7 Things You Should Never Flush Down Your Toilet

Here are our Top 7 Things not to flush down the toilet

1. Wipes. Baby wipes are a definite No-No (they don’t decompose), but practically any wipe you can think of shouldn’t go down the loo, including cosmetic wipes. Even those fancy toilet wet wipes that seem to have gained popularity over the years shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet. All options have wreaked havoc on the sewage treatment processes, even though some options do disintegrate they don’t do it before they get to the treatment plant which can overheat and malfunction the pumps. Also, because they don’t break down before reaching their final destination, they can get stuck along the way either blocking your toilet or septic tank (hello backed-up toilet!!), or the sewage pipes along with other things (hello Fatberg!!) 

2. Sanitary Items. Otherwise known as feminine hygiene products, menstrual products, or period products. It doesn’t matter what you call them, you must never flush tampons or pads (or any other monthly product) down the toilet. Some young girls (even a few older gals) get a little confused, thinking if the product they are using says it’s organic, or biodegradable that must mean it’s flushable. No, sorry ladies. Again these products won’t be disintegrated by the time they make it through your system and will get stuck, so all these types of products need to be binned. 

3. Paper Towel and Tissues. Oh, a tricky one. Paper Towels, not to be confused with toilet paper towels, are used for many household cleaning and spillages. Tissues are great for containing the boogers. Both are designed to withstand a fair bit of liquid but are not made of the same disintegrating material as toilet paper, so trying to flush some down the toilet will get lodge and you will find yourself waiting and waiting for it to dissolve before you can use your toilet again – often resulting in toilet back-flow. And if you purchased the expensive quality brands – that’s when you need to get your plumber in!!

4. Hair and Dental Floss. You may think that hair would be ok, but imagine clumps of hair rolling around in the pipes, catching on to and getting tangled up with whatever else is in there leading to big balls of waste that clog the pipes. Now imagine the same thing with dental floss. Now imagine the both of them together. 

5. Cooking Oils or Grease. What happens to fats and oils when they turn cold? They solidify and block your system, and can also build up sludge in the pipes. Sludge helps trap other passing waste. As you know oil and grease are hard to clean, and not an easy task when it is lodged in your pipes. 

6. Medication. These are known to contaminate wastewater. These are toxic to water systems. It is best to bag your pharmaceuticals and bin them.

7. Bleach and Other Cleaning Products. Some cleaning products, including bleach, can be corrosive and damage your pipes. These are toxic and can be very hazardous to the water systems and the environment.