A clogged toilet is known as a slow drainer because water does not drain properly. Toilet clogging could be caused by many things, including but not limited to flushing hair.
Can You Flush Hair Down the Toilet? flushing hair down the toilet is not safe. Hair does not dissolve in water no matter how long it stays there. It forms a net-like structure that gets caught or wraps around your pipes when you flush it down the drain, leading to clogs and buildups over time.
According to home repair experts, American Water, toilet water pipes are only 4 inches at their widest. This makes it easy for hair and other things to cause clogs.
They advise that you should never flush large clumps of hair down the toilet. Use drain covers to protect your sink and shower drain. Or if it is already clogged, unclogging it with sewer dredging tool is ideal. One such choice is offered by SENHAI, on Amazon. Take a look here for more information!
What Happens If You Put Hair in the Toilet?
Putting hair in the toilet could be tempting, but it is one of the common causes of clogged drain pipes in most homes.
The toilet itself is not likely to be clogged by the hair, but the pipes further downstream are the ones that are affected over time.
Reasons Why Hair Causes the Pipes to Be Clogged
Hair snags on anything in its pathways. Brand new pipes tend to have a few imperfections compared to the old ones torn and repaired.
The old pipes have rough areas or buildups that are likely to catch hair that passes through that part. In most cases, huge chunks of hair get stuck quickly.
Long hair forms a ball easily compared to short hair. The web-like ball causes clogging over time since it gets stuck or attaches to anything as it tries to pass through.
Hair breaks down easily from a person’s head. If disposed of in the toilet, it will not break down on itself in the water. Therefore, it will stay there and get worse as time passes.
What Should You Do with Excess Hair Instead
Since it is a bad idea to flush hair down the toilet, there are two things that you could do to dispose of it. You either compost it or throw it away.
- Composting Your Hair Instead of Flushing It Down the Toilet
If you were not aware, hair is compostable. It is known to be a reliable source of nitrogen to the soil. It would help if you mixed it in with the rest of the composting items in lesser amounts. Disposing pet fur also uses the same process of composting. However, since hair take a little more time and require more agitation to break down, a tumbling compost might be your best choice. Check out this top tier choice from FCMP Outdoor Store from Amazon. Click here for more information.
- Throwing Away Your Hair Instead of Flushing It in the Toilet
If you don’t need to compost your items, throwing the hair in a trash bin is safe. It could not be the best method since it is unfriendly to the environment, but it makes sense in this situation.
Can You Flush Beard Hair Down the Toilet?
An average beard is composed of large and tiny hair bundles that could cause clogged toiled pipes over the years. It may not look like a problem now, but the hair will build up in the toilet pipes and eventually clog the drainage.
The best way to shave without clogging the toilet drainage is to shave in the sink. Put some warm water in the bowl and apply the shaving cream.
Align paper towers on the sink and start shaving; the hair will fall on the paper towels instead of getting drained in the sink directly.
Keep dipping the razor in the warm water; it will make the lather formed by the cream dissolve in the water instead of rinsing the shaved area directly on the sink.
When you are done shaving, collect the paper towel with your hair and wipe off any hair that could have spilled on the sink.
Once you have completely cleared up the mess, throw the paper towel with hair in the garbage bin instead of flushing it in the toilet.
Can I Flush Pubes Down the Toilet?
Just like beards, small hair will not cause a problem to your toilet immediately. If tones of it build up in the system, that’s where the trouble begins.
Water treatment plants don’t handle small hair. It is also insoluble and does not degrade over the years.
The toilet design allows pubes to stick to their pipes and buildup, causing a clog.
How To Shave Pubes Without Clogging the Toilet
The best way to shave the pubes without damaging the flushing system of your toilet is by putting each leg in each handle of a plastic grocery bag.
That will help to create a catch for your shavings. Once you are done, you can dispose of the hair in a garbage bin.
Can Hair Go Down the Shower Drain?
Short hair accumulates in the shower drain forming a big chunk that attaches to the pipe. Long hair, on the other hand, creates a web-like ball that easily clogs drains.
If your bathroom has a pool of murky, soapy water or leaves lukewarm water after taking your shower, it means that there is a problem with the drainage.
If the shower water drains slowly or fails to drain completely, the drainage is clogged.
The standing water is a clear indication that hair or other substances may have caused the blockage.
Blockages could be caused by a buildup of dirt, soap, and hair.
Soap is known to worsen the situation by making hair stick to the wall of the drain.
How To Clear Your Clogged Shower Drain?
Without the help of a plumber, there are ways you can clear the drain of hair and soap scum. They are highly effective in clearing less severe blockages only.
- Boiling Water
Hot water helps break down the soap scum that holds hair in the drain and the dirt buildup. Pouring boiling water down the shower drain once a week will wash away the buildups.
- Plunger
You should seal the lining of the plunger with petroleum jelly to create a better air suction. The plunger will be effective in releasing hair blockages.
If you can collect hair trapped in the drain cover after the shower, throw it in a garbage bin which is more effective than allowing it to go down the drain.
- Chemical Drain-Cleaning Products
Chemical drain-cleaning products are cheap and may seem like the quickest solution to fix your clogged shower drain.
Using them regularly can damage your shower fittings and pipes; it can also cause health problems and pollute the environment.
- Baking soda and vinegar
Natural products like baking soda and vinegar combined can dissolve hair clogs in the shower drain easily. They don’t have adverse effects on the pipes.
First, pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, then add a cup of vinegar after a few minutes. Let them sit for a few hours and rinse out with boiling water.
How Do You Dispose of Bathroom Hair?
Bathroom hair can be disposed of in many ways to avoid blockage of the drain. You can either dispose of it in your garbage bin or compost it.
Throwing Hair in Garbage Bin
Once you are done shaving, washing your hair, or handling any kind of hair in the bathroom, collect it without letting it flow down the drain and throw it in the trash can.
Composting Hair
Bathroom hair can also be composted if you can instead of throwing it into the trash can. Hair is organic and contains a substantial amount of nitrogen.
Nitrogen is nutritious for the soil. Therefore, you can compost it by mixing it with other organic wastes and putting it in piles over the soil instead of letting it flow down the shower drain. One of the most
The Chart Below Analyzes the Many Ways People Have Found to Unclog Toilets:
| Home remedies for unclogging toilet | Percentage of total results |
| One recommendation that a few forum users shared was the unfortunate reality that purchasing a new toilet would work better than any conventional remedy for unclogging a toilet. | 6.25% |
| Although it’s not so much of a remedy, one of the most common recommendations forum users had for each other was to purchase a plunger to unclog your toilet. (see one on Amazon) | 18.75% |
| A remedy that was suggested by quite a few users was to quickly pour five gallons of near-boiling water down the plugged toilet. | 25.00% |
| Another home remedy a few people found to work was pouring 16 oz of bleach to dissolve the blockage (this is amazingly effective with paper towel blockages). | 12.50% |
| If you happen to have a spare auger lying around, it works as a magnificent home remedy to unclog your toilet. I recommend the RIDGID toilet auger that is available on Amazon. Click here to order. | 31.25% |
| A few users found that using an unbent wire hanger can work as a remedy to unclog your toilet and remove any blockage. | 6.25% |
16 Things You Should Never Flush Down the Toilet.
According to Shayla Vize, Hamilton magazine, when hair, wipes, dental floss, or feminine product are flushed, they create clogs in the toilet pipes and the water system.
Here is a list of items you should never flush down the toilet if you want to keep the system running smoothly.
- Diapers
Diapers absorb water and retain it. They are not meant to break down in the water, which can cause the toilet’s pipes to clog.
To avoid costly damages to your toilet system, dispose of them in a trash can.
- Menstrual Products
These products are designed in a way that attracts water but does not break down. That means they will expand when you try to flush them in the toilet.
- Baby Wipes
According to The Echo Live Magazine, Irish Water also appeals to the public not to flush wipes down the toilet. Everyone should think before taking such an action.
Flushable baby wipes don’t disintegrate in water even if the manufacturers have indicated that they do.
They cause clogging of the drain, and instead of flushing them, throw them into a trash can.
- Cotton Pads, Q-Tips Or Cotton Products
These are not safe to flush in the toilet. They only clump together in the toilet pipes, causing a blockage since they don’t break down as toilet papers do.
- Condoms
Condoms are not designed to be flushed in the toilet. If they do, they will clog the toilet pipes because they will not break down.
- Dental Floss
Dental floss causes environmental damage besides also clogging the drain. It forms a web or a net that holds onto the toilet pies or other debris.
It also causes damage to the septic system by burning out the motor when it wraps around it.
- Paper Towels and Tissues
Paper towels and tissues are not designed to work the way toilet papers do. They hardly break down as compared to the toilet papers.
After use, dispose of the paper tissues and towels in a trash can.
- Cigarette Butts
Cigarette butts are made of toxic chemicals; therefore, they will create a toxic environment in the water and clog the toilet.
- Medication
In case of old medication that needs to be disposed of, do not flush them in the toilet. Toilet water will not break the medication properly. It will create toxic environmental effects.
- Cat Litter
There are brands of cat litter that claim to be flushable, but you will need a lot of water to move it along the drain. Again, cat waste from the litter box may be hard to flush since it’s dehydrated.
- Cooking Grease
Avoid flushing cooking grease in the toilet. It thickens when it cools. That makes it thicker, leading to the risk of clogged pipes.
- Gum
Gum is sticky and insoluble. Flushing it in the toilet poses a risk of clogged pipes since it won’t disintegrate.
- Hair
Hair forms a sort of web or net when you flush it in the toilet. It gets caught in the pipes, and since it does not dissolve, it creates a risk of clogging the drain.
- Bleach
Many people consider cleaning their toilets using bleach, but they don’t know how harsh it is to the toilet and septic system. Instead, use natural products like vinegar.
- Food
Flushing undigested food can clog your toilet drain. It may be broken down eventually since it is biodegradable.
- Fish
People like flushing their fish pets in the toilet, but it could lead to your pipes clogging. If the fish pet is dead, it would be safer to do a proper burial.
How To Unclog a Toilet Clogged with Hair?
Having a clogged toilet can be frustrating because it is the most used home fixture. It is good to learn the basic skills of unclogging it yourself instead of waiting for a plumber.
Some of the methods applied in unclogging the shower drain can also be used to clear the toilet. They include;
- Using A Vacuum Valve to Unclog the Toilet
A vacuum valve is used where the clog is severe. It empties the toilet bowl and sucks up the clog effectively.
- Flushing The Toilet with Hot Water to Unclog
Flushing the toilet with hot water will help dissolve any buildups attached to the toilet pipes. The process is effective when it is done twice.
- Using Baking Soda to Unclog the Toilet
Baking soda is a natural product used to dissolve clogged hair in toilet pipes. Put one cup of baking soda and vinegar and let it sit for an hour.
Flush the toilet using hot water, and it will be back to normal.
- Applying A Bathroom Bomb
A bathroom bomb is used if the clog is severe. The solution will ultimately dissolve the clogs; after that, flush the toilet until it is back to normal.
Check out this video from Ace Hardware below for more information on some of the options you can use to solve that nightmare of a clogged toilet.
Final Thoughts
Flushing excess hair in the toilet is not a good idea unless you enjoy spending money on unclogging your toilet pipes.
Small amounts are not likely to cause any issue, but it is advisable to avoid them altogether.
Unclogging the toilet pipes requires basic skills like the use of baking soda, hot water, among others but in case of adverse effects, kindly call a professional plumber.
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