Things That Should Never Go Down the Bathroom Bowl

Our bathroom is one of the essential rooms in our home. It's where we get ready for work, take a much-needed break from the day, and unwind at the end of it.

The toilet bowl is an integral part of this space, but too many people forget that it shouldn't be used for anything other than its intended purpose.

Some things should never go down the toilet bowl. Here are a few of them:

Wipes, including flushable wipes, are the number one thing people flush down the toilet bowl. The problem with this is that wipes don't break down in the water, which can clog your pipes and cause a major plumbing disaster. It's best to use wipes for their intended purpose and not flush them.

The average woman will use more than 11,000 tampons in her lifetime, so it's no surprise that most women have at least one horror story about a clogged toilet or basement drain. This is because tampons and pads are made of super-absorbent material that swells when wet, making them a prime candidate for clogging pipes and drains. These products can also cause plumbing backups if flushed down toilets, as they can expand up to nine times their size when exposed to water. 

Cat waste is not meant to be flushed down the toilet. Their waste may contain parasites that can cause harm to fish or other wildlife when they go through drainage systems and reach the streams.

If you have kids who love to play in the bathroom, ensure that their toys stay out of the toilet bowl. Sometimes kids don't always know when to stop playing, and they may end up dropping their toys in the toilet bowl. This can cause them to clog your toilet and make it difficult for you to remove all of the toys from the drain.

Hair is made of protein and can clog up pipes. Plus, it takes forever for it to decompose, so it can build up in your plumbing system and cause blockages.

Make sure to avoid flushing any food and greasy trash down the toilet. Even if your waste disposal is working properly, the fat will likely build up and cause major problems in your plumbing system.

Cotton balls are made of cotton, which doesn't break down easily either, while Q-tips are small enough to get stuck in your plumbing system or even cause a clog if they get stuck in a pipe!

Medicines are not meant to be flushed down the toilet as they may cause harm to fish or other wildlife when they reach streams or rivers through storm drains. Medicine that cannot be flushed should go in your trash can instead of your toilet bowl.

We hope this article got you thinking about how you dispose of certain items and give you some ideas for what things you might be able to put in the toilet bowl. And if you're still inclined to throw something down the sink or toilet, at least any of these ideas should give you pause!

Is your toilet clogged up? Mid Coast Plumbing and Fire is an affordable plumbing service that can help you with your clogged toilet. We'll get to the bottom of the issue so you're not stuck in an embarrassing situation!