There’s one thing in my house that no one likes to clean, and that’s the toilet. It’s also the one thing in the house that if it stops working, everyone panics. Plumbers make around $100 an hour for the work they do, and it’s no wonder we’re willing to pay the price. It’s something that no one wants to do without.

Luckily, there are a number of minor things that can go wrong with a toilet that we can fix ourselves rather than hiring a plumber and paying the expensive fees to have them fix it for us. Check out these things and learn a few tricks of the trade. They might come in handy some day.

A toilet bowl can get full of stains, which really doesn’t come as a surprise because, after all, it’s where we do our business. A surprising fix for those stains, however, is Kool-aid. Just pour the powder into the bowl, let it sit overnight, and flush the next morning to wash away the stains. To help with odors coming from your toilet, as long as it’s not a sewer issue, just drop a few drops of essential oil into the tank for a clean smelling flush.

If your toilet seems to have a weak flush, flushing it over and over will just waste water. Fixing the problem is simple. Just find the float inside the tank. It usually looks like a big black ball or a black piece on a long rod. Adjust it to float higher so more water will be allowed in the tank.

If you see pinkish colored lines streaked inside your toilet bowl, that is a sign that the jets on your toilet bowl are filled with mineral. To fix the problem, use tape and cover the jets, pour vinegar into the tank, and let them soak overnight to remove the mineral deposits.

Clogged pipes can also become an issue with a toilet. Experts recommend mixing hot water and dishwashing soap and pouring it into the toilet. Let it sit for several hours to break down the clog, then flush the clog away.

A toilet that seems to be constantly running wastes a lot of water, but it’s an easy fix. Make a trip to the hardware store and buy a new flapper and install it in the tank. It’s a fairly simple job but if you need a little assistance, just Youtube one of the thousands of videos to guide you! If your toilet is flushing on its own, or you think you have a leak, just add a bit of dye or Kool-aid powder to the tank, and you’ll be able to see the leak in no time.

The handle on your toilet is bound to wear out at some time, but replacing it is super simple. Just buy a new handle, unscrew the old one from inside the tank, and replace it with the new handle. If your toilet is running good, but you would like to save water, you can do so by placing a small bottle filled with sand or rocks inside the tank. This will keep the tank from filling up with so much water and help conserve water.