Something that you have probably done quite a few times without giving it a second thought is flushing your hair down the toilet. A lot of people just empty their hairbrushes and throw the hair right in the toilet, and some people even might brush their big dogs and then throw a whole load of dog hair down there too.
So can you flush hair down the toilet? We will do our best to answer the question right now, and no, it probably won’t surprise you as to what the answer is.
Can You Flush Hair Down the Toilet?
No, you should not flush her down the toilet. OK, so technically speaking you can flush hair down the toilet and it will probably flush the first few times. Yes, there are a lot of things that you technically can flush down the toilet, things that may physically clear the trap way.
With that being said, whether or not you can flush hair down a toilet is a wholly different question from whether or not you should flush hair down the toilet. Although you might get lucky and avoid catastrophe for a while, eventually that hair will build up and clog your toilet.
So, the short answer to this question is, that although you can try your luck, it’s definitely not a wise decision.
4 Reasons You Shouldn’t Flush Hair Down the Toilet
There are actually a few different reasons why flushing hair down your toilet is not a good idea, so let’s take a look.
1. It Will Clog Your Toilet
Notice how the heading says that hair will clog your toilet, not that it can clog your toilet. Although your toilet probably won’t clog right away, and it might even take a few weeks or a few months for it to get fully clogged, the simple reality is that hair does stick to the inside of pipes and it will eventually cause a clog to occur, particularly in narrow spots such as in the trap.
If you are somebody who constantly flushes hair down the toilet, chances are nearly 100% that the toilet will clog sooner rather than later, and as you probably know, unclogging a toilet is not exactly fun.
2. It Can Cause Septic Tank Problems
Although we don’t want to get too deep into it here, the fact of the matter is that excessive amounts of hair can cause issues in your septic system. Hair can survive for many months if not for many years inside of a septic tank.
If the hold time in your septic tank is not very long, or if there is no filter, then that hair will flow throughout the system until it reaches the drain field. The hair may clog the system before it gets to the drain field or it may clog the drain field itself, which in itself will cause a whole lot of expensive issues.
3. Hair Products May Damage the Environment
If you happen to be someone who uses a whole lot of hair products such as mousse and hairspray, then flushing your hair down the toilet is not going to do the environment any favors. All of those hair products, especially the ones that come out of aerosol cans, contain a whole lot of poisonous chemicals that you really don’t want to be flushing down the toilet.
Yeah, if they’re too poisonous to flush, they’re probably too poisonous to be putting on your hair and skin! Your own health aside, the simple reality here is that all of those hair products are going to hurt the environment and all of the animals who come into contact with them.
4. Issues with Water Filtration
If you live in a city and your water gets taken away to a local water filtration station, then excessive hair buildups can also cause clogs and other issues with the water filtration plants.
What to Do If You Flushed Hair Down the Toilet?
OK, so you have flushed a bunch of hair down the toilet and you have done so for quite some time. What do you do?
If the Toilet Is Not Clogged…
If you have been flushing down the toilet and by some miracle it is not clogged, then just count your lucky stars and stop flushing hair down the toilet. You may have gotten lucky so far, but luck runs out.
Now, if you’re worried about some of that hair being stuck on the inside of the pipes, something you can do is to use an enzymatic toilet-safe drain unclogging liquid. These liquids will eat through any hair that may be built up in the drain.
If the Toilet Is Clogged…
If your toilet has gotten clogged due to all of that hair, the first thing you should try doing is using one of those enzymatic toilet-safe drain unclogging liquids. With that being said, these don’t always work, but there are of course other options at your disposal.
Take a look at the list below for various methods of unclogging a toilet that is clogged with hair. Start with the first one, and if that doesn’t work, move on to the next.
- A toilet plunger may be enough to force the hair down through the drain, although it is unlikely. When you plunge a toilet, make sure the plunger is covered with water.
- If a normal plunger does not produce enough force to unclog the toilet, try using a pressurized toilet plunger.
- If both types of plungers fail, you may need to resort to using a toilet snake to push the hair through and/or to pull it out.
- You may need to disconnect the toilet from the ground and manually pull the hair out.
- If all else fails, you will need to hire a plumber.
You can also check my article about unclogging toilets without a plunger for some more inspiration.
Things to do with Excess Hair Instead
Alright, so you cannot flush your hair down the toilet. What should you do instead? Here’s three options:
- Trash it – The best and simplest thing you can do with excess hair is to throw it in the trash.
- Burn it – Hair burns very easily and it’s a quick way to get rid of it.
- Donate it – There are plenty of hair salons and other such places that make wigs out of real hair. You can find one of these places and donate your hair to a good cause.
Summary
So, at the end of the day, the verdict is that no, hair should not be flushed down the toilet. If you have been doing so, and your toilet still runs fine, count your blessing and stop flushing your hair.