Resources for COVID-19 – What you should and shouldn’t flush to avoid a backed-up toilet

With the entire family home due to the various stay at home orders currently in place, you need to take even more care for your home’s plumbing. Plus, toilet paper appears to be a high-demand item, which means that might find yourself running low. Before you start choosing your next substitute for toilet paper, keep in mind that there are a few things you should never flush down your toilet.

Here is a guide to what not to flush down your toilet to avoid an emergency plumbing issue because of a backed-up toilet that requires a plumber in San Marcos, CA.

Any Type of Toilet or Cleansing Wipes

No matter what they say on the package, the truth is that they do not breakdown like toilet paper. In fact, they can end up creating a clog in your plumbing, causing backups throughout your plumbing system. Avoid flushing these wipes because they may clog your bigger plumbing stack that all the water and waste drain out of your home and into the sewer system.

The reason these can cause such a problem is that they do not disintegrate, which can lead to problems later.

Q-Tips or Cotton Pads

If you are flushing cotton balls, Q-tips, or cotton pads, then you are essentially creating your own clog. They simply clump together within all your pipes and eventually backup your toilet and could negatively impact your home’s overall plumbing.

Menstrual Products and Diapers

While this one seems self-evident, the truth is that many individuals are still flushing tampons, pads, and diapers. Those products do not break down and can often be what toilet paper can begin to clump around. Overtime, it becomes a clog that negatively impacts your home’s plumbing.

Dental Floss and Hair

The reason you don’t want to flush your floss is because it can become the anchor for other items to attach to, thus creating the perfect environment for a clog to build up. Floss becomes a net to catch and hold other debris. If you have a septic system, then it could even get caught in the motor and burn it out. It can get very expensive beyond just unclogging your toilet or home’s plumbing.

Hair can also become the same net and so you want to avoid flushing that as well.

Paper Towels and Tissues

These two items are often seen as substitutes for toilet paper, but the truth is that they are not designed to easily breakdown the way that toilet paper does. If you have to use them as a substitute, then throw them into a wastepaper basket and not down your toilet.

Medication and Cigarette Butts

The reasons behind not flushing these items is not necessarily to avoid the clogs, but to decrease the chemicals being added to the water system. The truth is that the toilet water does not always break these items down, thus it can create toxic chemical effects. Cigarette butts can have the same negative chemical impact, but they also waste water to be flushed, when there are other options to dispose of them.

If you have any clogs result in your toilet backing up, contact us today to access a plumber in San Marcos, CA. Our team can provide emergency plumbing services, thus making sure that your family has a working bathroom.

Proactive Plumbing has provided dependable plumbing services, installations and repair for more than 15 years. We service Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido and other areas of San Diego County.