Ugh, been there. My daughter flushed a rubber duck once—thought it'd be easy to fish out, but nope. Ended up pulling the whole toilet off. Honestly, wasn't as complicated as I expected... just messy and annoying. Did you try a wet vac yet?
"Honestly, wasn't as complicated as I expected... just messy and annoying."
Yeah, pulling the toilet sounds intimidating at first, but it's pretty straightforward once you're into it. Had to do it myself when my nephew flushed a toy car—thought I'd never get it out. Wet vac's a solid idea, though. Hang in there, you'll get through it.
"Honestly, wasn't as complicated as I expected... just messy and annoying."
Yeah, that's pretty much how it goes. First time I had to pull a toilet was when my daughter dropped a whole roll of dental floss down there—don't ask me how or why. Thought it was gonna be a nightmare, but once you get past the initial "ew" factor, it's mostly just tedious cleanup. One thing I'd add: make sure you get a fresh wax ring before reinstalling. Learned that the hard way after putting everything back together and getting a slow leak a week later. Not fun having to redo the whole thing again. And if you're using a wet vac, just be careful not to scratch up the porcelain. Good luck, sounds like you're already on top of it though.
Actually, if you're comfortable with a bit more upfront work, you might consider switching from a wax ring to one of those newer rubber gasket seals. They're reusable and less messy overall. Wax rings are reliable, sure, but they can be unforgiving if you have to reposition the toilet even slightly. Learned that from helping my brother—poor guy had to buy three wax rings before finally giving in and trying the gasket. Just something to think about...
Switched to one of those rubber gaskets last year and haven't looked back. Wax rings are cheaper initially, but honestly, after ruining two of them myself (ugh), the gasket was worth it. Easy to reposition, no mess—definitely saves money in the long run.
