What You Should Never Flush Down the Toilet

 

A toilet isn’t a trash can, but many people treat it like one. Flushing the wrong items can lead to major plumbing issues, expensive repairs, and even damage to your septic or city sewer system.

Here’s a list of items you should never flush down the toilet:

🚫 Wipes (Even “Flushable” Ones)

They don’t break down like toilet paper and can cause massive blockages.

🚫 Feminine Products

Tampons, pads, and liners absorb water, swell, and cause stubborn clogs.

🚫 Cotton Balls, Q-Tips, & Dental Floss

These items bunch together and tangle, creating drain blockages.

🚫 Paper Towels & Tissues

They’re too thick to dissolve like toilet paper.

🚫 Medications

Flushing old pills contaminates the water supply. Always dispose of meds at a pharmacy take-back site.

🚫 Food & Grease

Grease hardens inside pipes, and leftover food belongs in the trash or compost—not the toilet.

👉 Rule of Thumb: The only things that should ever be flushed are toilet paper and human waste. Anything else risks clogging your drains.