What You Can & Can’t Flush Down The Toilet

When you think of litter, you likely imagine trash in streets, water, or even in the woods, but have you ever thought of litter in your sewage? Sewage-related litter refers to the nonorganic matter that is flushed down the toilet. Unfortunately, this occurrence is common. Though it may sound harmless based on the premise that all sewage gets treated, flushing down litter can actually cause damage to our sewage systems and marine ecosystems.

With items like “flushable wipes” being sold left and right, the line between what we can and can’t flush down the toilet gets a bit blurred. Use our comprehensive guide below to bust the myths of what you can and can’t flush down your toilet.

What You CAN Flush

As you may have guessed, only bodily waste and toilet paper is approved to flush. Never flush paper towels, wipes, or other “paper-like” materials that aren’t specifically toilet paper. Paper towels are too thick to be flushed down the toilet and may cause severe clogging.

What You CAN’T Flush

Apart from paper towels, there are several seemingly harmless items that get flushed daily that can cause big problems. You may be surprised by which materials are not suitable for your sewage system. Never flush the following foreign objects:

Wipes

Contrary to what you may have heard, there’s no such thing as flushable wipes. This goes for makeup wipes, baby wipes, and any other cleaning wipes. Despite being made out of paper, wipes are not designed to break down the way toilet paper does and often cause blockages in sewer lines. Additionally, wipes amongst the most common forms of marine litter found on the coasts of beaches.

Sanitary Products

Pads and tampons aren’t designed to be flushed and often cause blockages. Instead, dispose of your sanitary products via a trash can. Aside from containing plastic, the chemicals used in many sanitary pads also affect marine life when they end up in the ocean.

Medication

Just as medication releases into our bodies when we take it, they release into our water supply when we flush them. This goes for both prescription and non-prescription drugs alike. The best and safest way to discard old medication is by bringing them to your local pharmacy to be properly disposed of by a professional.

Plastics: Condoms, Disposable Diapers, Band-Aids & Contacts

Never flush these items down your toilet! Condoms, diapers, and contacts cause severe blockages, backups, and overflows.

Floss & Hair

Hair and floss share the same detrimental effect on the sewage system when flushed. They can wrap around objects, clumping them together, causing blockages as well as damage to machinery within sewage treatment plants.

Say Goodbye to Clogs

If you’re experiencing frequent clogging and overflow in your bathroom, call in the help of our professionals at Wheat & Sons. We offer both plumbing repair and drain cleaning services to get your bathroom in working order in no time. Your satisfaction is our priority. That’s why we strive to get the job done right the first time. Each of our trained and experienced plumbers will treat your home as if it were their own while working efficiently and effectively on your toilet drain.

Call to schedule a plumbing repair or drain cleaning service at 240-399-5051 or contact us online.