People use their toilets daily without considering what happens after they flush. But the truth is, not everything should go down that porcelain bowl. Many items we might think are harmless can actually cause significant problems for our plumbing and the environment when flushed.
In this blog, I’ll reveal 14 surprising things that should never be flushed down the toilet.
Baby Wipes and Cleaning Wipes
Even when labeled “flushable,” wipes don’t break down like toilet paper does. These sturdy cleaning sheets stay intact long after being flushed, creating massive clogs in your pipes and sewer systems. Many plumbers report that wipes are one of the top causes of severe blockages they deal with. The strong fibers in these wipes can also catch on pipe joints and create a build-up that leads to expensive repairs.
Dental Floss
Dental floss is made from tiny plastic fibers that never break down in water. When flushed, it can wrap around other debris and create huge tangled masses in pipes called “fatbergs.” These strings can also catch minor pipe cracks and make them worse over time. Floss can even entangle wildlife when it eventually reaches waterways.
Paper Towels and Tissues
Paper towels are designed to be super absorbent and strong, even when wet. Unlike toilet paper, they don’t dissolve quickly in water and can expand in your pipes, causing major blockages. Their thickness can catch on pipe joints or combine with other debris to form clogs. Paper towels can also overwhelm septic systems that aren’t designed to break them down.
Cotton Balls and Q-tips
Cotton products expand significantly when wet and form dense clumps in pipes. These fluffy items easily snag on rough spots in your plumbing and collect other debris flowing past. Cotton can also absorb harmful chemicals and carry them into the water system. The plastic or wooden sticks in Q-tips make them even more dangerous for your plumbing.
Hair
Hair forms net-like structures that trap other debris and create stubborn clogs. When mixed with soap and other products, hair can create solid masses that are extremely difficult to remove. Hair clumps can also wrap around pipe joints and catch everything that flows past. Even small amounts of hair over time can lead to major blockages.
Contact Lenses
Contact lenses are made from plastic that takes centuries to decompose. These tiny lenses can slip through water treatment filters and end up in rivers and oceans. Marine animals often mistake them for food, causing serious harm. Contact lenses can also absorb and transport chemicals through the water system.
Medications
Flushed medications don’t fully dissolve and can contaminate local water supplies. These drugs can harm aquatic life and even end up in drinking water systems. Water treatment plants aren’t designed to remove many pharmaceutical compounds. Instead, unused medications should be taken to proper disposal sites or mixed with coffee grounds and thrown in the trash.
Cooking Oil and Grease
When hot grease cools down in your pipes, it becomes a solid mass that sticks to pipe walls. This sticky surface catches other debris and grows larger over time. Cooking oil can also combine with other sewer chemicals to form large, solid blocks. These grease clogs are one of the most expensive plumbing problems to fix.
Cat Litter
Cat litter is made to clump when wet, which means it turns into cement-like blocks in your pipes. The clay and silica in cat litter can scratch and damage your plumbing system. These materials are also too heavy for typical water flow to move through pipes properly. Even “flushable” cat litter can cause serious plumbing issues.
Diapers
Diapers are designed to absorb and expand when wet, which makes them a major pipe-blocking hazard. A single diaper can swell up to block an entire pipe section. The plastic and absorbent materials in diapers never break down in water. Diapers can also get stuck in pipe bends and cause immediate backups.
Paint
Paint can coat the inside of your pipes with a hard layer that builds up over time. When paint dries in pipes, it reduces water flow and creates rough surfaces where debris gets stuck. Some paints contain chemicals that are harmful to water treatment systems. Paint should always be disposed of according to local hazardous waste guidelines.
Food Scraps
Food waste doesn’t break down quickly enough in plumbing systems and can rot in pipes. Bits of food can catch on pipe joints and create breeding grounds for bacteria. Small food particles can build up over time and mix with grease to form solid clogs. Even ground-up food can create problems for municipal sewer systems.
Feminine Products
These products are designed to absorb liquid and expand, which makes them terrible for plumbing. The cotton and synthetic materials in these items don’t break down in water. They can easily get caught on pipe joints or combine with other debris to form major clocks. The plastic components in these products can also harm the environment.
Bandages and Bandaids
Bandages are made from materials that don’t dissolve in water and can stick to pipe walls. The adhesive on bandages can collect other debris and create growing clogs over time. Plastic and fabric materials can also transport bacteria through the water system. These medical items should always go in the regular trash.
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