Six Things You Should Stop Flushing Down The Toilet

If you want to increase the longevity of your toilet and to avoid having to pay heavily for annoying plumbing issues, you should try to keep all extra waste out. The following items will do more harm than good if flushed down your toilet, so you may want to consider a new set of rules in your house.

Anything Made of Cotton

This includes cotton swabs, cotton balls, Q-tips, and any other associated product. Cotton is excellent at absorbing water, but it doesn’t break down easily. The combination of these factors is a big problem for your plumbing lines.

Any Type of Plastic

It doesn’t matter if it’s packaging plastic or a Band-Aid, you should never flush plastics down a toilet. Plastic doesn’t dissolve and can cause many problems in your pipes—if they get that far after a toilet flush.

Tissues and Paper Towels

While they may seem a little like toilet paper, they are not. The materials used to make tissues, paper towels and similar products do not dissolve easily and are far more likely to clog your toilet, as well as cause problems for your septic tank or at your water treatment facility.

Disposable Diapers

Disposable diapers are materials that tend to get covered in waste. The bad news is that toilets were not made for any kind of disposable diaper. Trying to flush these diapers is an incredibly common cause of serious pipe clogs that need professional attention.
Tampons
The Toilet seems like a good option to get rid of tampons and other feminine hygiene products, but you may care to know that it is a bad idea. Tampons can easily create clogs deep in pipes and should never be flushed down the toilet.

Condoms

Condoms is another material that you shouldn’t consider not flushing down your pipes. While it may seem convenient to do so, it could cost you more on the long run. Throw them in the trash instead of flushing: Both condom materials (typically latex) and associated lubricants are bad for your plumbing