Ten things you should never flush down your toilet

It can be tempting to dispose of things down the toilet. After all, it saves you from having to take the rubbish out or go to the tip. Once it’s flushed, it’s gone, right? Wrong. Flushing anything other than toilet paper and bodily waste down the toilet can result in serious problems that are expensive to fix.

Table of Contents

The Problem with Blockages

Flushing items down the toilet that the toilet and the sewage system are not designed for can result in blockages that are unpleasant to deal with and may require a plumber to fix.

If you want to make sure your pipes are free from blockages, it is worth having a CCTV drain survey. To find a company that can provide this, do an internet search for your area such as ‘CCTV drain survey Nottingham’ and you should get results like www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/drainage-services-cctv-surveys-midlands/cctv-drain-surveys/nottingham.

Common Items Not to Flush

Ten everyday items that commonly cause problems when they are flushed include:

Paper towels and tissues are not the same as toilet paper. They are thicker and not designed to disintegrate.
Wet wipes and baby wipes are often labelled as flushable, but they do not break down and can cause clogs,
Sanitary products like tampons and towels can quickly expand in the pipes, causing blockages. Therefore, they should be put in a bin.
Toilets are not designed for food waste, so do not flush leftovers. Instead, dispose of food in a bin, or recycle or compost it.
Cotton balls and swabs can accumulate in the pipe, leading to blockages.
Medications flushed down the toilet can cause water pollution and are bad for the environment. Pharmacies can provide proper medication disposal.
Dental floss is not biodegradable and can easily get tangled with other debris in the plumbing.
Hair can clump together in the pipes, resulting in stubborn blockages.
Cigarette butts may be small, but they can build up and are not biodegradable.
Cat litter may be waste, but it is not suitable for flushing down the toilet. It clumps and absorbs moisture, resulting in clogged pipes.