Things you should never flush down a toilet

It may seem obvious but we have been in this game long enough to know that no matter how often we say it, people will still flush the wrong things down the toilet – causing drains blockages to happen.

A toilet is designed to deal with pee, poo and toilet paper (the three P’s).  Nothing more, nothing less.  But for so many houses in Glasgow, that doesn’t seem simple enough.  So we have put together a wee list of things that you SHOULD NEVER flush down the toilet.  Hope it helps.  And if it doesn’t and you get a blocked toilet….you know where to find us.

Medication

Some medication can take a long time to fully dissolve and breakdown in water. In that time, they are large obstacles just waiting to get stuff and cause a blockage in the toilet.  That and the fact that adding medication to the water supply is effectively polluting it.  The chemicals can then end up in the rivers and oceans causing harm to marine life.  So don’t do it.

Wet Wipes

Don’t trust the new ‘toilet friendly’ wet wipes.  Wet wipes should never be flushed down the toilet because they don’t break up in the sewage system.  They cause blockages in your homes drainage system and they cause blockages in the main sewage system.

Kitchen Roll

Yes it may be paper but it is not toilet paper.  Kitchen roll paper (aka paper towels) are designed to be super absorbent and can be tough enough to handle kitchen worktop wipe downs.  This means that they can easy get stuck in your drain pipe, increase in size and they absorb lots of liquid and cause a brilliant dam in your drain pipes – causing them to block.

Condoms

Condoms do not biologically degrade. Condoms can easily stick to the inside of a drain pipe. They are a prophylactic that all too often ends up in the drainage system and are a very good way of blocking a toilet or drain pipe.  So don’t flush them down the toilet.

Nappies

If you have ever held a nappy full of a babies poo, you may now be thinking ‘how on earth would someone flush that in the first place! Many have tried, few have succeeded. If you did somehow manage to flush a nappy past the u-bend of the toilet drain pipe, that is probably as far as it will go.  Use a bin.

Dental Floss

Dental floss is one of those things that you can easily understand why people flush them.  But they do not biodegrade and if you flush enough of them, they turn into ‘fishing nets’ of floss webbing that can create barricades in your drain pipe, causing it to block.

Ear Buds/Cotton Buds

It is a plastic stick with some fluff on each end of it.  Of course it is going to get stuck in the drain pipe if you flush it.  The cotton doesn’t dissolve and the plastic can easily get caught in any other debris.  Bin it – don’t flush it.

Food

What’s the difference between food and poo?  Surely they are both okay for the toilet?  Yes food will eventually break down but only some food does it quickly.  A poo easily breaks into smaller bits as it flows down a drain.  The fat cut offs from last nights steak?  Not so much.  Don’t flush food down the toilet.  Bin it.

Hair

For those with long, flowing hair, it may seem all to easy to pull out the loose strands of hair collected in your hair brush and flush them down the toilet.  But like the dental floss, this will easily cause a blocked drain if you do it too often. Use a bin.

Chewing Gum

Common sense tells us that you all know this is a bad idea.  But so many people still do it.  Chewing gum is sticky, does not degrade and does not disintegrate.  It is the ideal material to help block a toilet.

Fats, oils and grease

We have been called out a fair few times over the years because a Sunday roast has caused a blocked drain.  The hot fats from a roast leg of lamb (for example) may be a liquid and look like they will easily flow down a drain pipe but they solidify quickly, stick to the inner lining of the drain pipe and form the catalyst for a future drain blockage.  Wait for the fats to solidify then you can throw the remains out in the bin.

Plasters

A plaster is a sticky piece of plastic that does not biodegrade.  What do people thing will happen once they flush the plaster down the toilet?  It will get caught and form a parachute to catch other debris that gets flushed down the drain causing a blockage.

Gold Fish

And finally goldfish.  The TV and movies of this world have taught us that a dead goldfish needs to go down the toilet.  It is in a way, its funeral.  But it is not, it is far more likely to be a cause of a blocked toilet.  So either bury the fish or bin it. Don’t flush it.

How we can help

At JSL Drainage, we have been clearing blocked drains in Glasgow since 2006.  Our core focus and our company mission statement is and always has been to always offer our customers in Glasgow a reliable drainage service at an honest and fair price.  Our business model is based around doing a good job that allows us to grow the company through recommendations and referrals from happy customers who have suffered from a blocked drain but have been left happy with the service and price that we have delivered.  And since 2006, that is exactly what we have done. And it seems to be a good recipe.

Our history

From what started as a one man operation, has grown over the last decade and a half into one of the top independent drainage companies in Glasgow.  And that is not just us saying that.  We are frequently being nominated as one of the top drainage and plumbing companies by ‘ThreeBestRated.co.uk” and on directory/review sites like Checkatrade.com, we have a near perfect score for reliable timekeeping, quality of service and tidiness.

Over the years, we have constantly reinvested in our team and our equipment.  It has allowed us to grow into a stronger company that can offer our customers more than just the standard blocked drain services.  From thermal imaging cameras that allow us to trace blocked drain sources without having to open up walls and lift up flooring, to the equipment we use to unblock the drains themselves.