What You Should Never Flush Down a Toilet

How to avoid common plumbing problems

While some plumbing problems can’t be avoided, many can, like clogging the toilet and possibly backing up your sewage due to flushing the wrong things down the toilet. Here is a list (though certainly not comprehensive!) of what you should never flush. 

1. Baby wipes/cosmetic wipes (even the “flushable” ones)

   While baby wipes seem similar to toilet paper, they won’t disintegrate as toilet paper does. Things that also seem like toilet paper but are very bad for your pipes include paper towels, tissues, and any cotton products, like q-tips or cotton pads,

2. Feminine Hygiene items 

   Tampons, pads, sanitary napkins, panty liners, etc. All of these items and their wrappers need to be thrown away in the trash can. Related: don’t throw condoms down the toilet either.

3. Medication, cigarettes, and cat litter 

   All of these things produce toxic chemicals that are too harsh for the septic system, and none of them properly disintegrate. 

4. Hair and dental floss

   When flushed, hair and dental floss both grab other pieces of debris in the toilet and create a big cluster (like a hairball or net) that can clog the toilet. 

5. Fish and bleach 

   While it is pretty common for people to flush their deceased fish down the toilet or use bleach to clean it, both are actually not good for the system. Fish don’t disintegrate, so they can get clogged just like anything else, and bleach is a harsh chemical that is better replaced with vinegar if you want to clean the toilet bowl. 

6. Contact lenses, band-aids, and other microplastics

   Plastics are serious environmental hazards, so even though throwing little contact lenses or band-aids don’t seem like a big deal, they contribute to a much bigger problem. 

7. Food and too much toilet paper

   When it comes to food and toilet paper, you just need to keep moderation in mind. Just because human waste was once food doesn’t mean food can be thrown haphazardly in the toilet. It doesn’t break down immediately, so there is still potential for any food to get clogged. Same with too much toilet paper.

In other words, the only thing that should be going down the toilet is human waste and moderate amounts of toilet paper. Keep everything else in the trash if you want to keep your pipes working for the long run.

Sources: 

https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/cleaning-tips/a21992808/what-not-to-flush-down-toilet/

https://www.surfertoday.com/environment/20-things-you-should-never-flush-down-your-toilet