When has dealing with clogged toilet ever been fun? And while they sometimes clog despite best efforts, it’s good to have a thorough understanding of what you can and cannot flush down your porcelain throne.

The plumbing experts at Bigfoot Pumping & Thawing in North Pole, AK have seen their fair share of clogged toilets, with clogs frequently resulting in a whole slew of problems. Such problems can include sewer backups in the home, sewer system damage, and environmental releases.

Check out the following advice to help ensure your toilet flushes like it should:

What You Can Flush

The list of what you can flush down your toilet is incredibly short. It includes toilet paper and human waste. That's it.

What You Can’t Flush

The list of what you can’t flush is obviously much longer, with each prohibited item resulting in its own set of not-great problems when flushed.

• Cotton Swabs and Balls: Flushing q-tips and cotton balls down your toilet may seem harmless, but the stuff actually collects in pipe bends to create massive clogs.
• Bathroom Wipes: Allowing moist towelettes to circle your toilet drain is another easy way to create sewer backups. They may be marketed as flushable, but like cotton products they don’t break down, leading to huge clogs and related issues.
• Cigarette Butts: Using your toilet as an ashtray results in an array of toxic chemicals added to the water supply. And if you’re flushing one butt only, that’s a whole lot of water you’re wasting.
• Band-Aids: Avoid the flushing of band-aids and any other non-biodegradable plastic is very important, as the plastic causes serious clogs in addition to being awful for the environment.

These are merely some of the many things you cannot and must not flush down your toilet! Other examples include fats and grease, hair, cat litter, dental floss, tissues, disposable diapers, feminine products, and hazardous waste.

For more on plumbing services, including septic inspection and water jetting, contact Bigfoot Pumping & Thawing today. Call (907)-488-9855 or visit their website.