Whether people acknowledge it or not, toilets are fundamental to modern convenience. It is rather unfortunate that most of us are still unaware of the proper care for toilets, at home and also the ones for public use.
The large size of the toilet bowl may lead people to assume that anything can be flushed. But frankly, your house drain and the city’s sewer do not lead to Harry Potter’s chamber of secrets through wide spacious pipes. The widest part of the drainpipe is only 4 inches in diameter. You can imagine how easily it can get clogged if you dump something mindlessly in the toilet bowl.
As a general rule, the toilet was made exclusively for handling human waste. Anything more than that is a threat to your plumbing and may lead to clogging. You’ll eventually end up with a backed-up toilet and a huge bill for toilet repair.
You may drop something accidentally in the toilet, and if it’s just some toilet paper or something as tiny as a button, it’s not going to be a big deal anyway. But there are a few things you should never ever flush in the toilet, and here’s a complete list for your quick reference.
- Diapers
You may be already aware that diapers are made of absorbent material designed to retain fluids. Besides, it is also a known fact that diapers take nearly 500 years to decompose. It is pretty obvious that once flushed the diaper just hangs around in the drain, absorbs lots of water, swells up and leads to a clog.
- Feminine hygiene products
Just like diapers, sanitary pads and tampons hold on to water and are difficult to decompose. You should avoid flushing these products in the toilet for the sake of your home’s plumbing.
- Condoms
Condoms are also non-biodegradable products. They tend to accumulate in the drains and septic tank and eventually build-up into clogs.
- Baby wipes
If you have used wet wipes and baby wipes, you’ll know that although they feel soft and organic, they don’t tear or break easily. That’s why it’s never a good idea to flush baby wipes or face wipes. Even if the package label reads “flushable”, you shouldn’t flush the wipes in the toilet.
- Tissue paper
The same logic goes for tissue papers. They don’t tear as easily as the toilet paper does. This means the tissue papers you flush in the toilet won’t break down and eventually give you clogged drains.
- Cigarette Butts
Toilets are not the ideal place for smoking a cigarette and the toilet bowl is definitely the worst place to put the cigarette out. The cigarette butts can cause serious clogs in the plumbing. And all the harmful chemicals in the cigarette can pollute the sewer water.
- Chewing gum
Since the chewing gum is sticky and insoluble, it poses a direct risk of drain clogs if flushed. It doesn’t take much effort to wrap the chewing gum in a tissue and throw it in the trash.
- Deceased fish
A lot of people assume that a deceased pet fish can be flushed down the toilet because it’s all water there. But the fact is that fish don’t belong in the sewer and dead fish can clog the drains. The better idea is to give your pet a proper burial.
- Hair
Hair is a commonly-flushed item and also one of the most common causes of toilet clogs. When you flush hair down the toilet, it just accumulates and forms a mesh trapping other substances. You get it. It’s a perfect recipe for drain clogs.
- Cotton pad and swabs
The best place to dispose of cotton pads and swabs is a trash can. In fact, that’s the only place. Disposing cotton pads and similar products in the toilet should be strictly avoided because these can cause blocked drains.
