11 Shocking Things You Should Never Flush Down Your Toilet

There are some common things you should never flush down your toilet!

The toilet in the bathroom is surely one of the things you couldn’t live without. While it does a wonderful job of taking care of human waste, it’s not that great at disposing of other items.

If you don’t want to clog your drain pipes, contaminate the water system, and cause an environmental disaster, keep in mind that there are things you should never flush down your toilet. It’s always better and more nature-friendly to toss in the trash some of the common items you use every day.

According to plumbers, your drain pipes are their widest at only four inches in diameter, so even small items that might not seem harmful could cause a huge plumbing disaster.

Unfortunately, hiring an expert to snake your clogged drain can be quite expensive. Moreover, the expense of fixing water damage triggered by an overflowing toilet will take hundreds of dollars out of your pocket, and I don’t think you want that.

If you want to keep your toilet and drain pipes healthy, here are the things you should never flush down your toilet! Let’s begin!

1. Tissues and paper towels

If there’s no toilet paper in your house, you might reach for facial tissues or paper towels, but make sure you don’t throw them in your toilet because they’re not a good substitute for your drain.

Plumbers say that while paper products do an amazing job at absorbing water, they don’t dissolve in it like toilet paper. Tissues and paper towels are some of the things you should never flush down your toilet unless you don’t want to block up your pipes. In this case, the garbage will be their forever home.

2. Feminine products

Feminine products, such as sanitary pads and tampons, are other things you should never flush down your toilet. These items are meant to absorb liquid, and some of them even expand to several times their original size.

Just imagine flushing in the toilet all the items that expand. They can swell up with water and block pipes that run to the sewer or septic system. As you can imagine, your toilet water can end up backing up and overflowing, so you should always put your feminine products in the trash.

3. “Flushable” wipes

Even though the package might say that flushable wipes are perfectly fine for going down the toilet, experts advise you not to do so. They say that these wipes don’t break down quickly and can get stuck in your drains, which will end up causing clogs.

It’s always best to have a trash can in your bathroom, so you can easily get rid of any items you no longer need. If you’re looking for a tiny but roomy trash can for your bathroom, here‘s a good option.

4. Too much toilet paper

Using too much toilet paper isn’t the smartest idea, and there are two reasons for that: the first is that it’s wasteful, and the second is that it might cause plumbing issues.

Imagine that large quantities of toilet paper are part of the things you should never flush down your toilet because they’re hard to flash and can cause a clog in those tiny pipes. If you don’t want to cause problems that are hard and expensive to fix, make sure you only use toilet paper as you need it.

5. Dental floss

Dental floss is also among the things you should never flush down your toilet and that’s because it doesn’t dissolve easily in water. While this item is great for your teeth, it’s often made of nylon or Teflon and it will cause pipe problems.

Plumbers say that the floss can cling to other objects flushed after it, forming bigger clumps that can obstruct pipes and sewers. If you don’t want all that waste to repress and cause a disaster, make sure you toss your dental floss in the trash when you’re done with it.

6. Cotton balls, swabs, and rounds

Swabs, cotton balls, and rounds might seem small enough to flush, but inside your pipes, they can create serious issues, and these problems can be quite expensive to fix.

These cotton goods tend to accumulate inside pipelines instead of dissolving in the water when flushed, so think of the mess they can trigger. Experts claim that flushing swabs, cotton balls, and rounds can lead to obstructions and even broken or bent pipes.

7. Hair

This might come as a surprise to many people, and it was for me when I first heard about it, but hair is one of the things you should never flush down your toilet.

Just as with dental floss, flushing hair down the drain can lead to bigger issues down the road, according to specialists. Hair tends to stick to the interior of pipes, causing accumulation and potential blockages.

The best thing you could do is keep big hair clumps out of the toilet and cover your sink and shower drains with drain covers. And when you’re done brushing your gorgeous hair, clean your brush and put the dead hair in the trash.

8. Medications and other dangerous items

Other things you should never flush down your toilet are medications and any potentially dangerous items, such as paint, and some cleaning supplies, like those for ovens, windows, and tiling. This is a safety measure to prevent water pollution, which, in the long run, helps everyone on the planet, not just nature.

Experts say that bringing medication to a drug take-back location is the most effective approach to getting rid of any unused or expired prescription drugs.

Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency advises finding a household hazardous waste pickup program in your neighborhood that can assist you in recycling or properly getting rid of the products, so you know everything’s safe.

9. Bandages

Bandages are also part of the things you should never flush down your toilet because non-biodegradable plastic can contaminate water systems. The greater the blockage, the more things the sticky adhesive can stick to. You can easily avoid these problems by disposing of these bandages in the garbage bin.

10. Cigarette butts

There are a couple of other things you should never flush down your toilet, so don’t go anywhere. Cigarette butts are another waste product that can contaminate water systems with potentially dangerous chemicals and endanger wildlife.

Moreover, after flushing, cigarette butts don’t always disappear, and they can end up leaving the next person using the restroom with an unpleasant surprise. So after you’re done smoking, it’s best to safely get rid of your cigarette in the trash, but probably not in the bathroom.

11. Fats, grease, and oils

Regardless of what type of food we’re talking about, these are things you should never flush down your toilet. Speaking of that, grease, oils, and fats can cause major problems in your drains.

According to experts, even though these substances might initially seem liquid, they can solidify and stick to the inner lining of your pipes. This might obstruct by preventing other objects from passing, and that can cause issues in the long run. You should let fats, oils, and grease cool fully and harden after cooking before throwing the remains in your trash can.

Do you know any other things you should never flush down your toilet? Let us know in the comments below! If you find this article helpful and you’d like to read something else from Wipe and Organize, here’s another great post for you: 6 Things You Should Never Throw in the Trash