Can you Flush Paper Towels? Every Householder should Know

“I flushed paper towels down the toilet-What to do next” or “How to Dissolve paper towel”- these are the most common queries asked me most people.

Some people have a habit of flushing the toilet with whatever they get, such as dentures, sanitary items, paper towels, etc. But can you flush paper towels and those things at all?

If someone flushes accidentally, what to do to prevent the toilet from being damaged?

Honestly, I flushed paper towels down the toilet a year ago while I used Kohler Tresham, and it was such a miserable day. I come up with a solution without harming the toilet.

If you want to know what happens if you flush toilet paper towels, dissolve them, and everything connected to it.

Today I will talk about all these issues, so stay tuned! 

What are Paper Towels? What is a paper towel made of?

Paper towels, also known as kitchen rolls or kitchen tissue, are used for various purposes for drying hands, cleaning windows, cleaning, and toilet facilities.

Paper towels are widespread for their water absorption properties and are hygienic than other tissue.

Paper Towels are made from recycled paper, wood fiber, wool fiber, and other degradable fibers, which are environmentally friendly.

The wood and fiber crops are converted into pulp and used to create paper towels.

Can You Flush Paper Towels? Is it a Good or Bad Idea

To the straight answer to your question- Can you flush paper towels? NO, You can’t.

Paper towels are biodegradable and eco-friendly; unfortunately, they are not healthy for your toilet, sewage system, or septic tank.

Paper towels are highly water absorbent and do not easily break down like toilet paper or tissues. -This leads to a blockage of drain. (source)

What happens if you flush paper towels?

If You Flush paper Towels, various bad things happen to your toilet as it does not quickly break apart.

1. No1. The possibility is that paper towels absorb the water from their nearby spots.

2. As paper towels or kitchen paper does not fall apart fast, it can cause blockage.

3. A clogged toilet can cause sewage backup.

4. Spread bacteria, create unhealthy conditions.

5.   Smelly bathroom

6. Accumulation of filthy water

7. Paper towels can blockage main drainage

8. In worst cases, the toilet can begin to overflow due to clogging.

You may probably guess that if you flush many paper towels, the toilet will get worse.

What to do if You Flush Paper Towels?

Now, what does to do after flushing paper towels.

Use a plunger to unblock the toilet

Take a flange plunger; it will work well, then start the process to unclog the drain.

1. Place the flange plunger at the drainage opener.

2. Create a suction by pressing the plunger lower direction

3. After creating the suction, now you’re ready to start the plunging process

4. Press up-down rhythmically for 5 minutes

5. Then flush once to see the blockage present or not

Use toilet Snake to Remove paper towel

A Toilet snake or toilet auger is the best plumbing tool to remove any solid object like a paper towel from the toilet drain.

1. To get rid of the paper towel, insert the toilet snake. 

2. Slowly reach the target, and you can feel something stand there.

3. Tuck into the paper towels, then pull -out it.

4. Flush once to check the water force.

How to dissolve paper towels in toilet

If you avoid a plunger or toilet snake, you can try some commercial drain cleaner. 

Some commercial drain or clog cleaners are eco-friendly, contain no chemicals, only biodegradable materials, good enzymes, never harm the toilet or septic tank.

Just pour the drain opener and wait for some time. The enzyme slowly dissolves the paper and other organic matter.

Or, simply add Rid-X. It is a liquid drain cleaner specially meant to dissolve organic items like paper towels, tissue, etc.

Rid-X is an enzymic formula that breaks down the paper towel at a certain time and unclogs the drainage.

Just pour into the toilet bowl and leave for 15 minutes to reach the paper towel and react with it. 

Then flush down normally.

Another method you can try to dissolve paper towels is- pour dishwasher liquid and hot water. 

Leave it for 30 minutes, then again pour 1 bucket of hot water directly into the toilet bowl.

Then flush normally. Hot water is best while dissolving like fabric or fiber materials. It helps dissolve the fiber present in the paper towel and breaks it down.

Additionally, it is safe for septic tanks, sewer drains, etc.

Read more–How to dissolve Hard Poop in Just a Few Minutes.

Why shouldn’t you flush paper towels?

You shouldn’t flush paper towels in the toilet because they are harmful to a septic tank, drain, etc.

If many paper towels flush down, it absorbs the moisture of the drain pipe and its surrounding spots.

Due to being very dry of the drainage system, sewer smells come out.

The toilet does not flush properly, ever it can turn around the opposite situation.

Excessive paper towels can cause big clogging issues. -This can create overflowing toilets, property damage.

Why can’t you flush paper towels?

Paper towels are such a way to design that they can absorb more and more water and become thick. 

The sewage drain does not look wide enough to pass down the accumulation.

So if you either accidentally flush or wash it down- it can not shatter down like tissue, and end of the day, it creates a big mess.

Wrap Up On- Can You Flush Paper Towels

Reuse the paper towel so it does not become messy. Whenever use paper towel to avoid things cut down in handy pieces this way, one roll can go up to longer time and also does not cause a tangle.

After using a paper towel, it’s better to dispose of it or throw it into the bin. 

If you use it in the toilet, then place a bin beside the toilet so whenever you use it, you can immediately throw it into the dust bin instead of flushing it down.

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