Sacramento Plumber Lists 15 Items You Should Never Flush Down the Toilet
Toilets whisk away the waste we never want to see again, keeping our families clean and safe. Because they remove some of the most harmful waste we produce in our home, some people think toilets are a fix-all for getting rid of any and all undesirable trash in our house – they couldn’t be more wrong!
- Disposable Diapers – You are supposed to flush anything with poop down the toilet, right? WRONG. Diapers, even disposable diapers, are made with plastics and other non-biodegradable products and they will stay in the environment and most definitely clog your toilet
- Tampons – Tampons are designed to absorb moisture and expand, and if they are thrown in your toilet, they will soak up water until they clog the pipe
- Sanitary Napkins – these napkins are made to handle moisture and not break down, meaning that the water in the pipes will not break the napkin down, causing a clog
- Medications – These won’t clog your pipes, but more importantly, they will severely contaminate the water supply, and can sometimes cause unknown chemical reactions in the pipes that lead to plumbing problems, and problems for the waste treatment center
- Grease and cooking oils – The grease and cooking oils might be a liquid when you cook with them, but they turn into solid, fatty deposits in your pipes that will cause blockages
- Cotton Balls and Swabs – Just like tampons and sanitary napkins, cotton does not break down in water like toilet paper, and will lodge in your pipes and cause blockages
- Mini or Maxi Pads – These feminine products are designed to absorb moisture and not breakdown – not something you want in your plumbing!
- Hair – I’m sure we have all seen the disgusting balls of hair that float out of drains from time to time – the same goes for toilets, and if you flush hair down the toilet, it won’t break down quickly enough and will tangle within itself, causing a clog
- Dental Floss – Dental floss will not break down and will get tangled with itself and other undesirables in your pipes, causing blockages
- Paper towels – Unlike toilet paper, paper towels are designed to hold up under moist conditions, which allows them to stay in your pipes longer and cause blockages
- Condoms – Condoms are made to stretch and handle friction and can completely stop the water flow in a pipe when they become lodged in the perfectly wrong way
- Bandages and bandage wrappings – Bandages are often made of non-biodegradable plastic and will make their way all the way to the waste treatment facility in-tact, as long as they don’t lodge in your plumbing and cause a clog first!
- Poisons, Automotive Fluids and other Hazardous Waste – Just like the water in the storm drains, the water that travels down your toilet eventually makes its way back into the environment, and the waste treatment facility that takes your waste water is not designed to remove those types of chemicals
- Cigarette Butts – Cigarettes contain chemicals that should not enter our water supply, and they are also made of non-biodegrade products that will stay in your pipes forever unless removed
- Cat Litter – Cat litter is made to absorb liquids, and it has special clays and other minerals that help it do just that – unfortunately for your toilet, those compounds get stuck to your pipes and will completely back up a plumbing system
Do You Already Have a Plumbing Problem in Sacramento?
The Sacramento plumbing contractors at Clarke and Rush have been serving the Sacramento community for years and we’ve seen it, and fixed it all! We can help get your water running again, your drains flowing, and yes, your toilets flushing! Contact our Sacramento plumbers today and get your plumbing problems fixed!
