In a commercial property, toilets serve your occupants’ daily needs to get rid of the toxins in their bodies. However, some employees aren’t wary of throwing things in your toilet that they put whatever they want and flush them down without thinking twice. To make things worse, your management hasn’t sent a memo about the proper use of your restroom and vital protocols that all employees are to follow.
It’s best to have a list of items that your employees shouldn’t be flushing down the bathroom. In this article, we will share eight items that should never be thrown down the toilet:
1. Hair strands
It’s inevitable to have strands of hair lying on the floor, especially in the women’s toilet, as they can get accumulated daily. The chances are that your janitors merely gather and flush them down. Know that these strands will only float and won’t dissolve, which can potentially cause some plumbing problems down the line.
2. Paper towels and tissues
Sure, you may see employees using toilet papers and flushing them down. However, some of them are actually using paper towels and tissues that do not disintegrate and break down. To stop them from doing this, have them put these in a wastebasket for compliance instead.
3. Baby wipes
Apart from paper towels, baby wipes are among the items that often get flushed down. Even those that are considered flushable aren’t good for your plumbing system as well. In fact, they are considered the major cause of clogs because they do not disintegrate the way toilet paper does.
4. Cotton pads
Know that cotton pads, cotton balls, and Q-Tips aren’t safe to flush either. Similar to baby wipes, they do not break down the way toilet paper does as they bind together, causing plumbing problems to appear in the future.
5. Menstrual products
Many women may find this shocking, but yes, menstrual products should never go down the toilet. Be wary of tampons and pads because these products are designed to absorb water and not break down. As a result, they’ll only expand when you flush them down the toilet.
6. Medication
If you have an office clinic, it’s easy to see old pills and medicine covers getting flushed down. What many fail to realize is that these medications can combine with water and cause toxic effects on the environment. On top of that, they can harm your plumbing system as well.
7. Cigarette butts
Some employees love smoking, and that’s completely fine, as long as they puff their lungs out in smoking areas. The problem is when they do smoke in the cubicle and end up throwing butts in the bathroom. Although some of these actions can be done ignorantly, these can be harmful to the environment and cause clogs in your pipelines.
8. Gum
It’s easy to see employees chewing gums in the office. The problem is when they rush to the bathroom and end up flushing them down. Keep in mind that gums are sticky, and may end up stuck in your pipes and cause a severe clog in your plumbing system.
Conclusion
At this point, you now know what specific items shouldn’t get flushed down your toilet. Be sure to have the list above outlined, send a memo, and have your employees strictly adhere to this protocol. Doing so will prevent plumbing problems from surfacing in the future!
Have you been flushing some material down your toilet and are now faced with a plumbing problem? Let our plumbers handle your case! We’re a plumbing service company in Chilliwack offering plumbing installation, repair, and maintenance services in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help!