1. Diapers
Yes, people really do try to flush diapers down the toilet, and it’s more common than you might think. Diapers will clog a toilet in a heartbeat, or an outgoing line,thus making it extremely difficult in cleaning your drain. They should always go in the trash.

2. Tampons and Sanitary Napkins
Some experts claim that flushing tampons and sanitary napkins causes the majority of household clogs. The reason is because cotton snags easily, and if your home’s plumbing pipes have any cracks or root infiltration, the cotton can quickly get caught in the line. After a few flushes, buildup can occur and you’ll have a clog on your hands. This gets expensive in cleaning your drain, especially if the clog occurs in the line from your house to the main city line.

Another reason why you should never flush tampons or sanitary napkins is because cotton doesn’t easily break down in water. This could cause some serious problems over time, especially if you’re using a septic system.

Plus, the waste water treatment facility has to remove these items as “solid waste” and tote them to the landfill. These items should go in the trash.

3. Cigarette Butts
This is another item that’s commonly flushed, but won’t ever break down. Trash please!

4. Floss
This is another non-biodegradable item that can quickly lead to clogs if you’re not careful. Like cotton, floss will easily snag on rough pipes.

5. Large Wipes
Baby wipes, paper towels, face wipes, Swiffer pads…all these things might say “flushable” on the box, but if you have even a tiny clog forming; adding large wipes to the waste flow will quickly make a tiny problem big.

6. Toilet Bowl Scrub Pads
Not only are these scrub pads not biodegradable, they’re full of harsh cleaning agents that are difficult for the treatment facility to cleanse from the water.

Best bet? Don’t waste money on these gimmicky cleaners in the first place. Instead, use natural cleaning ingredients like baking soda and vinegar to clean your toilet. That’s what I do and it works great.

7. Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are full of toxic chemicals that cause big problems at treatment facilities, and your local water shed. They also can quickly lead to clogs. Your best bet for a healthy home is to not use them. But if you do, don’t flush them after you’re done folding laundry. They’re better off in the trash.

8. Bubble Gums.

Chewing gums  are a no, no entering your sewer system. This will cling to side of pipe and eventually build up choking sewer system that can turn out to be very expensive in cleaning your drain.