What NOT to Flush Down the Toilet

We’ve all done it. Maybe as a curious child, maybe accidentally, maybe we didn’t know how to get rid of something. But we’ve all flushed something down the toilet that we shouldn’t have. You may hope it’s rather inconsequential, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Flushing certain things down the toilet can cause clogs, harm the environment, and may even require costly repairs. Thankfully, we here at Tri-County Water Services can help you. Here’s a non-comprehensive list of what NOT to flush down the toilet, and why.

What NOT to Flush Down the Toilet

First, let’s review the list.

• Paper towels – Toilet paper is designed to dissolve in water. Paper towels are designed to hold water. Perhaps the #1 cause of common clogs!
• Cosmetic wipes, baby wipes, or “flushable” wipes – Infamously disastrous on city-wide plumbing, these wipes can cause “fatbergs” as big as a school bus! Believe it or not, few flushable wipes aren’t actually flushable.
• Diapers – Made from materials that expand when in contact with moisture.
• Feminine products – They can easily obstruct pipes.
• Hair or dental floss – These can help form giant balls of waste that can damage plumbing, and the environment.
• Medication or household chemicals – These can contaminate the water supply, and present challenges to filter out.
• Paint – A hazardous mixture of pigments, extenders, binders, solvents, and additives.
• Cooking grease and other oils – Fat from these can solidify and do serious damage.
• Cat litter – Litter can contain hazardous bacteria or chemicals that are hard to filter out.

Consequences

Second, let’s briefly examine the consequences if we don’t consider what not to flush down the toilet.

1. Plumbing damage – A simple clog is one thing, but destroying pipes is another. Habitual flushing of these items can come at great personal cost to you!
2. Infrastructure damage – In addition to damage to your home’s plumbing, you can also damage the system of your neighborhood, or even city! A famous fatberg discovered in London’s sewer system in 2017 weighed over 140 tons and was 820 ft. long!
3. Environmental damage – Public sewer and filtration systems do their best to ensure the health and safety of everyone. But they cannot do everything. In addition to straining these systems, some of these items can also harm wildlife.

 

Tri-County Water Services for All Your Accidents

If you didn’t know what not to flush down the toilet before, you do now. So, if you’ve made the mistake of flushing something bad down the toilet, don’t deal with it alone! Contact the professionals at Tri-County Water Services today!