# Can I flush hair? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877 "2009-05-28T00:51:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/21 "2009-05-28T15:12:48Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Because it’s her hair? Or at least, it’s falling where she brushes her hair, so… HE is the one picking up after her in the bathroom. I wonder why a woman old enough to be married can’t be trained/nagged/bribed to take a few seconds to remove her own hair that is clogging/going to clog a drain. And I agree, flushing hair down the toilet is a bad thing to do. Tissue. Pinch tissue, picking up hair. Wastebasket. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/22 "2009-05-28T15:28:59Z")
Many pharmacies can and will take and dispose of unused medications. Proper guidelines for medication disposal: - Pour medication into a sealable plastic bag. If medication is a solid (pill, liquid capsule, etc.), crush it or add water to dissolve it. - Add kitty litter, sawdust, coffee grounds (or any material that mixes with the medication and makes it less appealing for pets and children to eat) to the plastic bag. - Seal the plastic bag and put it in the trash. - Remove and destroy ALL identifying personal information (prescription label) from all medication containers before recycling them or throwing them away. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/23 "2009-05-28T17:06:36Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > … And I really didn’t know it wasn’t Ok to flush condoms–that seemed like the best thing to do with them. When I used to manage some rental units hair and condoms were the top causes of drain clogs. When I called a plumber to clear a clog I would always ask him for the clogging agent. Of course none of the tenants would ever admit that it was _ **their** _ hair or condom! And this is one reason why I’m no longer a landlord. It was a real PITA. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/24 "2009-05-28T17:08:58Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Nope. Condoms also clog pump impellors, and don’t degrade at all. They are a real pain to deal with. They have to be screened out at the treatment plant and landfilled. > > Both condoms and unused meds should be disposed of in the trash. Every condom I ever used was either flushed or tossed out a car window. Oh, well. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/25 "2009-05-28T17:47:39Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Every condom I ever used was either flushed or tossed out a car window. Oh, well. So, in either situation, you made it someone else’s problem to deal with. Great going, there. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/26 "2009-05-28T18:16:11Z")
> [@robby](#): > > So, in either situation, you made it someone else’s problem to deal with. Great going, there. :rolleyes: Yes indeedy. I’ll chalk it up to the old standby of “youthful indescretion.” Having been monogamous and vasectomized for many years now, it’s no longer an issue. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/27 "2009-05-30T03:13:04Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > HE is the one picking up after her in the bathroom. I wonder why a woman old enough to be married can’t be trained/nagged/bribed to take a few seconds to remove her own hair that is clogging/going to clog a drain. And I agree, flushing hair down the toilet is a bad thing to do. Tissue. Pinch tissue, picking up hair. Wastebasket. I would (and do) also wonder why a man old enough to be married can’t do the same. Believe me, if my husband could’ve been trained/nagged/bribed to clean or remove anything… ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/28 "2009-05-30T12:59:33Z")
I thank those of you who responded with practical information. I will not flush it. Those of you who have chosen to respond with slanted comments about my character … you puzzle me. Just to put some of your minds at ease … I _am_ currently cleaning the hair catchers with toilet paper. I just wanted to know whether I could throw them in the toilet instead of the wastebasket. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/29 "2009-05-31T00:05:12Z")
if hair is clogging the bath drain you can break a bamboo skewer and insert the broken shardy end into the drain and twist a bit. the broken end with catch on the hair and wrap it around the skewer. it is very icky! have a paper towel or plastic grocery bag available for disposal in a trash container. then if you use a drip coffee pot, run vinegar through the pot, take the carafe of hot vinegar that collects after and pour that down the drain. it will help dissolve buiild up from soap, shampoo, hair rinse and body scrubs. (otherwise just heat the vinegar) this is a fun couple thing to do the day/night before trash collection! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877/30 "2009-05-31T13:26:22Z")
Hair is biodegradable, eventually, but don’t flush nylons. Our local treatment plant had to replace some pumps that were damaged by them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-flush-hair/497877.md?page=1)