Food

Food
Getty Images

Any type of food is off-limits, no matter how soft it may be. The same is true of any leftover pieces, shells, bones or grounds that you want to get rid of. These belong in neither your pipes nor your garbage disposal. Throw them in the garbage bin or compost.

Learn the 17 things you need to throw out as soon as possible. 

Advertisement

Gum

Gum
Getty Images

Water does nothing to get rid of gum, so it tends to stick around – literally. You don’t want that in your pipes!

If something does get clogged, check out these ways to unclog a toilet.

Hair

Hair
Getty Images

If you’re fishing hairballs from your sink or tub, don’t dump them in the toilet: That’s just moving the clog from one part of your plumbing to another. Throw it away instead.

Pills

Pills
Shutterstock

TV makes flushing pills look dramatic and effective, but it’s a horrible idea. If you have pills past expiration or just don’t want them in your house, find a local medicine take-back program or grind them up and throw them away on bin day. Otherwise, those potent chemicals will get into sewer systems and even groundwater, where they can do untold damage. And don’t even think about putting them down the sink instead.

Discover other sneaky ways your home is draining your bank account. 

Sign up here to have Handyman’s favourite stories delivered straight to your inbox. 

Source: RD.com

Sign up for emails