Seven Things That Should Not Go Down the Toilet in Your Home

Like most San Antonio households, yours is probably busy with children, pets and a constant hubbub that can sometimes overwhelm you and your plumbing. Among the most common plumbing emergencies is a clogged toilet, caused by some things that should not go down the drain. You may be surprised, however, about seven categories of things that should not go down—or the reasons they are troublemakers.

1. Expanding Things That Should Not Go Down the Toilet

If it can expand when wet, do not flush it! This means saying no to:

Disposable diapers
Cigarette butts
Tampons and sanitary napkins

2. Too Tough for Toilets

Some things are simply too hard to break down or too large to move easily through your San Antonio home’s pipes:

Disposables—paper towels, napkins, disposable floor cleaning pads, dryer sheets, makeup remover pads and baby wipes
Dental floss—its long string (usually non-biodegradable nylon) can snag and gather other clogging matter
Cotton balls, swabs and gauze pads—almost impossible to remove when they clog

3. Chemical Things That Should Not Go Down There

The toilet does not neutralize chemicals. Keep chemicals out of your well water or sewer system:

Cosmetics and makeup
Prescription drugs

4. Inflatables

Among the things that should not go down the toilet are items that, if they gather an air pocket, can inflate and clog your toilet:

Cleaning gloves
Condoms
Party balloons

5. Natural No-Nos

Just because they are natural does not make them harmless:

Hair—one of the supreme clog creators
Cat litter—yes, it is clay, but it is also parasite-bearing feces that can harm ocean life
Food fat—grease and fat are the stuff of legendary kitchen clogs, so why would you put them down the toilet?