Most homeowners are smart enough to know that a toilet is not a trash can. 
After all, if you try to flush most of your garbage down the toilet, you’re going to find yourself making a phone call to a Jacksonville, FL plumbing service in a rather short amount of time.
However, in this day and age, there are quite a few things that people think can be flushed that actually shouldn’t ever go down the toilet. You might get away with flushing a couple of these items once or twice, but if you do it regularly, you’re going to wreck your plumbing. A few of these items are so devastating for your pipes that even one time will require a plumber to come out and fix the damage. Here are some of the worst things to send down the toilet!
Flushable Wipes
Many people might be surprised to see these on here. After all, the name flushable is even part of the title! But just because something is advertised as flushable doesn’t mean that it’s meant to go down the toilet. The reason that toilet paper goes down the toilet without issue — and even it’s been known to clog a toilet if you use too much — is that after a few minutes, toilet paper will break down in water. Flushable wipes don’t break down, and they end up causing real problems in the sewers if you flush them. You might not need a plumber to rescue you from flushing these, but Jacksonville, FL and Duval County will certainly be feeling the negative effects of your decision if you send flushable wipes down the toilet.
Q-Tips
It’s easy to make the mistake of accidentally letting one of these slip into the toilet and thinking that it’s no big deal. But they present the same problems as flushable wipes: they don’t break down. If you use the ones that are partially plastic, it’s even worse. Be careful not to toss these down the toilet, or you’ll cause a sewer blockage over time.
Menstrual Pads
This would fall under the category of “call a plumbing service” if you flush one. Think about it: the purpose of a menstrual pad is to absorb fluid when necessary. Why would you want something that absorbs fluid going into your pipes? It’s going to expand and cause a major blockage if one gets flushed.
Diapers
Take everything that was just said about menstrual pads and multiply it. Diapers’ main purpose are to absorb wetness so that your baby’s skin doesn’t suffer from irritation as long as you change your baby quickly. Again, something that absorbs wetness going down your pipes is going to require you to call a Jacksonville, FL plumbing service to fix the damage.
Bleach
This is another entry that might surprise you, but bleach causes damage to your pipes in a different manner than a clog. Bleach is a corrosive liquid, and if it doesn’t get flushed through your pipes promptly, it’s going to break down the glue in PVC pipes and cause a serious issue that requires calling a plumbing service for immediate attention. If you’d like to clean your toilet, use a specific toilet bowl cleaner, or toss some common white vinegar down your pipes. Vinegar is actually an excellent choice for cleaning your toilet, as it won’t cause any problems if it goes down your pipes.
Undigested Food
The same cannot be said for other kinds of food, however. Human waste obviously goes down the toilet without issue, but when food hasn’t had a chance to be digested, it causes real problems for your pipes. Unlike flushable wipes or diapers, food will eventually break down in your pipes and clear away, but the process takes so long that you’re likely going to have to call for a plumbing service long before that happens. Bottom line: if a human body hasn’t had a chance to break it down, it doesn’t belong in the toilet.
Medicine
Have you ever heard that water is a renewable resource? Well, that becomes substantially less true if you’re putting medicine into the sewer system. Unlike other items on this list, medicine will break down when you flush it — but not all the way, and that’s a serious problem. The medicine will break down enough to toxify the water, costing Jacksonville, FL and other localities more money to properly clean it. Flushing medication won’t require you to call a plumbing service, but it’s still a very bad idea.
Pet Waste
Human waste goes down the toilet with no problem, so why not pet waste? Simple: cats and dogs’ waste dries out over time, and putting dried pet waste down the sewer is a major issue. Don’t think it will rehydrate and get through the pipes without any problems. It won’t, and you’ll likely be stuck calling a plumbing service for assistance.
Hair
Hair doesn’t break down in water. Hair expands in water by up to 30 percent, and when it’s surrounded by water, it doesn’t shrink back to its original size. Hair doesn’t belong in your shower drain, let alone your toilet’s pipes. Be sure to pluck it out of the drain and throw it away.
Grease
This might be the worst thing you can flush because of how damaging it is to your pipes. As grease cools, it solidifies, and you can probably see where this is going for your pipes. Under no circumstances should you ever flush grease of any kind down your toilet. If you do, there’s no maybe about it: you will be calling Bert Normans Plumbing for help because that’s the only way to fix the damage that grease causes.
What Can I Do?
Don’t flush anything that isn’t human waste or toilet paper down your toilet and always be sure not to use too much toilet paper for your toilet to handle. By restricting your flushing to those two items, you’ll do a lot for your pipes and keep them in top shape — and you’ll limit the amount of emergency calls you have to make to a Jacksonville, FL plumbing service, keeping that money free for things you really want to use it for, such as a new shower!