Flushing the wrong things is one of the mainreasons your toilet clogs.
Learn the top things you shouldn’t flush, according to professional plumbers with years of experience.
It even gives the impression of made of paper.
The Spruce / Michelle Becker
So, how bad could it be to flush a baby wipe?
“They dont break down like paper would.”
Though baby wipes are soft and feel like paper, they aren’t paper.
Baby wipes are mostly made from plastics or semi-synthetic fibers like rayon.
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Adams says flushable items represent a “knowledge gap” for the general public.
Though it seems paradoxical, mostflushable items are not flushable.
That’s because there is no industry standard for what’s flushable and what’s not.
It’s up to the manufacturer to define what flushable means.
Safely dispose of sanitary items or feminine care products in the trash, not in the toilet.
This includes tampons, applicators, sanitary pads, cups, and sponges, among other items.
Toilet Cleaning Pads and Wands
Most people use a traditional plastictoilet brush and holdertoclean a toilet.
It’s simple, low-cost, and efficient.
Plumbers say that toilet cleaning pads are one of the things you shouldn’t flush.
Toilet wands that use disposable pads sometimes get flushed, too.
Plumbers say that both itemspads and wandsshould go in the regular trash.
What Can You Flush?
“I don’t recommend the ultra-thick 4-ply toilet paper.
The extra thickness takes longer to break down,” Chmielarski says.
If you’re okay with 2- or 3-ply toilet paper, use that.
But if you prefer 4-ply toilet paper, use less of it.
Also, considerupgrading to a pressure-assist toilet.
Paper Towels
Like ultra-thick toilet paper, paper towels will eventually break down upon water contact.
But they take so long to break down that toilet clogs may first develop.
Cleaning wipes fall in the same category of things you shouldn’t flush.
Cleaning wipes are made of polyester, polypropylene, cotton, or rayonnot paper.
Dispose of paper towels and cleaning wipes in the trash.
Both condom materials are designed to resist liquids, so they will not break down in the sewer.
Instead of flushing condoms, wrap them in toilet paper and deposit them in the household trash.
Because a toilet drain is so wide, it looks like it can magically make anything disappear.
Plumbers report finding bizarre and surprising flushed items clogging toilet lines.
Many of these flushes are accidentalmostly phones, glasses, and toothbrushesso avoid using these items near the toilet.
Wear disposable waterproof gloves and remove by hand.
If flushed, solid items may need to besnaked out with a toilet auger.
Bet You Didn’t Know Your Baby Wipes Are Plastic?Pennsylvania Water Environment Association.
Defining ‘Flushability’ for Sewer Use.
