Is It Safe To Flush Paper Towels Down The Toilet?

If you're cleaning your bathroom with paper towels or you've run out of toilet paper, you may be considering flushing a few pieces of paper towel down the toilet. However, is it safe to do so? The short answer is no. Because paper towels are made from wood pulp, they don't break down easily like toilet paper, and flushing the material down your toilet could cause serious damage to your home's plumbing — specifically, it could clog your septic system. If the paper towels make it past your toilet, they could get stuck in the sewer line and bring sewage up the drains in your home, including in your shower, sinks, or even in your appliances that use water.

While flushing a gross paper towel or two down the toilet might seem convenient, this seemingly harmless act could cause you problems down the road. If you do need to call in a plumber to help with a clogged toilet, expect to pay at least $175 and upward of $600 on average for the visit.

Flushing more than one whole piece of paper towel down your toilet will probably clog it right away. If you've flushed less, you may not have caused any damage and the paper towel could make its way out of your septic system. When issues arise, you'll likely hear strange bubbling sounds coming from your toilet or notice that it's not draining like normal. Rather than trying to fix the clog yourself, which could create more damage, it's important to contact a plumber as soon as possible.

Paper towels, napkins, and wet wipes aren't safe to flush down the toilet, even if the products claim to be flushable; these products should be thrown away in the trash. As for your toilet, for its safety, stick with flushing down only toilet paper. When disposing of paper towels, note that you could use them in compost — as long as they aren't soaked in grease, oils, or chemical cleaning products.