Do not flush paper towels, wipes or facial tissues—they clog your pipes and our pumps! As toilet paper is now so hard to find, many District residents and employees are turning to alternatives. If you must use something other than toilet paper, please be sure to discard it in the trash.
Even though some of these products are marketed as “flushable,” there is no such thing as a flushable wipe, a flushable paper towel or a flushable facial tissue. These products should never be flushed under any circumstances. If they don't clog your toilet, they may clog the sewer lateral to your home.
These things should never go down the toilet bowl. But in case you don't understand why, we'll explain… Facial tissue and paper towels are constructed to hold up during use. Flushing them is like playing Russian roulette with an extra-large plumbing bill.
Although paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue appear to be the same material, but they do not disintegrate in water like toilet paper. Any items flushed other than toilet paper can create costly clogs in your home pipes, our community sewer pipes, and our water reclamation facilities.
Paper products when wet tend to clump together and stick to the side of stuff. Turds float. Toilet drains are graded to provide the best drainage while carrying solid matter. So a large amount of tissue product can stick to the sides of the pipe and accumulate, eventually creating a clog.
What happens if you flush facial tissues? Facial tissues are not designed to break down quickly. While they will degrade over time, it can be days or weeks before the tissues start breaking down. Since tissues retain their shape longer, they can cause all sorts of problems if you flush them down the toilet.
Too Much Toilet Paper
Some 2-ply toilet paper, ultra-strong, and ultra-soft varieties don't dissolve quickly, leading to blockages. Some people, especially young children, use excessive amounts of toilet paper.
If the blockage is a build-up of tissue paper, pour 3-4 cups of hot (not boiling) water from waist height into the toilet bowl. Give the hot water around 20 minutes to breakdown the blockage.
Extensive tests show that when Charmin is used as intended in a properly functioning plumbing system, it shouldn't cause plumbing problems.
Despite their textural similarity to toilet paper, the fibers in these paper products do not break down the same way and can cause clogs in plumbing and septic systems. Instead, toss used tissues and paper towels in a garbage can with a lid lined with an appropriately-sized garbage bag or plastic grocery bag.
Unlike toilet paper, facial tissues should not be flushed down toilets due to their slower dissolving rate, posing a risk of causing complications in pipes, septic systems, and water treatment plants.
To reduce waste, lots of people look for re-usable toilet paper alternatives. The most common is probably cloth (commonly called 'The Family Cloth'). If you'd like to experiment with The Family Cloth, people recommend using a soft material like flannel or cotton (though you could use towels or washcloths).
Tissues were designed to absorb fluids, not dissolve in fluids like toilet paper. It is recommended to not flush tissues down the toilet, as it can lead to clogs and other plumbing issues. It's a household conundrum that has puzzled many: Can you flush tissues down the toilet?
Unfortunately, flushing facial tissue into your septic system could put your system at risk.
Paper towels are designed to be absorbent and strong, and don't dissolve quickly - which will result clogging of pipes. They are not intended to be flushed down the toilet. Throw used paper towels in the trash – or switch to cloth, which can be washed and reused.
There are several possible reasons why your toilets keep clogging time and again, including: Flushing non-flushable items (baby wipes, Kleenex, paper towels, feminine hygiene products, etc.) Using too much toilet paper. A malfunctioning flapper.
Ultimately, Charmin still sends trees from invaluable forests like the boreal to an ignoble fate in our bathrooms, perpetuating a highly destructive, dangerous tree-to-toilet pipeline.
You'll be pleased to know that a standard blockage, caused by flushing inappropriate materials or too much toilet roll, will unblock itself eventually.
The Short Answer Is: A toilet can repeatedly clog due to several reasons, including inadequate flushing power, an obstructed trap or drainpipe, or an accumulation of non-flushable materials like toilet paper, hygiene products, or foreign objects.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Carefully add two cups of vinegar to initiate a chemical reaction with the baking soda. Wait for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the reaction to break down the clog, and then give the toilet a flush.
Flush repeatedly with dish soap.
Add 1 cup of dish soap to the water bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes before flushing. Repeat this process multiple times, using more soap if needed, as its surfactants cut through grease that may bind paper together. The extra flushes help remove any loosened material.
You might be using the plunger wrong
If the water level is low, the plunger may not seal properly or achieve the suction it needs to be effective. Pour water into the toilet if you need to. Position the plunger directly over the drain opening and plunge slowly and gently a few times. This ensures you have a good seal.
It may be because your toilet drain is clogged, a faulty water tank, low water pressure, or even the design of your toilet. The good news is that it is easy to fix this problem. You can either get in touch with a professional plumber or try it yourself.