What Not to Flush Down the Toilet

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Help us keep our sewer system clean! Losing sleep at night wondering what can/cannot be flushed down the toilet, haha ! Well you can sleep easy, now that you have this list, tape to the inside of your cabinet doors.  Please help us educate others as it is your responsibility to inform your visitors of what not to flush down the toilets. Thank you!

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1. BATHROOM WIPES (baby wipes/makeup wipes/disinfecting wipes etc.)

These “moist towelettes” are becoming an increasingly popular bathroom accessory. Despite the fact that they’re marketed to be flushed like toilet paper, these wipes are creating clogs and backups in sewer systems around the nation. An industry trade group revised its guidelines on which wipes can be flushed, and has come out with a universal stick-figure, do-not-flush symbol to put on packaging. (Same thing goes for actual baby wipes and cleaning wipes). Although some of these brands might say they are flushable on the box, there are groups that are revising the guidelines, so soon all wet wipes will have a noticeable DO NOT FLUSH symbol on the packaging. If you must use these, throw them away in the trash can. Keep one close to the toilet. Flushing wet wipes can easily turn into an expensive mistake when you have to call a plumber to snake your toilet.

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True story: A city in Minnesota is suing six makers of “flushable wipes” since the wipes cause so many problems in sewer systems. Officials say the wipes don’t degrade after they are flushed and end up costing cities “thousands, if not millions, of dollars of damages.”

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2. COTTON BALLS/SWABS

They’re just cotton, right? You might think that cotton will break down, since some toilet paper is made from cotton linen (Cottonelle/Cottonsoft), but they don’t! They will clump together, causing stoppages at bends in the pipes.

 

3. PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION

Don’t need the rest of those pills? Many people feel like they’re doing the safe thing, keeping meds out of the wrong hands by flushing them, but it’s actually very dangerous. These drugs destroy bacteria, contaminate groundwater supplies and can have terrible effects on wildlife downstream. Check www.takebackyourmeds.org to find a place that will dispose of them properly.

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4. FEMININE PRODUCTS

Tampons, applicators, feminine hygiene products are not supposed to be flushed down the toilet.

 

5. COOKING GREASE/FOOD

Grease should never be poured down any drain. It may look like a liquid that can easily be dumped down a drain, but when it cools, it will congeal and clog up your pipes. Collect your grease in a glass jar and throw it in the trash, or save the grease and reuse it, especially bacon grease…mmmm.

 

6. INCONTINENCE PADS AND LINERS/PERSONAL HYGIENE WIPES/DIAPERS

Just because there is human waste inside does not mean that they are OK to flush. Diapers are made to expand in water. In the unlikely case you actually get the diaper to flush, it will likely get caught in the U-bend of the pipe.

 

7. PAPER TOWELS/TISSUES

Paper towels are extremely wasteful, and reusable rags/napkins are much better. However, if you do use paper towels, know that they’re NOT designed to break down in water like toilet paper.

 

8. CIGARETTE BUTTS

Each flush uses up to three gallons. They look gross floating in the water and they are full of toxic chemicals that end up going straight into the groundwater supply. If you have to smoke, throw the butts away properly.

 

9. BAND-AIDS

These are made from non-biodegradable plastic, which is terrible for the environment and can cause awful clogs in the sewage system.

 

10. DENTAL FLOSS

Despite feeling like string, dental floss is not biodegradable. Once flushed, it loves to wrap itself around other objects in the pipeline, making tiny clogs bigger in an instant.

 

Other items include: Hair, Sheet plastic, or plastic of any kind, condoms, Egg shells, nutshells, and coffee grounds, Toilet bowl scrub pads, cat litter, chewing gum, cosmetics, dryer sheets, pets (goldfish, gerbils, hamsters L), automotive fluids, paint, solvents, sealants, thinners, poisons, hazardous waste and pet feces.

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Still not convinced? Then try this “flushability test.” Fill two bowls with water. Place toilet paper in one, and place one of the items above in the other. Swish both items in the water. Wait an hour, then swish again. The toilet paper should have significantly disintegrated by then, while the other item (for example, Kleenex, wipes, napkins, etc.) will likely remain intact. Unless the item disintegrates at the rate of toilet paper, it should be placed in the garbage and not down the toilet. Otherwise, you risk a blockage in your own pipes as well as clogging a pump station and causing a sewage backup for other homes and businesses. Remember: the drains that connect your RV to the main sewer are often no wider than 4 inches.