There are many times where you might ask this question. “Can I flush Paper down the toilet?” Flushing is understandable as you can’t keep every piece of paper with you forever. They take up room in your house causing clutter, trash cans, and storage for one-time use items. Instead of letting them pile up in your house, getting rid of them may be easier than you think.
Can you flush paper down the toilet?
It is not safe to flush paper down the toilet. Even if it looks like it will flush right away, there’s a good chance that it will get caught in the drain or cause a clog somewhere else. So if you’re done with the paper and have nowhere else to put it, just throw it out.
Paper products may be flushed down the toilet from time to time, but it is not advisable. The problem with flushing paper products down the toilet is they cause clogs in the drainpipe network. Clogs form when things like paper products, feminine hygiene products, and wet wipes get caught in the U-bend of your toilet drain pipe. The blockage can then cause water to back up through your toilet bowl and into your bathroom.
What happens if you flush paper down the toilet?
Flushing a single sheet here and there isn’t going to do much noticeable damage, but once you start using several sheets per trip, or on a daily basis, you’ll begin to notice problems.
The first sign will be water backing up into the bathtub or shower when someone flushes the toilet elsewhere in your house or apartment building. Eventually, if enough paper is flushed down the toilet, your entire system may stop working altogether as the pipes and plumbing get completely clogged with paper waste and debris.
Paper takes a long time to decompose because of its high cellulose content. It can take up to three months for the paper to break down in landfills, and even longer when flushed down the toilet. This can clog pipes, causing backups and overflows that require costly cleanups. If a clogged pipe isn’t cleared quickly enough, raw sewage can overflow into homes and businesses.
Is flushing toilet paper bad?
The problem is that paper products don’t dissolve as toilet paper does. They expand, causing clogs that can lead to overflows, backups, and flooding in homes if they’re not cleared quickly enough.
That’s why most plumbers advise against flushing paper down the toilet unless it’s fully disintegrated or in the form of a wet wipe or “flushable” product. It’s better to throw it away in the trash instead, where it won’t clog your pipes or cause any damage to your home.
Final Words
All in all, we would like to advise you NOT to flush paper down the toilet. We know that it is a convenient means of disposal, but it leads to expensive problems you don’t want in your home! It’s recommended that you throw paper in the trash can rather than the toilet.
