Is It Bad to Flush Hair Down the Toilet? Yes, absolutely. Flushing hair down the toilet is one of the worst habits for your home’s plumbing. While a few strands may seem harmless, hair does not dissolve in water and acts like a powerful net, creating costly, deep-seated clogs over time.
This common, simple act can lead to slow drains, nasty overflows, and expensive repair bills. We will explain exactly why this happens, what it does to your pipes and septic system, and the expert steps you can take to fix the damage or stop the problem for good.
Why Is It Bad to Flush Hair Down the Toilet?
Hair is made from keratin, a protein so tough it resists water completely. When you flush hair, it doesn’t dissolve. It travels through your pipes and sticks to rough spots, bends, and joints.Each strand acts like a tiny fishing line. It catches soap scum, grease, paper towels, and other debris floating through your system. Over time, these materials bind together into a dense mass that blocks your pipes.
The damage doesn’t stop there. Hair clogs create pressure buildup that can crack older pipes. If you have a septic system, flushing hair makes things worse. Hair doesn’t break down in septic tanks and can clog the drain field, leading to expensive repairs that often exceed $5,000.
What Happens When You Flush Hair?
Short-Term Effects
At first, everything seemed fine. The toilet flushes normally, and the hair disappears. But inside your pipes, the hair is clinging to pipe walls and corners.
Hair sticks to areas where water flow slows down. These spots include:
- Pipe bends and elbows
- Junction points where pipes connect
- Rough patches from corrosion or mineral buildup
- The trap under your toilet
Small amounts of hair create tiny snags. These snags catch more hair with each flush. Within weeks, you have the start of a serious clog.
Long-Term Effects
After months of flushing hair, the buildup hardens. Soap residue, calcium deposits, and other minerals cement the hair into place. This creates a blockage that won’t budge with a plunger.
You’ll notice:
- Slow drainage when flushing
- Gurgling sounds from your toilet
- Bad smells coming from drains
- Water backing up into tubs or sinks
- Complete toilet blockage
In older homes with cast iron pipes, hair clogs accelerate corrosion. The trapped moisture and waste eat away at pipe walls. Eventually, you’re looking at pipe replacement, not just drain cleaning.
For septic systems, the impact is even worse. Hair that reaches your septic tank never breaks down. It floats in the tank and can clog the outlet baffle, preventing proper drainage. A single septic system repair can cost $3,000 to $7,000.
Hair in Toilet: What Kind of Hair Causes Issues?
All hair causes problems, but some types are worse than others.
Human head hair is the biggest culprit. Long hair from brushing or styling clumps together easily. A single long strand can stretch across a pipe and catch everything that passes by.
Short hair from shaving seems safer, but it’s not. Short pieces accumulate faster because there are more of them. A quick beard trim can send hundreds of tiny hairs into your pipes.
Pet hair behaves differently. Dog and cat hair is often finer and more likely to mate together. If you bathe pets in your tub or rinse pet brushes in the sink, you’re sending clumps of hair straight into your drain system.
Hair type matters too. Coarse, curly hair tangles more easily than straight hair. Treated hair with dye or chemical straighteners doesn’t break down any faster than natural hair. All of it stays intact in your pipes.
The amount matters less than you’d think. Even a few strands per week add up. Over six months, that’s enough to start a clog that grows every day.
Why Toilets Aren’t Designed to Handle Hair
Toilets are engineered to flush specific materials: human waste and toilet paper. That’s it.Toilet paper is made to disintegrate in water. Within seconds of flushing, it starts breaking apart into tiny fibers. These fibers flow easily through pipes and don’t create blockages.Hair does the opposite. The protein structure in keratin bonds is incredibly strong. Water can’t break these bonds. Neither can the bacteria in your septic system or sewer lines.Your toilet’s trap is shaped like a sideways “S.” This design holds water to block sewer gases. But it also creates a spot where hair gets stuck. Once a few strands lodge in the trap, they catch more hair with every flush.
Municipal sewer systems aren’t designed for hair either. While large sewer lines can handle more waste, hair still causes problems at pump stations and treatment plants. Cities spend millions clearing clogs from these systems every year.
How Flushing Hair Leads to Bigger Problems
A hair clog in your toilet doesn’t stay there. It affects your entire plumbing system.When your toilet drain slows down, water backs up into other fixtures. You might see water rise in your shower drain when you flush. This happens because all your drains connect to the same main line.The backup creates pressure throughout your pipes. In older systems with weak joints, this pressure can cause leaks. A small drip behind a wall can lead to mold, rot, and structural damage you won’t see until it’s expensive to fix.
Hair clogs also trap bacteria. The standing water in a partial clog becomes a breeding ground for harmful microbes. These create the sulfur smell you notice when drains are clogged. Prolonged exposure to these bacteria can cause health issues, especially in homes with young children or people with respiratory problems.
Professional plumbers report that hair-related clogs are among the toughest to clear. Unlike food waste or paper products, hair doesn’t respond well to chemical drain cleaners. These products can actually make things worse by corroding your pipes without removing the hair.
The only reliable solution is mechanical removal. Plumbers use:
- Drain snakes (augers) to pull out hair clogs
- Hydro-jetting to blast away buildup with high-pressure water
- Camera inspections to find hidden blockages
These services cost $150 to $500 for simple clogs. Severe blockages requiring hydro-jetting run $350 to $600. If the clog damages your pipes, replacement costs start at $1,500 and can exceed $10,000 for extensive work.
Is It Ever Okay to Flush Any Hair?
No. There’s no safe amount of hair to flush down any drain.Some people think a few strands won’t hurt. But plumbing problems build gradually. Those few strands combine with other debris and create a foundation for bigger clogs.You might have flushed hair for years without issues. This doesn’t mean it’s safe. It means you haven’t hit the breaking point yet. Every pipe has a capacity. Once you reach it, the clog appears suddenly and often at the worst time.
Even “flushable” products aren’t always safe. Flushable wipes, for example, cause major sewer problems despite their label. Hair is worse because it never breaks down at all.
The only things safe to flush are:
- Human waste
- Toilet paper (standard bath tissue)
- Nothing else
This rule applies to all plumbing systems. It doesn’t matter if you have PVC pipes, copper lines, or cast iron. It doesn’t matter if you’re on city sewer or a septic system. Hair causes problems everywhere.
What to Do If Your Toilet Is Already Affected by Hair?
If you suspect hair is clogging your toilet, act fast. Early intervention saves money.
DIY Solutions That Work
Try a plunger first. Use a flange plunger designed for toilets. Create a tight seal and plunge with firm, steady strokes. This works for fresh clogs near the surface.
Use a toilet auger. Also called a closet auger, this tool reaches deeper into your toilet’s trap. Feed the cable in slowly, turn the handle, and pull out the clog. You can buy one for $20 to $40 at any hardware store.
Make a natural cleaner. Pour one cup of baking soda into the toilet. Add two cups of white vinegar. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then flush with hot water. This won’t remove hair, but it can loosen soap scum holding the clog together.
Try hot water. Boil a large pot of water and pour it directly into the toilet bowl from waist height. The force and heat can dislodge minor clogs. Never use boiling water if you have a septic system, as it can kill beneficial bacteria.
What NOT to Do
Skip chemical drain cleaners. Products like Drano don’t dissolve hair effectively. They can damage your pipes and create toxic fumes. If the cleaner doesn’t work, you’ll need to tell your plumber, and they’ll have to work with dangerous chemicals still in your pipes.
Don’t flush repeatedly. If your toilet is slow to drain, flushing again makes it worse. You’ll overflow the bowl and spread contaminated water across your bathroom floor.
Avoid makeshift tools. Wire hangers and other homemade snakes can scratch your toilet’s porcelain or get stuck in your pipes.
When to Call Derks Plumbing
Contact a professional if:
- Your toilet won’t drain after 30 minutes of plunging
- Water backs up into other drains when you flush
- You hear gurgling from multiple drains
- You’ve removed one clog, but another forms within days
- You notice sewage smells throughout your home
Professional plumbers have tools homeowners don’t. They can:
- Use video cameras to see exactly where the clog is
- Clear the entire pipe with hydro-jetting
- Check for damage that might need repair
- Clean your main sewer line if the clog is deeper
The cost of a professional visit ($150-$300) is nothing compared to the damage from a burst pipe or sewage backup.
Preventing Plumbing Problems From Flushed Hair
Prevention is simple and costs almost nothing.
Proper Hair Disposal
Collect hair before it gets near drains. After brushing, gather the hair from your brush and throw it in the trash. Wrap it in tissue or paper towel so it doesn’t stick to other garbage.
Use a bathroom trash can. Keep it within easy reach. This makes proper disposal automatic instead of an inconvenience.
Clean up after grooming. If you trim hair over the sink, wipe it up with a damp paper towel first. Don’t rinse it down the drain.
Install Physical Barriers
Put drain covers on all drains. Mesh screens cost $5 to $15 and catch hair before it enters your pipes. Empty them daily and clean them weekly.
Use a hair catcher in your shower. These sit over or inside your drain and trap hair while water flows through. Models like TubShroom or Drain Buddy work well and last for years.
Check your toilet for hair. If you notice hair on the rim or seat, wipe it off and throw it away. Don’t flush it down with your next use.
Maintenance Schedule
Monthly: Pour hot water down your drains to clear soap buildup. Add a cup of baking soda followed by vinegar for extra cleaning power.
Quarterly: Remove and clean all drain covers. Check for hair wrapped around the stopper mechanism in sinks.
Yearly: Have a plumber inspect your main sewer line. This catches problems early and costs $100 to $200. It’s much cheaper than emergency repairs.
Special Considerations for Different Systems
Septic systems: Be extra careful. Hair never breaks down in septic tanks. Pump your tank every 3-5 years and inspect the drain field regularly.
Older homes: If you have cast iron pipes over 40 years old, consider a video inspection. Corrosion creates rough spots where hair catches easily.
Hard water areas: Mineral buildup makes hair clogs worse. Install a water softener to reduce scale in your pipes.
Multi-family homes: Make sure everyone knows the rules. One person flushing hair affects everyone’s plumbing.
You can read about: What Happens If You Flush a Clorox Toilet Wand ?
Need Toilet Installation in Eagle Rock? We Can Help
Beyond hair clogs and routine repairs, if you are planning an upgrade or dealing with an old, inefficient unit, sometimes a new toilet is the best solution. Newer, high-efficiency models are designed with better flushing power and smoother traps, which can make them less prone to minor clogs.
If you are looking for Toilet Installation in Eagle Rock or any surrounding Los Angeles neighborhood, our certified team at Derks Plumbing is ready to provide fast, reliable, and professional service. We specialize in selecting and installing systems built to handle the demands of a modern home, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency from day one. Contact us for a consultation.
Conclusion
When considering the question, Is It Bad to Flush Hair Down the Toilet?. The answer is a definitive yes from every plumbing expert. Hair is a silent, creeping threat to your drain lines and, for those with a septic system, a serious danger to your entire waste system. It acts as the sticky foundation for the worst types of blockages, combining with soap, grease, and non-flushable items like paper towels to create expensive problems.
By committing to the simple habit of throwing all hair long, short, or pet into the trash, you save your pipes from stress, yourself from mess, and your wallet from high repair bills. Take preventative steps now to protect the integrity of your home’s plumbing system. calls and backed-up toilets. Make the right choice today keep hair out of your toilet.
FAQs
Q1: Will a garbage disposal help if I flush hair down the toilet?
No. Garbage disposals are designed to grind soft food waste. They will not break down hair or dental floss. Any hair you try to run down the sink will still get tangled further down the drain line or in the pipe under the disposal, leading to an even messier clog than one in the toilet. Always put hair in the trash.
Q2: Is flushing hair down the toilet a big problem if I have new PVC pipes?
Yes, it is still a problem. While new PVC pipes are smoother than old cast-iron, hair can still catch on pipe joint cement, at elbows, or inside the toilet’s own internal passages. The non-dissolvable nature of hair means it will still accumulate and cause a nasty clog over time, no matter the pipe material.
Q3: What should I do if my toilet is constantly getting clogged with hair?
A constantly clogging toilet suggests a recurring problem. First, stop all flushing hair immediately. Second, check to see if anyone is flushing other non-flushables like “flushable” wipes. Third, use a toilet auger to clear the trap thoroughly. If the problem continues, you likely have a deeper obstruction in the main sewer line that requires professional drain cleaning or inspection from a reputable plumber.
Q4: Can chemical drain cleaners dissolve hair?
Some heavy-duty chemical drain cleaners contain ingredients that can partially dissolve hair, but they are not recommended for toilets. These caustic chemicals can generate heat that damages the porcelain, eats away at the rubber seals (like the wax ring), and is harmful to your septic system and the environment. Use an enzyme cleaner or a plumbing snake/auger instead.
Q5: Besides hair, what else should I never flush down the toilet?
You should only flush human waste and standard toilet paper. Never flush paper towels, wet wipes (even “flushable” ones), feminine hygiene products, cotton balls, cotton swabs, dental floss, cooking grease, cat litter, or medication.
