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What NOT to Flush Down Your Toilet

Raise your hand if you are grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing.  It truly has made our lives easier.  Except when there’s a problem with it, such as a clogged toilet that results in a huge mess.  One of the best ways to avoid a plumbing problem such as this is by making sure you are only flushing things that should be flushed down the toilet. So, curious as to what not to flush down your toilet?  Read on to find out.

HAIR

How many of you have fished out hair from your sink or shower drain only to throw that clump in the toilet and flush away?  Isn’t that kind of defeating the purpose? According to TODAY,” Hair will never dissolve in water. In fact, it floats and easily gets caught on its way out the toilet, snagging whatever comes its way.” So, when cleaning out the sink or your hairbrush, throw the wad of hair in the trash, not the toilet.

FLOSS

Floss is a little like hair.  It does not dissolve in water, and it can act as a ‘net’ catching other scum and debris that find their way into your pipes.  This could result in a big clog.

PAPER TOWEL

Paper towel is designed to absorb liquids and not easily break apart from them.  Otherwise, the paper towel would hardly do you any good while cleaning up messes and spills.  This means that paper towel will not dissolve enough to safely be flushed down the toilet.

PLASTIC

Plastic should be a no-brainer, right?  Who would think to throw a plastic toy or a tupperware container in the toilet?  Probably not many adults.  However, things like band aids are also made of plastic, and they should be disposed of in the garbage, not the toilet.  “Most band aids are made from plastic, which isn’t biodegradable and can lead to clogs….” (Clean My Space).

SANITARY NAPKINS

Like paper towel, sanitary napkins were created to absorb liquid.  This means they are not good candidates to be flushed.

DIAPERS

Yes, diapers contain human waste.  In fact, many people even practice a ‘scraping method’ with dirty diapers by scraping some of the waste contents in the toilet to help keep the odor in the home at bay.  However, diapers themselves should never ever be put into the toilet.  Diapers can hold an astonishing amount of liquid, and they will clog your toilet right away.

GUM

Gum is another thing doesn’t dissolve in water.  Even worse?  It’s sticky.

Now that you know what not to flush down your toilet, you should be saved some plumbing trouble.  If you do get into a plumbing bind, contact FLAME to learn more about our residential plumbing services.

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