What You Should Never Flush or Pour Down the Drain

Why this list exists

Most of the backups we get called for at 2 a.m. weren't caused by a broken pipe. They were caused by something the homeowner didn't realize was a problem. We'd rather you never need us than have to call us twice — so here's the honest list.

In the toilet — only the "3 P's"

The rule every drain company repeats for a reason: pee, poop, and (toilet) paper. Nothing else.

• "Flushable" wipes — they're not. They don't break down. They tangle into ropes inside the line. We pull them out of mainlines every single week.
• Paper towels, tissues, napkins — designed to *not* break down in water.
• Feminine hygiene products & diapers — they swell.
• Dental floss — wraps around everything else and creates a net.
• Cat litter — even the "flushable" kind. It clumps in the trap.
• Hair — same problem as floss.
• Medications — bad for the water supply, and some bind in the line.

In the kitchen sink — the silent killers

• Grease, fat, and cooking oil — pour it in a can, freeze it, throw it out. Hot grease is liquid for about 30 seconds, then it coats the pipe wall and traps everything else. This is the #1 cause of residential mainline clogs we see.
• Coffee grounds — they don't dissolve. They pack into the trap like wet sand.
• Eggshells — the membrane sticks; the shells grind into sandy buildup.
• Pasta, rice, oats, flour — they keep absorbing water and swelling for hours after you flush them.
• Stringy vegetables (celery, asparagus, corn husks, potato peels) — they wrap garbage-disposal blades and form mats downstream.
• Produce stickers — small enough to slip past everything, sticky enough to catch on the first rough spot in the pipe.

In the laundry & utility sink

• Lint — install a mesh trap on the washer discharge hose. Cheap, ten-minute job, prevents a real headache.
• Pet hair from grooming — bag it.
• Paint, solvents, motor oil — these damage municipal treatment and your line. Take them to a household hazardous waste day.

The "harmless" stuff that isn't

• Bleach poured down a slow drain to "clean" it — it doesn't unclog anything, and it can damage older pipes and septic bacteria.
• Chemical drain openers — they generate heat, can warp PVC and crack older cast iron, and a clog they don't dissolve becomes a clog full of caustic chemicals waiting for the next technician to splash on themselves. Skip them.
• Hot wax or candle drippings — solidify on contact with cool pipe walls.

A 60-second weekly habit that prevents most clogs

1. Once a week, fill each sink to the rim with hot tap water, then pull the stopper. The volume and head pressure flush out partial buildup before it sets.
2. Run the disposal with cold water (not hot) — cold keeps fats solid so they get ground and flushed instead of melted and re-coating downstream.
3. Once a month, drop a handful of ice and a cup of vinegar into the disposal and run it. Cleans the blades, deodorizes the chamber, costs nothing.

When to actually call us

• Two or more drains slow at the same time = it's the mainline, not the fixture.
• Gurgling toilet when the washer drains = your main is restricted.
• Sewer smell with no obvious source = a dry trap or a venting issue.
• The same drain backs up more than twice in a month = stop snaking it, get a camera inspection.

We'll tell you on the phone whether you actually need a truck or whether it's a 5-minute fix you can do yourself. That's the deal.