It’s an all too common occurrence. Someone flushes the wrong thing down their toilet one too many times, and we get a panicked call for emergency drain cleaning services. Following a few simple guidelines and using good judgment will help you avoid unpleasant bathroom plumbing issues.

Here are some tips we’ve put together to help you change your flushing habits.

Stop Flushing Personal Hygiene Items

There are many kinds of personal hygiene items that end up in toilets. Let’s start with the obvious. Tampon boxes may say that their product is safe to flush, but from a plumber’s perspective, that’s just not the case. The whole purpose of a tampon is to absorb liquid. When it does this, it expands. If it expands in your plumbing system, it’s going to block water from passing through and you’re going to experience clogged drains. It’s always better to throw away tampons in the trash.

Feminine hygiene products are the only bathroom items that should stay away from the toilet. Cleansing wipes are another no-no. These products will not break down in the water like toilet tissue. Instead, they will move through your pipes and drains intact. If they happen to catch on the side of the pipe, they will act as a net for other debris moving through the pipe. Eventually, this will turn into one gigantic clog that can cause an overflow or even put enough pressure on the pipe that its bursts.

We can go on and on why a toilet is not a trash can, but we think you get the point. Here is a list – albeit not a comprehensive one – of items that should never be flushed:

• Dental floss
• Q-tips
• Paper towels
• Condoms
• Diapers
• Sanitary pads

If it’s not toilet paper, don’t flush it! It’s really that simple.

Please Don’t Pour Grease in the Toilet

It may seem silly, but we get a lot of calls for clogged toilets that involve kitchen scraps. Maybe you have a guest bathroom in the hallway off your kitchen and think it’s okay to flush cooking oil or grease. It’s not! These substances will harm your pipes and cause expensive repairs. Don’t put these substances down your sink drains either. Rinse out a jar from your recyclables to store these substances. Or let them cool to the touch and pour them in a plastic bag to throw away.

Unused Medicines Don’t Belong in the Toilet

This is a harmful habit that takes people by surprise. After all, how can pharmaceuticals harm your plumbing system? And, what are you supposed to do with old medicines? We know keeping used medicine in a home with small children can be dangerous. However, there are better ways to dispose of them. When you flush them down the toilet, the chemicals in these products are released into sewage and waste treatment facilities. This can lead to serious health repercussions for a community.  Throw away unused medicine in the trash or call your doctor’s office or local pharmacy for better suggestions.

Remember, toilets serve one purpose. That’s it! If you treat your toilet like a trash can, your plumbing system will eventually rebel. That being said, if you need clogged drain service in Menlo Park, CA, give My Menlo Park Plumber Hero a call for immediate plumbing service.