Can You Flush Gum Down the Toilet? – Read This before Doing It!
Chewing gum is the best stress releaser! You all may agree with this statement. Even sugar-free gums are favorable in promoting good dental health. If you are a gum lover who always needs to try one, you surely have faced the trouble of disposing of chewed gums. Ethically, you must never throw the gums to the ground or the floor as it may be another one’s most awful experience. Can you flush gum down the toilet? Have you ever hesitated around this question? Let’s check whether it is a big fat Yes or an extreme No.
Can You Flush Gum Down the Toilet?
Clogged drain lines are the worst nightmares for all of us. Often these clogged plumbing systems occur due to the entry of things like hair, soap scum, and deposits of minerals that are present in water, dirt, and food residuals.
There are many waste materials that you must avoid entering the pipelines in your house if you want a well-functioning water and drainage system. Chewing gum is one such item. There is no harm if the material you flush down the toilet is soluble in water. In the gum case, we know that the rubber bases used in chewing gums are non-soluble in water. When you put gum on the toilet, the adhesive quality of it will make those adhered to the interior surface of the toilet. As it does not dissolve in water, it will continue to be like that forever. This surely will be a threat to drain blockage.
If you have a clogged drain, there will be sudden low-pressure states in the waterlines, and there is a risk of water draining back. Hence, it is an extra expense. Generally, it will cost you about $250, and in worst cases, sometimes it will cost about $750. Rather than treating a clogged drain, it would be better if you do not put throw the gum you chewed into the toilet.
What Happens When You Flush Gum Down the Toilet?
Excretory materials and toilet paper are the three things that can be safely flushed down any toilet. If you put some strange material that has no dissolving quality, it will tend to remain in the drain lines. Imagine such an item being stuck in a place where the kitchen sink drain line is connected. It will lead to a blockage and sometimes even leaking due to the bursting of the lines.
Chewing gums are not dissolving in water. If you doubt this, take a glass of water and put it inside the gum you chewed. After days, it will remain still. This is the same scenario inside the drain lines. No matter how long it stays inside your drains, gums will never dissolve in water. Another risk factor about gums is their high adhesive quality. When the gums are stuck into the wall of the drains, they will remain in the same position for a long time. When there is gum on the way of wastewater, other residuals in that will also adhere to the piece of gum. Then it will create a massive clog in your drain lines.
We cannot predict where this clogged position occurred. Therefore, you will have to inspect the whole line and treat it. This will make a lot of expenditure, and the house may seem like a whole mess. If the drain lines have burst, you will have to reinstall the lines. Other than the material cost, you will have to pay for the drain cleaning service and for the HVAC technician.
What Shouldn’t You Flush Down the Toilet?
A toilet is designed only to carry waste materials and paper. Here the toilet paper is referred to as the paper content. Any other strange thing than these will make you have the worst experience in blocking your drainage system. There are many mistakes we see around society regarding flushing things down the toilet. Have a look at the following list and identify whether you also have practiced such a bad manner.
- Tablets and medicine are not allowed in the drain lines. You will be amazed when you hear this news as those are tiny things that seem like no harm. But the chemicals in medical drugs can also interact with the interior walls and dissolve in water. When this wastewater enters water resources like a river or the sea, the aquatic animals have a potential threat to their lives. Even the risk is not minimal for the aquatic plants. Therefore, medical tablets and ingredients are strictly prohibited from being flushed in a toilet.
- You are familiar with flushing toilet paper down the toilet. Therefore, you will probably think that the wet wipes and makeup removal pads or wipes and the child wipes are safe to be flushed. But that is a myth. That kind of paper will not be broken into pieces or dissolved in the drain lines, making you an unseen clog until it smells all around the house.
- Sanitary napkins, tampons, and menstrual cups are highly prohibited to throw away in the toilets. Those present materials that are insoluble in water and they are large in size. So, the risk of blocking all the diameters of your drain lines is drastically high. Never do this in public toilets. Dispose of your used pads and tampons in a bin properly.
- The hair you lose while bathing is also a thing to be kept away from the toilets. Sometimes you should have made this mistake. Hair does not only remain insoluble but also will attract and collect various other waste materials. This will gradually lead to a massive blockage in your waste lines.
- Cigarette butts are also prohibited from being flushed down a toilet. Formaldehyde, nicotine, arsenic, and lead are some toxic compounds found in the butts of cigarettes. If these harmful elements mix with a drinking water supply line, it will cause the consumers to be exposed to toxicity.
How Do You Dispose of Gum?
Gums are impressive while chewing. But stepping on gum on the road is something many of us go crazy nuts. We all admit that it is too uncomfortable to face such an incident. Therefore, every gum chewer must dispose of his/her gums properly. You can use any garbage bin for this. But before throwing it away, please wrap it in paper to avoid adhering it to the walls of the bin.
When a pet or any animal swallows the disposed gum, it will be dangerous and a life threat to them. Therefore, dispose of it away from your beloved pet friends. Do not either keep the chewed gum resting on a table in your house when you have toddlers. The curiosity will make them put it inside their mouth, and it will go down to the stomach, causing a serious case.
If you cannot find a bin near around, wrap your gum on a piece of paper and put it in a side pocket or in the pocket of your jeans. Come back home and dispose of it in your garbage. Make sure you wrap it properly when placing it in your bags or the pockets of your clothing to avoid pasting it to your cloth, as gum has a tendency to get attached to the clothes and ruin it.
Here are Some You Should Never Flush Down the Toilet
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