No, Michigan, You Should Not Flush These Items Down the Toilet

Believe it or not, there are only a handful of things your toilet will accept as an offering to the sewers. Shocking, I know.

And yes, believe it or not, plenty of people out there think it's a great idea to push the boundaries of what their toilet will accept.

A practice most often associated with toddlers experimenting with their environment, people across the nation, and even here in Michigan, continue to flush down everyday trash as if their toilet were a garbage disposal.

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It should meet basic human understanding that toilets and the sewage systems they lead to can only process human waste and specific items that degrade properly, such as toilet paper.

While too much toilet paper can cause a clogged toilet, toilet paper is at least designed to quickly dissolve in water and, in most cases, won't cause long-term damage. Even still, large wads of toilet paper make the list of 10 items Reliance Home Comfort put together that should never be flushed down the toilet.

For the majority of the items on this list, one instance won't make your toilet erupt in a disgusting display, but the long-term effects are damaging to your toilet and pipes and the sewage system it leads to.

In every single case for the items on this list, it's best to put these items in the trash. A small bathroom trash can is only a few dollars and can save the headache you would otherwise have if you continued to flush these items.

Gum

Remember the old saying that chewing gum takes a long time to digest if you swallow it? Imagine how long it takes gum to degrade in water.

Cotton Products

Cotton takes longer to break down than you'd expect. It's also very likely that cotton can get caught up in the pipes, creating a blockage long before it begins to dissolve.

Bandages

Just throw it in the trash. Between the plastic not breaking down and the sticky side leading to potential blockages, it just doesn't make sense to flush a bandage.

Paper Towels

Paper towels and other tissues absorb water, which makes them expand and get very heavy. Unlike toilet paper which breaks down quickly, paper towels being flushed can quickly cause problems.

Baby Wipes

Baby wipes may not absorb water, but they are sturdy and take way longer to break down than even paper towels. Just throw them away.

Floss

Again, just throw it away. If you're flossing, odds are you own a trash can. Floss, and hair for that matter, tangles and catches, leading to blockages, especially with repeat offenses.

Feminine Hygiene Products

Feminine products absorb even more than paper towels and are just as durable as baby wipes when it comes to resisting degradation. Throw these items away.

Bonus: Cigarettes

It's not on the list from Reliance Home Comfort, but seriously, use an ashtray and safely dispose of cigarette butts and ashes in the trash. Flushing cigarettes not only makes the bathroom smell even worse, but the cotton in cigarette butts can also cause similar problems to the items on this list.

Oh, and as a renter who ran into this problem thanks to the previous tenants, don't put cigarettes in the kitchen sink disposal either.