Flushable wipes and other things that really shouldn’t go down your drains and pipes
Flushable wipes – they have the “go ahead” to head on down your drains and pipes. But are they actually plumber tested? Well, we can safely say that from our experience, flushable wipes do not pass our tests and aren’t always a good idea. What can your pipes really handle? Let’s see what shouldn’t go down your pipes:
-
Flushable Wipes
-
Heavy Paper Hand Towels
-
Paper Towels
-
Harsh Drain Cleaners
-
Fats and Oils
-
Hair – Both Human and Pet
-
Kitty litter or Animal Waste
Do flushable wipes break down?
-
Flushable wipes are truly not flushable. They may go down your toilet on a good day but contrary to their claims, they do not break down like toilet paper and will commonly cause clogs. Stick with traditional toilet paper or bidets for taking care of business and you should be clog free.
-
At face value, tissues and paper towels may seem similar enough to toilet paper to be flushable but they are not! Like flushable wipes, they do not break down and will cause messes in your pipes.
-
Harsh drain cleaners are typically not healthy for your pipes either. Inhaling these fumes or accidental contact can cause rashes and unwanted irritation and these chemicals also cause damage on your plumbing system. Substitute these harsher chemicals for milder, more natural ones.
-
Fats and oils may be liquids when going down the drain, but these substances will eventually thicken, causing unwanted blockage in your pipes. Throw these out with your trash – not down your drains.
-
Hair – of any kind – should not go down any of your household drains. This includes pet hairs, so be sure to have a hair catcher on your tub before you give your dog a bath!
-
One last thing to keep in mind when it comes to pets is to never flush kitty litter or any animal waste down the toilet. Animal waste can carry unwanted bacteria and parasites that can contaminate the larger water supply. Litter has the ability to clump also clogging your pipes.
Keep these items on a list near the bathroom so that no one accidentally flushes down harmful items in your drains.
Be sure to keep Isley Plumbing in mind if you have any out-of-control clogs. We have you covered at Isley Plumbing for clogs of any size so please give us a call at 317-420-4006 or contact us online to schedule an appointment.