Silke Jasso
When it comes to what is and what isn’t allowed to go down a toilet, the answer is pretty simple, let’s just say it’s the ‘basics’. By basics I totally mean pee and poo and the occasional amount of toilet paper, that’s it. Of course, no one abides by those rules, and that is exactly how toilets break. Admit it, we are all guilty of doing it, it’s okay. Until it breaks down and then we’re left with no toilet. But, did you know that there is one unexpected item that you shouldn’t flush down your pipes? What is that item? Dental floss.
Videos by Rare
Yes, dental floss is good for our teeth. It keeps our mouth healthy, takes away our bad breath, and keeps us in line. But, it can actually cause a lot of damage to pipes! Dental floss is made of nylon or Teflon and isn’t biodegradable. Due to it not being able to break down, it can cause serious clogs and heavy environmental damage when flushed down a toilet. The floss can easily wrap around a toilet paper, hair, wipes, fecal matter or tampons in the pipes. (NSFW pictures below)
The floss can get into the water system and ball up into big clumps and ultimately get broken or stuck together and form balls of waste. Sometimes, floss can also get caught up with tree root and grease that create a huge problem for sewer systems, threatening public health, and water quality. Plumbers and other city officials who have dealt with this dental floss issue, say it’s their worst nightmare after the final product looks similar to a three to four-pound animal made of…well…figurative crap. Don’t believe me? Embrace yourself, because this is pretty gross.
https://twitter.com/johnjamesjohn30/status/706934437506895873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E706934437506895873%7Ctwgr%5E373939313b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fentry%2Fflushing-dental-floss-toilet_us_59c02739e4b0186c2205101c
20 years of dental floss clogged in my toilet. via /r/WTF https://t.co/ydqhNczHft pic.twitter.com/D3Sk4n2IBt
— me (@not_actuallyme) September 9, 2016
Yes, if that doesn’t scare you, I really don’t know what will. It grossed me out, and let me tell you, I am not someone who gets grossed out easily…but I had to put down my diet coke when writing this because I felt like throwing up a little bit. Now, I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t floss regularly, but from here on out, you should probably throw your floss in the trash can. To help you, and save you from having a monster like this in your house, here’s a list of what you CAN’T throw down your toilet. You’re welcome.
- Hair
- Feminine products
- Diapers
- Cat litter
- Pills
- Baby Wipes
- Liquid drain cleaner
- Money (apparently this is an actual thing)
- Matches
- Grease
- Condoms
- Q-Tips
