Home improvement tips and tricks are all over popular social media platforms—but don’t trust everything you see online. We’ve compiled a few of these “life hacks” to help you clean that aren’t good on your plumbing, and we’re here to tell you why.
Myth: Flushable wipes are safe to put down the toilet.
The only thing that should go through the toilet is toilet paper. Flushable wipes, makeup wipes, feminine hygiene products, and cleaning wipes that are listed as “biodegradable” can sit in your plumbing system long before they dissolve, causing clogs. These products are not water-soluble instantaneously the same way toilet paper is.
Myth: Hot and/or boiling water can dissolve a clog or grease within the pipes.
Pouring hot water down a drain seems like it would be able to dislodge any grease build up or potential clogs, but it not only won’t work—but also is dangerous to your plumbing as most modern in-home plumbing is made of PVC pipes. It also can damage some types of sinks such as porcelain.
Myth: Putting lemon or orange peel down the garbage disposal helps clean it.
Citrus peels may freshen up your garbage disposal, but once those chopped rinds go down the drain system, they have the potential of forming a clog. This is especially the case if the garbage disposal has already seen a fair share of foods that the machine cannot properly process. If you notice a smell coming from your disposal, your best bet is to talk to us about identifying the cause of the odor and providing service from there.
Myth: A brick in the toilet tank saves water.
This trend was born out of the desire to be more eco-conscious about water use but can actually harm the efficiency of your toilet. The tank of a toilet is designed with a specific amount of water in mind, and adding a brick may change your toilets performance. Another issue is over time the brick may release sediment, leading to clay and/or concrete being flushed down your pipes.
These are a few of the most common life-hacks we see being spread across the internet, but there are many more out there, including the use of ice cubes to clean and sharpen your garbage disposal—which is yet another plumbing myth.
We hope that this helps you better understand a few elements of your own plumbing, and if you have any needs, we’re a phone call or a quick message away.