Bought a house three weeks ago and last night I used the washing machine and water came up through the tub and the toilet started gurgling. It happened the last time I washed clothes but not this bad so I went out to get the unclogging stuff and a plunger. It didn't help but this morning I had no trouble with the toilet. So I am not sure what to do. I don't want to call a plumber? Any suggestions?

You have a partial blockage downstream from the washer drain line. The best way to remove a clog is to snake out the drain line. This can be done through the washer roof vent or the washer standpipe and trap. If you wish to rent a power snake and do the job yourself click on back and I'll walk you through the process. Regards, Tom

We tried that and ended up calling a plumber and it turned out to be a problem on the cities side. They are coming out to fix it. Roots are growing down there. :/