If you’re looking to protect your drainage system and prevent any damage to your pipes and plumbing, there are some everyday household objects you’ll want to avoid flushing down your toilet. Some of these are well-known, while others may surprise you.
Wipes
This includes:
- Make-Up Removal Wipes
- Baby Wipes
- Wet Wipes
- Household Cleaning wipes
The issue with flushing wipes is that they don’t break down in the sewage system and could eventually lead to an untimely and costly plumbing repair! We’d recommend throwing these away in your household waste bin instead. Some wipes are marked as biodegradable and therefore, flushable; however, we still think it’s safer to throw these out in the trash, just in case!
Dental Floss
Again, dental floss isn’t biodegradable, and because of its nature, it has a habit of wrapping itself or getting caught on areas within your drainage system, or if it finds its way back out into natural water, it could get wrapped around or be ingested by wildlife. This is another one for your normal bin.
Medications
So this might be a surprising one because while you may not expect this to cause damage to your drainage system, it can become clogged. However, meds shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet as they can pollute the water supply and be harmful to any wildlife if this water reaches the river. If you have unused or unneeded medication, your pharmacy can be the best place to ask for advice.
Cat Litter
Although some cat litter manufacturers say it is safe to dispose of soiled cat litter down the toilet, this should absolutely be avoided! There are quite a few reasons, one of them is that cat faeces contain parasites, which sewage plants are not designed to deal with, and it can contaminate the water supply and be very dangerous to humans and other animals. Secondly, some types of cat litter swell and can cause clogs and blockages. Dispose of your soiled cat litter in a biodegradable bag, which is then tied shut and put out with your regular garbage.
Sanitary Towels & Tampons
This is a common one that we see notices for, all the time, in public restrooms and toilets. Basically, if you can understand that the main function of pads and tampons is to absorb fluid, you can see why this could be an issue for a plumbing system! Plus, if a plumber has to come and remove one in order to unclog your toilet and pipes, this could be quite embarrassing!
There are many more things you shouldn’t flush down the toilet, and these are just a few! If you are not sure whether something is safe to flush down the toilet, we recommend you avoid it or at least do a quick online search.