We’ve written before on this blog about items that you must never put down your garbage disposal. We’re going to tackle a broader topic today: items that should never go down any of your drains or be flushed down one of the toilets. Any one of the following can lead to major problems in the sewer line leading from your home to the municipal system (or in some cases, to a septic tank) as well cause damage to a sewage pump. Clogs in the sewer line will cause huge issues in your home and require professionals to provide extensive sewer cleaning.
Keep the following out of drains and toilets:
- Cotton swabs: These seem really innocuous, but they have been known to ruin sewage pumps and cause them to burn out.
- Cat litter and other gravelly substances: This abrasive material, which includes any kind of sand or gravel, can inflict damage to the interior of the sewer line.
- Baby wipes and hand wipes: In a number of cities, wipes thrown down toilets have become an enormous problem as they clump together and conceal into dense clogs. This can happen on a smaller scale with your sewer line.
- Dental floss: Seems harmless, right? No, dental floss can get caught inside sewage pumps and cause the motors to burn out.
- Plastics and latex: Both of these are good examples of garbage that needs to go into the actual garbage, not down a drain or flushed down a toilet.
Those last items bring up a good rule of thumb you should use when deciding if something can go down a drain or not: Is it something that normally goes into the trash? If so, put it in the trash. The drainage system in your home is designed to handle waste water and some solid waste—it is not designed to act as garbage receptacle. With some precautions, you can help keep your sewer line clean.
Call Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. for drain and sewer cleaning services in Winter Springs, FL.