SMJ Plumbing warns against flushing common household items

SMJ Plumbing in Slidell, Louisiana, is urging homeowners to keep everyday waste like wipes, paper towels and hygiene products out of toilets. The guidance is aimed at reducing clogs, sewer backups and costly plumbing damage.

Why it matters: - Flushing the wrong items can clog toilets, block drain lines and trigger sewer backups. - Preventing those problems can reduce repair costs for homeowners and property managers. - Keeping trash out of the plumbing system can also help protect sewer infrastructure.

What happened: - SMJ Plumbing highlighted common household items that should not be flushed. - The company is based in Slidell, Louisiana, and serves residential and commercial properties in the surrounding area. - Stephen Jordan, owner of SMJ Plumbing, said many toilet blockages come from materials that were never intended to enter the plumbing system.

The details: - Toilets and sewer lines are designed mainly for human waste and toilet paper. - Paper towels can create blockages because they are made to hold their structure when wet. - Baby wipes and cleaning wipes can cause drainage problems, even when products are labeled flushable. - Feminine hygiene products, including tampons and pads, are not designed for toilet disposal. - Cotton balls, cotton swabs, dental floss and hair can catch on other debris and help build obstructions. - Medications should not automatically be flushed because they can enter wastewater systems and create environmental concerns. - Local disposal programs, pharmacies and community collection events may offer designated medication disposal options. - Food scraps, grease, cooking oils and household chemicals do not belong in a toilet. - Toys, jewelry and other small household objects can accidentally enter a toilet and become lodged in the drain. - Removing lodged objects may require more extensive work than a simple flush or plunge. - Jordan said, “A toilet is not a garbage can. If something does not belong in the toilet, flushing it is usually just moving the problem somewhere else. It might disappear from sight, but the plumbing still has to deal with it.” - Repeated flushing does not guarantee that an unwanted item has cleared the system. - An object can travel farther into a drain before getting stuck. - Some blockages can grow gradually as more debris builds around an existing obstruction.

Between the lines: - The message is less about one bad flush and more about how small, repeated mistakes can create larger plumbing failures over time. - The advice also reflects a broader wastewater issue: what enters a household toilet can affect plumbing inside the home and in the sewer system beyond it.

What’s next: - SMJ Plumbing is steering homeowners toward a simple rule: only human waste and toilet paper should go into the toilet. - The company says proper disposal habits can help reduce clogs, backups and other drainage problems. - Homeowners and property managers are being encouraged to treat toilet use as part of routine plumbing maintenance.

The bottom line: - If it is not human waste or toilet paper, it belongs in the trash or in a designated disposal program, not the toilet.