What NOT to Flush Down Your Toilet in North Houston & Klein, TX

Baby on toiletMany people think anything goes when it comes to flushing things down the toilet. You place it into the bowl, push down the handle, and ta-da it disappears. But our Klein, TX plumbers probably know better than anyone that toilets and plumbing systems in general can actually be quite fickle. The fact of the matter is, if you flush just anything down your toilet, you’re bound to pay the consequences. If you want to avoid toilet problems, sewer backups, and other plumbing system issues, we recommend keeping these items out of the toilet.

10 Items You Should Never Flush Down a Toilet in Klein, TX

  • Paper TowelsCommercial plumbing service is often needed at businesses that have public bathrooms because paper towels wind up getting flushed. Paper towels are too big and thick to be flushed and are highly likely to clog a toilet. If you keep paper towels in your bathroom, be sure there is a wastepaper basket there as well!
  • Cat Litter – It seems reasonable enough to flush your cat’s waste down the toilet, but if it’s covered in cat litter, don’t do it! The litter is designed to clump when it comes into contact with moisture, so it is likely to clump up in your plumbing pipes, causing a clog.
  • “Flushable Wipes” – When plumbers see the word “flushable” on a box of wipes, we cringe. The wipes are simply NOT flushable. The wipes might make it down the toilet, but they must be filtered out eventually which is costing cities worldwide big bucks.
  • Prophylactics– The likelihood of these causing a toilet clog is high and you certainly don’t want one to pop back up into the bowl.
  • Dental Floss – Believe it or not dental floss is not biodegradable, and it has a tendency to bunch up into balls, causing bigger clogs than you might think.
  • Feminine Hygiene Products – The manufacturers are never going to tell you, so we might as well: tampons should not be flushed. Because tampons are absorbent and don’t break down quickly, the city’s waste treatment plant must filter them out and take them to a landfill.
  • Food – Why are people flushing food down the toilet? We don’t know. Make sure the little ones know that the toilet bowl is not the appropriate bowl for their cheerios, because flushing food is a surefire way to clog a toilet.
  • Medicine – Whether new or expired, medications should never be flushed. Hormones and pharmaceuticals get into the water supply and can have a negative effect on the health of local wildlife.
  • Cotton Balls & Swabs – You may think these items are small and harmless, but they have a tendency to gather together in plumbing pipes, causing ugly clogs.
  • Cigarette Butts – Did you know that cigarette butts are one of the most common types of litter found in the ocean? While they might look small and easy to flush, they won’t break down quickly and will release chemicals into the water supply.

Clogged toilets and sewer lines can be messy and inconvenient, but many times these problems can be avoided when you practice good flushing habits. Teach your children what to flush and what not to flush and keep a trashcan handy for the unflushables! For drain clearing or sewer service in Klein, TX, give Rooter-Man Plumbers a call!

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