When you want to dispose of something quickly it can be tempting to use a toilet. It is nearby and with a quick flush, the dirt is removed. Right? Well in most instances you shouldn’t flush solids. Toilets are made for items that dissolve in water so that it is easy to transport them. Solids can get stuck in the drains and this can cause clogs.
Is the same true about paper though? We use toilet paper so can we use other types of paper? Let’s find out in this post.
If there is a clog in your drain, your toilet won’t be able to flush items anymore. It can even break other sinks or toilets in your house if the main sewer line gets clogged. This can lead to expensive repairs as a plumber will have to an auger or water pressure to get the clog removed. In some instances, they might even have to use a camera and dig up the drain.
A lot of paper won’t dissolve in water and for this reason, it shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet. If you want to test if your paper will dissolve, you can dip it in water three times and see if it starts to break down. Plumbers often perform this test to see if the paper is usable or not. There are a lot of types of paper that can’t be flushed down the toilet.
A lot of cheap toilet paper won’t break down this fast and it can cause problems as well.
Can you flush coffee filters?
No, coffee filters don’t dissolve in water. They are quite sturdy as they have to hold the coffee and filter the coffee grit. You shouldn’t flush coffee filters as they can get stuck in the toilet drain and cause clogs.
It can be quite hard to remove them and you might have to call a plumber for help. A plumber can charge quite a lot to fix this as they need special equipment. In some instances, they even have to break open walls or floors to remove clogs from the drains.
Plumbers get often called out to unclog toilets that have a lot of wet wipes in them. Coffee filters will have the same problem as they also can get stuck in the toilet drain. They create a ball of dirt and this disturbs the water flow in your plumbing drains. A plumber can often fix this quite easily but it will be expensive to get this done as it requires special equipment.
Can you flush the newspaper?
While it is a common sight in cartoons, you shouldn’t flush news paper. This paper is often quite sturdy and doesn’t dissolve in water. You can test it by dipping it in water and seeing if it dissolves. In most instances it won’t. For this reason, it is not recommended to flush newspapers down the toilet.
It can be fun to use the newspaper as toilet paper as a lot of the content is not worth the paper that it is written on but you shouldn’t flush it.
The ink on the newspaper can also affect the water. Wastewater is released into rivers and oceans. For this reason, you should collect newspapers so that they can be recycled.
Can you flush notebook paper?
No, notebook paper is quite strong. It is often recycled paper and can withstand water. For this reason, it shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet as it can result in clogs and other problems. Just use toilet paper or a bidet. Notebook paper shouldn’t get flushed.
The cover of notebook paper is often made out of a strong carton. This won’t dissolve in water either so it shouldn’t be flushed. The best way to dispose of notebook paper is to throw it in the dedicated bin. This type of paper can be recycled so you should make sure that it gets in the right bin.
Can you aluminum foil dust down the toilet?
No, this can create clogs. You don’t want to take risks with your toilet as this can result in expensive repairs. Just throw it in the garbage bin and be done with it.
To conclude, we can state that you should only flush items that will dissolve in water. Most types of paper won’t do this so they shouldn’t be thrown in the toilet. Placing them in the garbage bin is a better idea. Especially if you have a septic system this can create a lot of problems as it will build up in the drain and tank and you might have to get it pumped out more often. This is expensive and can be avoided with some care.
It might be surprising to hear that some types of paper can’t be flushed down the toilet. These are delicate systems and if things don’t dissolve in water, it can create problems. Water processing facilities are also not able to deal with this. For this reason, you should be careful and avoid flushing them.
It is just not worth taking the risk. Throw paper in the dedicated bin and you are good to go. This can avoid problems later on.
