When your toilet overflows unexpectedly, it might mean you’ve flushed something you shouldn’t have, and now it’s clogged. Although toilets appear to be capable of flushing nearly anything, they can only properly flush two things: toilet paper and human waste.
Toilet paper and human waste break down in water and won’t clog your pipes. On the other hand, here is a list of things you should never flush down the toilet.
Diapers and Baby Wipes
Diapers seem flushable, right? Unfortunately, they are not. In fact, diapers absorb water, making them likely to clog your pipes if you flush them.
Diapers also don’t break down in water, so they can severely damage your plumbing system. Baby wipes aren’t flushable either. Although some wipes claim to be flushable, they don’t disintegrate like toilet paper, so they will likely clog your toilet.
Tissues and Paper Towels
Paper towels and tissues might seem similar to toilet paper, but they couldn’t be more different in how they behave in your plumbing. Tissues are soft and easy to rip, but they don’t break down like toilet paper. Paper towels can hold liquids surprisingly well, making them a terrible choice to flush down your toilet.
If you need to use either of these items in place of toilet paper, throw them away in a garbage can instead. Learn about types of plungers to keep on hand at home in case you or a family member accidentally flushes paper towels or tissues.
Cotton Products
Q-tips, cotton balls, and cotton pads are all examples of what not to flush down your toilet. As you can probably guess by now, these products don’t break down in water. Cotton products clump together and cause disastrous clogs. Luckily, it’s easier to remember to throw these items in the garbage than it is to throw away toilet paper substitutes like paper towels and tissues.
Your toilet might look like it can flush anything, but clogs can happen at any time. Now that you know which things you should never flush down your toilet, you can avoid inconvenient clogs.
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Below, you’ll find a list of common plumbing problems homeowners should know. Become familiar with these issues to catch the problem early and avoid expensive home damage. Continue Reading. . .
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Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
