Chances are, you don’t spend much time thinking about your home’s plumbing system—until something goes wrong with it, that is. Problems with toilets can come up unexpectedly and lead to extensive issues with plumbing systems that require expensive repairs to address.
The most important thing for homeowners to keep in mind is that there are a lot of things to avoid flushing down the toilet. If you’re wondering, “What can I flush down the toilet?” the answer is simple: human waste and toilet paper. Read on for more information about what things should be kept out of the toilet to promote plumbing performance and reliability.
Things to avoid flushing
Here are a few of the things that should never be flushed down the toilet:
- Cotton products: Cotton products like Q-tips, cotton balls and tampons can cause extensive problems when they are flushed down the toilet. Even though these items may seem harmless because of how small they are, they often create clogs by sticking to other debris and grime in plumbing systems. Always throw cotton items into the trash instead of flushing them down the toilet.
- Floss: Another product that’s often flushed down the toilet is dental floss. Dental floss is even smaller than cotton products, so a lot of people assume it won’t damage a plumbing system. However, the stringy nature of dental floss significantly increases the risk of clogging. Floss can attract grime and other debris, causing major obstructions to develop in pipes.
- Wipes: Even wipes that are marketed as “flushable” should never go down the toilet. Flushable wipes are designed to dissolve in water, but the reality is that these wipes never dissolve completely once they go down the drain. More frequently, flushable wipes dissolve partially and then get stuck deep within plumbing systems, creating stubborn drainage obstructions.
- Cat litter: People with cats might flush litter down the toilet out of convenience. Many cat litter brands are even designed to be safe to flush down the toilet. However, the idea of flushable cat litter doesn’t really work in practice. That’s because flushable cat litter can cause problems with drainage and absorb water in the plumbing system, leading to water flow problems.
- Cooking oil or grease: Cooking oil is often mistakenly thought to be safe to pour down the drain or flush down the toilet because it’s a liquid, but this is actually the cause of many plumbing and drainage problems. Once cooking oil actually gets flushed, it starts to solidify and accumulate along the sides of pipes. This greasy grime attracts debris as it passes through the plumbing system, causing huge pipe clogs to develop.
Professional plumbing services
At Big City Plumbing, LLC, we know how important it is to keep toilets protected, but we also know mistakes and accidents happen, and things people should avoid flushing down the toilet sometimes wind up entering their plumbing. When our customers have a plumbing emergency, our team is here to provide a quick response with services that are designed to optimize plumbing performance and efficiency. Call us today to find out more about our services and to request a consultation and a quote from our team.