Toilet Overflowing: Stop It in Thirty Seconds
The instinct is to flush again. Do not. Here is the order that stops the water while you still have a dry floor.
Stop the water at the tank
Take the tank lid off and push the flapper down with your hand. That stops water leaving the tank immediately. Then reach behind the toilet and turn the shut-off valve clockwise.
If the valve is seized, which happens on older homes, go to the main shut-off instead.
Do not flush again to test it
Every additional flush adds one and a half gallons to a bowl that already cannot drain. Wait, and let the level drop on its own if it will.
One toilet or the whole house?
If only that toilet is affected, it is a bowl or trap blockage and a plunger or auger will usually handle it. If other fixtures are also backing up, gurgling or slow, the main line is blocked and plunging that toilet will not help.
Using a plunger properly
Use a flange plunger, not a flat cup one. Make sure there is enough water to cover the head, seat it firmly, and push and pull steadily rather than hammering. Ten to fifteen strokes is more effective than brute force.
When to stop and call
Sewage coming up in a tub or shower, more than one fixture affected, or water rising with nothing you do making a difference. Those are main line symptoms and they need cabling from a proper access point.
Water moving right now? Shut the main off first, then call (888) 809-6756. Dispatch is live open 24 hours, 7 days a week across every Florida city.