would she be afraid to call the plumber because someone would know the toilet had been used?

Now, while I've always had a basic plunger around, a few years back, I became semi-expert on plungers -- the saucer, the bulb, the differently shaped bulb, the one with a hand pumped blast of air and the one with a CO2 cartridge to blast air into the drain. And yes, you only collect plungers when you have an exceptional need (or a perverse interest, but we aren't going there). It wasn't a clogged toilet -- it was a main drain line that was backing up into our shower. We were trying to clear the line or at least figure out where the problem was so we could isolate the issue if we had to call a plumber. And call a plumber we did.

I think we had the plumbers here a week, give or take a day, and long story made short -- there was a 7 foot section of main drain line under the slab foundation that was not cemented in during construction. The slab got poured, the house built and half the plumbing in the house ran through there, slowly filling in the pipe with dirt and debris and packing it in. All those plungers didn't have a chance. LOL But I'm ready for any friend, family or probably even a herd now. And I have a totally updated powder room.

After owning an RV you learn an awful lot about what you can flush and what not to flush. I never ever flush a kleenex, they just don't break down. Try putting one in a jar of water and shake it as long as you want it will remain intact, if you are on a septic tank don't flush kleenex! Nothing but quick desolving toilet paper goes down any toilets. Definitely none of those wipes of any kind they are much worse than kleenex. The test for TP that is safe for the RV is put a few sheets into a jar of water and shake, it should start to look like snow almost instantly.

This post made me realize that we do not have a plunger and will need to buy one.

when we had septic, I didn't change my way of life at all except that I didn't flush tampons anymore... didn't buy only one brand of tp, didn't worry about what laundry products I used, had a sink disposal(which I used minimally), and never poured enzyme products made for ss down the drain... i just needed to remember to call to have our tank cleaned every 3 or so years!

My dad built his office on land that requireed putting in spetic and a well. Never knew there could be so many issues with it and it's been there over 30 years.

Busy, my parents were probably the same way with their house. I can only remember septic problems once and that house is right around 50 years old. I've never flushed tampons though - anywhere. The only thing I really do for septic is I don't use a ton of bleach (which I wouldn't even if I didn't have septic) as it kills the bacteria needed in the septic system. I do add the enzymes, by way of milk, etc. Our house is 18 years old and we've had the tank pumped once. If you have a large enough tank, I don't think it needs to be pumped often. Lascatx, my parents and grandparents home are on wells. I take care of my grandparents home. We had to have a new well dug a few years ago. Both houses have had wells for around 50 years; and septic systems. Just a way of life when you live in the county/country.

Saw this on FB today.

Bought this one at Costco, but found the pic on Amazon. Very convenient. I keep one in every bathroom between the toilet and the wall.

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Don't want to jinx myself here but after replacing our toilet almost 2 yrs ago, I haven't need the plunger. I still have it out in the garage just in case. With our old toilet I did keep the plunger in the bathroom next to the toilet but it was in plastic thing that concealed the plunger portion.

I keep one plunger that is marked "kitchen only" under the kitchen sink...the side of the sink without disposal gets a little slow every so often and needs a good plunge. When the plumber was out replacing the piping under the kitchen sink, he said that was the first time he'd ever seen that...I think he was referring to the fact that I marked the plunger :-)

LOL @ the unicorn! hahahahahaha! Oh lord!

It's a clever educational video. Saw the Squatty Potty creators pitch their product on Shark Tank last year.

Who knew a discussion on plungers could be so much fun?

I made a plunger cover by removing the label and cutting a bleach bottle in half, so the base of the plunger sits in the bottom and then I slide the top of the bottle down over the stick. It overlaps the bottom section once it has slid down all the way. It sits behind the toilet and gets lots of use at our house. I read about doing this online. Maybe at apartment therapy?

Thought some of you might like this idea...ha! This is from a hotel we stayed at this weekend in Skaneateles, NY. The welcome letter from the innkeepers even addressed the plunger, explaining that they'd rather have it available and visible, versus forcing guests to call them to ask for it! So, um, they gift-wrapped it?

Clever! The wrapping eliminates the ick-factor for those sensitive souls, and it lets management know when it has been used.

In the garage. Duh.

It's a few steps away from both bathrooms. It's not gross out there and there's ample room for it.