Don’t Flush Wipes Down Your Toilet!
With the current shortage of toilet paper, people are using all sorts of substitutes and flushing them down the toilet. Unfortunately, this isn’t good for the environment and it’s not good for your plumbing, either. Here are a few things you can do to keep your plumbing safe.
The Problem With Wipes
Don’t put wipes of any sort (baby wipes, cosmetic wipes, generic wet wipes) down your toilet because they don’t disintegrate like toilet paper does. Instead, they clump up, get stuck, and create a big clog that is hard to move. In fact, most of these clogs require the drain cleaning services of a professional plumber if you want to get rid of them.
Paper Products Other Than Toilet Paper
Don’t put paper towels, napkins, tissues, or other paper products down your toilet, either. None of them are designed to disintegrate like toilet paper does, so they can all contribute to major clogs. Paper may seem fragile but it’s not fragile enough for your plumbing unless it’s TP.
Menstrual Products
These are even worse at disintegrating than wipes are. And, because they are designed to expand to absorb moisture, they can cause big problems in your pipes. If they expand and trap other debris, the problem grows exponentially. Stop it at its source by throwing these items in the trash instead!
Condoms
Since condoms aren’t supposed to break easily, don’t put them in your pipes. If they catch on something, they can stretch and stretch and make a mess. They can fill with debris and still not break, so they can cause major problems.
Dental Floss
Dental floss is another kind of disaster for your pipes. Since it doesn’t break easily, it can get wound up in other debris and create a web. This catches even more debris and holds it in your pipes until you call an experienced plumber to pull it all out of there for you. Hair can do the same thing, so avoid putting clumps of it down your drains, too!
And More!
Don’t put medication down your drains, because it can pollute the land and the water around you. Avoid flushing cigarette butts because of the toxic chemicals they contain, too. In general, don’t put anything down there that isn’t toilet paper or something else designed to be in your plumbing.
If you do end up with clogs, call us at Cathedral Plumbing. We’ll get to you quickly, figure out how to unclog your drains, and get the job done fast!