How to Steer Clear of Toilet Clogs and Sewage Backups
There are times when inconvenience outweighs intelligence. It can be tempting to flush away items that otherwise might take more time or effort to dispose of properly.
Don’t fall into toilet temptation. Flushing away things like food, trash and hygiene products can seriously clog your commode.
Over the years, our team of plumbers has seen it all. Your toilet and pipes can easily become clogged, bringing you instant regret about that risky flush.
Things from everyday bathroom items, to tiny bits of trash and dead goldfish can seem okay to flush but can come back to bite you in the butt.
Here is our comprehensive list of all the things to never flush down your toilet:
Wipes
Even if your wipes container says flushable that might not always be the case. Flushable wipes, cleaning wipes and baby wipes alike can all clog your toilet and pipes.
Tampons
This is not an “if it fits, it ships” type situation. Just because a tampon quickly flushes down the toilet, doesn’t mean you should dispose of them that way. They can expand in water, block your pipes, don’t really break down over time and can ruin your septic system.
Pads
Hygienic pads can absorb significant amounts of water, causing them to become very large. So while it may seem flushable at first, it can cause a large blockage later resulting in a sewage backup.
Paper Towels
Paper towels might just seem like oversized pieces of toilet paper but that is not the case. Toilet paper is designed to quickly break down in water, paper towels are not. If you’re using paper towels in your bathroom they should be thrown away.
Tissues
Similar to paper towels, you shouldn’t flush tissues assuming it will work like toilet paper. Tissues are not designed to quickly decompose in water. These sturdier paper products can clog your pipes.
Cat Litter (Flushable or Not)
Even litters advertised as flushable can clog your pipes and harm the environment. It may seem like the more eco-friendly solution over bagging the litter but in turn it can pollute the waterways with parasites from cat feces or chemicals from your litter.
Pets
Obviously, furry four-legged mammals aren’t going down the toilet but pop culture loves to show fish being flushed. However, you should not flush dead fish because it can contaminate your bathroom, block your pipes and carry diseases to wildlife. Even worse, living fish can do all of those things or go on to grow into massive threats to your local waterways.
Chewing Gum
When you really think about it, sending something sticky through your pipes is not a great idea. Gum won’t break down in water and can become lodged on the insides of your pipes. It is best to wrap up your gum and throw it away.
Q-tips
Despite Q-tips’ small size, you should not be flushing them down the toilet. They do not break down quickly enough in water. Some cotton swabs and Q-tips have plastic rods that will never break down in your toilet – these are even worse for your plumbing.
Cotton Balls
These fluffy little hygiene products travel out of your toilet bowl and begin to clump up in your pipes. A singular cotton ball won’t likely cause damage on its own but making a habit out of flushing these can seriously clog your pipes.
Condoms
Items designed not to break are not going to break down in your toilet water. Flushing your condoms can lead to latex building up inside of your pipes and septic system.
Medicine
Flushing medicine has more to do with the environment and water quality than your plumbing. Pills will dissolve in water but fresh water is not the place for pharmaceuticals to swirl around. It can harm wildlife and even remain in water after treatment.
Cigarette Butts
There should only be one kind of butt near your toilet. Even though they’re relatively small, if you’re flushing cigarettes they won’t break apart properly and can block your pipes. In addition, cigarettes can contain harmful chemicals that don’t belong in waterways.
Food
Toilets are only equipped to handle food after your body has done the majority of the work. You should exercise caution and avoid flushing all food items.
Bandages
You should avoid sending any sticky and durable items down the toilet. Band-Aids do not decompose and can end up as litter in local waterways if you try to flush them. They can even cause pipe blockages.
MWP Encourages PPPP
Mike Wilson Plumbing has seen it all over the years. As a premier emergency plumber in Richmond and Chesterfield our team has helped homes and businesses with many serious pipe blockages.
In order to avoid issues of your own, follow the 4 P’s or PPPP rule: You should only ever flush Poop, Pee, Puke and toilet Paper. If you ever have plumbing trouble of your own, give our team a call.