Your toilet was designed to do one thing: dispose of human waste and toilet paper. While you may be tempted to use yours as a garbage can, you shouldn’t. Doing so will only clog your pipes and cause you plumbing-related headaches.
Here are nine of the absolute worst things to flush.
Feminine hygiene products. Even those marked as flushable or biodegradable can potentially cause clogs. To be safe, always throw them in the garbage instead.
Tissues and paper towels. While these paper products seem to be similar to toilet paper, they’re actually quite different and are likely to block your toilet. This is because toilet paper is designed to disintegrate in water while tissues and paper towels are made to be strong and absorbent.
Anything stringy. Avoid flushing dental floss, hair, thread or any other stringy material. These types of items could potentially bunch up together or wrap around other waste to create a clog.
Food. Starchy foods like pasta and bread absorb liquids and can stop water from flowing freely. Similarly, oil and grease should never go down drains, as they can congeal and attach to the pipes, thereby slowing the speed of draining. Instead, put your food in the garbage and collect oils in a glass jar that can be disposed of later on.
Condoms. As is the case with everything else on this list, condoms won’t disintegrate in water and are likely to clog the pipes.
Kitty litter. Even kitty litters that claim to be flushable should stay out of your plumbing system. They’re made to absorb liquid, which means they won’t disintegrate in the pipes.
Diapers. While it may make sense that a diaper filled with human waste should be flushed, keep your diapers out of the toilet. Even if it does make it down the drain, it’ll surely get stuck further along the pipes.
Wipes. While these may escape your home plumbing system with few problems, they can do some major damage to sewer systems. Don’t believe us? Look up London’s “fatberg” for proof.
Medications. This is less of a problem for your plumbing system than it is for the environment. Drugs can pollute natural waterways, contaminate our drinking supply and be harmful to wildlife. Bring your expired or unused medications to the pharmacy to be disposed of properly.
Our Emergency Plumbers Are On Call 24/7!
Did someone flush something they shouldn’t have? We understand that accidents or mistakes happen and we’ve seen it all! That’s why Pitton Plumbing has emergency plumbers on call 24 hours a day, so you can be sure help will arrive soon. Call us right away in an emergency, or anytime you need a plumber to make a regular appointment.