Can You Flush Hair Down the Toilet? Is It Bad to Do So?

Can You Flush Hair Down the Toilet? Is It Bad to Do So?

For everyone who uses the bathroom for combing hair frequently, it might feel tempting and convenient to just flush the hair down the toilet, but it is one of the unhealthiest things for your toilet. Human hair is not dissolvable and it eventually jumbles up somewhere in your toilet, contributing to one of the factors that lead to slow draining toilets over time.

Yes. You can flush your hair down the toilet, but you should definitely not do that. Hair is non-degradable material and wherever they tangle up in the drainpipes, they keep grabbing other waste material that flows. Flushing hair down the toilet eventually leads to clogging in the toilets as a mixture of degradable flushed material sticks to the sewer pipes.

Now, the question that arises here is “How do you dispose of bathroom hair?” Here’s what we recommend doing. If you’re somebody fond of combing your hair in the bathroom, just roll in in your hands, make a ball-like loose thing and simply throw them in the dustbin.

Or another thing you may do is put those hairballs somewhere in the bushes in your yard or up in a tree. It is believed that birds usually gather up human hair to make their nests soft and cozy. So, this is an amazing thing you can do to help nature while protecting your sewage lines and preventing your toilets from clogging as well.

Can You Flush Hair and Is It Bad?

Can You Flush Hair and Is It Bad

You should NOT flush your hair down the toilet. It is extremely bad for your toilets, and eventually, for the sewage lines as well. This is because, over time, when you keep flushing hair, they gather up in a net-like structure and trap other material as well, that flows by.

If your toilet keeps clogging, and you’re sure you do not flush down your hair, there is a possibility that your toilet is an old one and needs to be replaced. If this is so, here’s a guide to the best no-clog toilet you may want to check!

Why Hair is Bad for Toilets?

Anything that won’t dissolve, is bad for toilets. And the hair does not dissolve even when you flush them. They do go down but are most likely to be stuck somewhere down the sewage lines, resulting in the accumulation of hair. Suppose you flushed a bunch of hair down the toilet, the hair became stuck in the pipe, and then you flushed a condom down the toilet the next day. The condom might stick to the hair.

Now, if you flushed a lot of condoms over time, your toilet may become completely clogged, and other things will not be able to pass through. This is why hair, condoms, and other non-degradable materials should never be flushed down the toilet.

Can Short Hair be Flushed Down the Toilet?

It does not really matter if the hair is short or long. What matters is, the hair does not dissolve. Besides the hair on your head, there are other types of hair we flush down the toilet, which is not good.

Many people, after shaving their bodies, including the armpits and their private parts, flush their hair down the drain. This is again not a good idea. Hair is bad for the toilets. No matter where the hair comes from, you should never flush it down the toilet because it will clog the pipes.

What Should You Do with Excess Hair Instead?

What Should You Do with Excess Hair Instead

Instead of flushing your hair down the drain and contributing to slow draining or clogged toilets, you should look for an alternative to disposing of your hair. You may either throw them in the dustbin just as you do for the garbage in your home, or you may compost them. Here’s how.

Compost Them

Composting or mulching hair is possible. Composting or breaking down organic matter like yard clippings, non-meat kitchen scraps, etc., produce nutrient-rich fertilizers. When used in a compost pile, hair can be an excellent source of nitrogen that releases slowly over time.

Throw Them Away

Another thing you can do is simply throw the hair in the garbage. You can keep a black bin bag for collecting your hair and after every few days, you may just throw them in the trash cans along with other garbage from your home.

What Other Things Should You Never Flush?

What Other Things Should You Never Flush

Things that won’t break down and dissolve, should not be flushed. Hair isn’t the only thing that you should avoid flushing down the toilet. Here are a few other things that must not be flushed.

  • Dental floss, as they stuck in the same way as hairdo.
  • Diapers and baby wipes. They do not decompose in water and eventually cause clogging.
  • Feminine products. They are absorptive materials and become saturated with water, ending up causing clogs.
  • Condoms, cigarettes, paper towels, bubble gums, etc.

Watch this video to see the things you should never flush down the toilet.

What Can You Flush Down the Toilet?

What Can You Flush Down the Toilet

Things that would safely dissolve and go down the drain and sewage lines, without causing the clogs can be flushed down the toilet. However, they aren’t much in number. The main job of a toilet is to flush down human waste. So, the urine and feces go down the drain safely. Hence, they are the only material that needs to be flushed and should be flushed.

Other than waste, tissue papers can also be flushed, as they dissolve in water. But still, avoiding flushing them is still a good idea.

In case your toilet makes a lot of noise while flushing even the urine and feces, you may want to replace your current old toilet with a quiet flush toilet.

Can You Flush Hair Down the Toilet – FAQs

How do you dissolve hair in the toilet bowl?
Hairdo does not exactly dissolve in the toilet bowl. However, if you think your toilet is draining slowly and you doubt that is because of hair you’ve been flushing down, you may use bleach or baking soda and vinegar to treat your toilet. Simply pour one cup of liquid bleach. Or you may pour 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup vinegar. Let the liquid sit for about 30 minutes. And then flush your toilet twice. This would probably treat your slow draining toilet.
Can hair clog a sewer line?
Definitely yes. Hairdo not break down or dissolve in water as human waste does. They keep traveling down the drain and might get trapped or stuck at some point, attracting other non-decomposable material to get trapped as well. If this continues, you might have a clogged pipeline which may end up clogging your sewer line.

 

Conclusion

Hair SHOULD NOT be flushed down the drain. There isn’t a need for further explanation to this. What’s unhygienic, should be avoided and flushing hair down is totally unhygienic and disgusting!

Whether you’re a male or female, you need to stop flushing your hair down the drain now, if you haven’t already. Why create an unhealthy environment for your toilet as well as your surroundings when you have great alternatives? Whenever you comb your hair or shave your body parts, do not flush them. Either throw them in the garbage cans or compost them.

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