Can wood litter be flushed down the toilet? How to clean cat litter

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Questions about the disposal of cat litter are relevant for all owners of these animals. Of course, not a single person will flush small hard “pebbles” down the drain, but almost all cat owners think about whether it is possible to flush wood filler down the toilet.

What are tray fillers?

It is not a secret for any of the owners of animals that the tray can be filled with absolutely different fillers in consistency and appearance. However, not everyone can answer the question of what exactly is the difference between these means. Meanwhile, how to clean the cat litter depends on the composition.

Manufacturers of pet products today offer cat owners three types of fillers:

• mineral;
• woody;
• silica gel.

Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. And, of course, they differ not only in the composition and nuances of use, but also in the methods of disposal.

About mineral fillers

Mineral type filler is made from the following substances:

• bentonite clay;
• vermiculite;
• zeolite.

These substances have good adsorption qualities and, in addition, perfectly absorb odor. Their advantages over the rest do not end there. These fillers are convenient in that the "waste stones" crumple. That is, they can be easily and simply removed from the tray with a scoop.

The disadvantage of such cat litter products is the dust remaining on the paws of the animal and, of course, the difficulty in disposal. Under no circumstances should this type of filler be discharged into the sewer, it must be thrown away. Flushing in small amounts is possible, but it can also lead to clogging.

About wood fillers

As the name implies, this type of tray cleaner is made from wood waste. As a rule, sawdust is the raw material for the filler. They are pressed, give them the shape of granules. Also, various flavors can be added to them. It is to this type of pet litter that the popular Cats Best litter belongs. It is produced in Europe from recycled wood raw materials.

The indisputable advantages of this type of funds forcat litter is considered to be:

• environmental and natural;
• no components that can provoke the development of allergies in a pet;
• low cost;
• easy to recycle.

Wood filler, small and used, can be flushed down the drain. However, it must be understood that even completely impregnated and crumbled into dust granules are wood, and not a biological substance. In other words, you can not flush large volumes of filler into the toilet at a time. If you do this, then it is unlikely that you will be able to avoid a blockage and calling a plumber.

About silica gel fillers

This is the most modern type of pet toilet. As its name implies, the filler granules are made of silicone, and upon contact with urine, they transform it into a gel and hold it inside. The mechanism of action of these granules is completely similar to the structure of modern feminine hygiene products.

The undeniable advantages of this type of fillers are:

• complete hypoallergenic;
• 100% absorption of both liquid and odor.

The most important advantage of this type of fillers is the clean paws of the animal, the cat will not bring dust from clay or dust from sawdust to them in a chair or bed after visiting the toilet. For this reason, many owners of furry pets prefer to purchase such tray products, despite their rather significant cost.

As for recycling, if pet owners are faced with the question of whether wood filler can be flushed down the toilet, and for those who use silica gel, there is no such dilemma. Under no circumstances should these funds be discharged into the sewer. Doing so is like flushing a plastic bag down the toilet.

When is sewer clogging likely?

In addition to the composition of the product used by pet owners for their toilet, the initial state of the sewers also plays an important role in the question of whether the wood filler can be flushed down the toilet, or any other.

For example, if drains have not changed in an old house for several decades, then the likelihood of blockage increases significantly, even if only a wood product is flushed down the toilet and this is done in small volumes.

There is also a high probability of clogging of sewer pipes with a simultaneous flushing of a large amount of waste filler. The toilet bowl is rather complicated, there are specific bends in the drain. The design is made in this way in order to prevent the release of an unpleasant odor and the rise of sewage from the pipes. If you flush a full tray of waste filler into the toilet at a time, it will inevitably “stand firmly” in one of the drain bends or behind it, in the pipe.

What happens when wood litter is flushed down the drain?

Questions about whether wood filler can be flushed down the toilet and how to do it,arise mainly due to ignorance of what happens when dust enters the sewer.

As soon as the filling material is in the water, it begins to swell. Waste wood pellets are no exception. They soften and swell to the state of gruel. It is this property that makes it possible to flush the material into the sewer. It also causes blockages.

When flushing a small amount of filler, softened sawdust easily passes through all the bends of the toilet bowl and pipes into the collector. But if a large amount of wood dust descends into the sewer at a time, the amount of water from the tank is not enough to “push” the material into the general house drain. The spent filler remains in the bend of the toilet drain. Its volume swells unevenly. Inside the total mass of dust remains dry, areas with air are formed in it. This leads to a kind of plug, which becomes the cause of blockage.

What to do when there is a blockage?

If the toilet is clogged with cat litter, there is no need to panic. Such a blockage can be completely eliminated on your own. In the event that wood dust forms a cork in the toilet itself, it is removed mechanically, that is, manually. This process is quite unpleasant, however, it is necessary, because the longer the spent mass of the filler is in the drain hole, the denser it becomes.

Of courseIt is better to avoid clogging, but if the toilet is still clogged, how to clean it? The procedure is as follows:

• put on high and thick rubber gloves, if there are none, you can replace them with bags;
• remove the contents of the blockage from the toilet drain and throw it away;
• press the flush, if the water goes badly, "punch" the remnants of the dust with a plunger;
• fill the drain with any cleaning agent sold in household chemical stores.

As a rule, these actions are enough to correct the situation.