A home can be subdivided into different divisions: the living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. These various divisions are interdependent irrespective of the house structure.
You have different fixtures and fittings in a bathroom to make it run smoothly, including the toilet. However, there are specific items you shouldn’t contemplate flushing down the toilet. To ensure your toilet stays clog-free, here are some things you should not flush down the toilet.
1. Baby wipes
You must avoid the temptation of flushing baby wipes down the toilet, even if the manufacturers say it is flushable. Instead of disposing of this item through the toilet, you should make use of the waste bin. A baby wipe doesn’t disintegrate like toilet paper. To avoid clogging your toilet pipe, keep baby wipes off the toilet flushing channel.
2. Menstrual products
This may sound a little bit off, but the fact remains that the flushing of menstrual products like pads and tampons endanger your toilet pipe. The reason is, menstrual products are designed to absorb water, not break it down. So, flushing a menstrual pad through the toilet will make it expand and absorb more water, thus obstructing water flow. Therefore, doing this will only endanger your toilet pipe in the long run.
3. Condoms
A condom, just like a menstrual pad, is not designed to break down in the water. Therefore, flushing it through the toilet will damage the pipe and lead to clogging.
4. Diapers
Just like condoms and menstrual products, diapers are designed to absorb water. The best way to dispose of it after usage is through the diaper’s pail. When you flush a diaper through the toilet, you are putting your toilet at great risk. Fixing the problem can be costly and time-consuming.
5. Hair
Generally, getting rid of hair through the toilet has never been an excellent idea. The reason being that hair doesn’t dissolve in water. So, when figuring out what to do with excess hair, flushing it through your toilet is not a good idea as it will lead to blockages, and you don’t want that happening to your toilet pipes.
6. Dental floss
To protect your toilet pipe and environment at large, avoid flushing dental floss through the toilet. Aside from creating clogs, dental floss is known for not breaking down in the water. Also, when dental floss remains inside the toilet pipe, it attracts other debris that can pose a threat to your health and those around you.
Furthermore, dental floss in collaboration with other debris can wrap over your tank, thus damaging the motor of your pumping machine.
7. Towels and paper tissues
Some people make the mistake of flushing towels and paper tissues down the toilet because they believe it shares similarities with toilet paper. However, while toilet paper breaks down in the water, towels and paper tissues don’t. So, instead of trashing towels and paper tissues through the toilet, you should get rid of them through the waste bin.
8. Medication
You may have to dispose of a pill at some point because it has expired, or you have passed the medication usage timeline prescribed by your doctor. Whatever reasons you have, don’t flush it through the toilet. Ordinarily, many people think pills dissolve in water quickly. Still, the reality is they don’t because water doesn’t break it down properly.
In addition, flushing pills through the toilet cause harm to water and is also toxic to the environment.
9. Cigarette butts
Either you smoke or not, the best way to discard a cigarette butt is through a waste bin, not flushing it down through the toilet. Aside from clogging, the cigarette is made from toxic chemicals, and flushing it through the bathroom adds toxic contents to the water.
10. Cooking grease
Since you wouldn’t flush cooking grease down the drain, then you shouldn’t consider flushing it through the toilet either. Cooking grease may look light, especially under a hot temperature. However, as the temperature drops, the oil gets thicker. So, flushing the grease through the toilet over time leads to clogging in your pipe.
11. Fish
There is nothing wrong with giving your pet fish a befitting burial, but don’t flush it down the toilet. The reason is that fish don’t break down in the water and may cause blockages in your toilet pipe. So instead of flushing through the toilet, you consider another alternative like burying.
Every part of the home needs adequate maintenance to function correctly, with the toilet inclusive. To ensure your toilet stays safe and runs smoothly, you shouldn’t flush some items through the toilet. With this, you can avoid pipe clogging, damaged water tanks and reduce environmental impact from harmful substances.
