7 Common Items That Should Never Be Flushed – Prevent Clogged Toilet

by Heather Levin

There’s a pretty popular TV commercial that’s been on lately for a well-known toilet maker. In the commercial, a guy sees a very pretty female plumber going into his neighbor’s house to fix a problem. Obsessed with the fact that he want this girl over to fix his pipes, he starts flushing everything he can down his toilet to clog it up.
Diapers, toys, and even entire plants are flushed down the toilet. Miraculously, the thing never clogs. If you’re interested, the video is embedded at the end of this article.
Although the commercial is funny to watch, in real life, flushing all that junk down the toilet can cause some serious problems for your plumbing lines. Not to mention all the water it wastes, and the problems it could cause down at your local water treatment plant. These treatment plants were designed to dispose and treat specific items. Adding new things to the mix can cause blockages, which take time (and taxpayer money) to fix.
So, do want to know some commonly flushed items that really need to go in the garbage instead? Let’s take a look.
7 Things You Should Never Flush
1. Diapers
Yes, people really do try to flush diapers down the toilet, and it’s more common than you might think. Diapers will clog a toilet, or an outgoing line, in a heartbeat. They should always go in the trash.
2. Tampons and Sanitary Napkins
Some experts claim that flushing tampons and sanitary napkins causes the majority of household clogs. The reason is because cotton snags easily, and if your home’s plumbing pipes have any cracks or root infiltration, the cotton can quickly get caught in the line. After a few flushes, buildup can occur and you’ll have a clog on your hands. This gets expensive, especially if the clog occurs in the line from your house to the main city line.


Another reason why you should never flush tampons or sanitary napkins is because cotton doesn’t easily break down in water. This could cause some serious problems over time, especially if you’re using a septic system.
Plus, the waste water treatment facility has to remove these items as “solid waste” and tote them to the landfill. These items should go in the trash.