What can you put in your toilet

5/6/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington, and Cadillac has noticed a significant increase in sewage losses in the past weeks. We are not sure if it is resulting from the toilet paper hoarding/shortage but we thought it may be a good time to review the rules on what you can and cannot flush. According to Jim Ervin, who was compliance manager for a major wastewater treatment facility for 27 years, the Golden Rule of Flushing is: "If you wouldn’t put it down your garbage disposal, don’t flush it." There are only certain things you should be putting in your toilet, which is why they were made.

The list of what not to flush is much longer.

• Baby wipes, facial tissues, disinfectant wipes, moist wipes (even if the label says it is flushable)
• Napkins, (paper or cloth) paper towels, swifter’s and cleaning pads  often have a plastic mesh to  keep them from falling apart and don’t dissolve.
• Q-tips and Cotton pads tend to clump and can clog pipes
• Menstrual products can expand and again can clog pipes
• Diapers, a no brainer, just don’t do it
• Dental floss, just does not go away and can cause real problems.
• Medication or vitamins do not cause drain issues but are very bad for the environment.
• Kitty Litter, egg shells, nut shells, coffee grounds, nope
• Cooking wastes like fats, oils and greases can cause major issues
• Socks, rags, hand towels, sponges…don’t even think about it

The experts at SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington, and Cadillac can certainly help clean up the mess when you clog or blow apart your sewage drains, but we would much prefer if you kept the lines clear.