Do you do your own plumbing? If not, you may want to start -- out of sheer embarrassment! We interviewed a spokesman for Roto-Rooter to find out the oddest things plumbers ever found clogging up sinks and toilets. Paint brushes? Prosthetic eyeballs? Prepare to be floored.
Corbis
You already know that you can
rescue anything from your p-trap -- but did you ever wonder what kinds of things actually fall down the sink drain in the first place? Or get stuck in the toilet, and you never even know it? We did.
So we asked Roto-Rooter spokesman Paul Abrams for some of the strangest things the company's plumbers have ever found in clients' drains. "If it will fit, we've found it in a drain at one time or another," he said. Abrams' list of weird things found in drains both amazed and disgusted us. So of course, we had to share our favorites with you.
Did this ever happen to you? Now imagine it fell all the one down -- or was flushed! Photo: Getty Images
Personal Electronic Devices
Cell phones
Pagers
iPod
Watches
Batteries
Need a blade? You might want to check your plumbing. Corbis
Things That Fell Out of Pockets
Cigarette lighters
Pocket knives
Some DIYer must have been examining his plumbing too closely -- because this entire flashlight wound up lodged in the pipes. Photo: Corbis
Home Improvement Supplies
Flashlights
Paint brush
Foam insulation aerosol can
Ball bearings
We can think of better places for tool storage. Photo: Getty Images
Everything But the Toolbox
Screwdrivers
Pliers
Hammer
Vice grips
Nails
Screws
Nuts and bolts
Wondering why you overslept? Probably because you accidentally flushed your alarm clock down the toilet. Photo: Getty Images
Random Household Items
Bottle opener
Alarm clock
Ice pick
Guess which element of this photo ended up down the drain. (Hint: It's not the hair.) Photo: Getty Images
Sundries
Deodorant container (stick variety and aerosol)
Electric razors (2 so far)
Baby powder container (travel size)
Combs
Hair brushes
A diamond engagement ring, down the drain? You bet. It's pretty common, actually. Photo: AP
Jewelry and Accessories
Earrings
Bracelets
Necklaces
Diamond engagement ring (dozens)
Men's rings
Eye glasses
Sun glasses
Shotgun shells, ok. But bullets from the Civil War era? We just don't get it. Photo: Getty Images
Items of Warfare
Civil War era cannon shell
Leftover from Siege of Vicksburg during Civil War Vicksburg, MS
Bullets of every imaginable caliber
Shotgun shells
A Groucho mask: possibly one of the funniest things to be flushed down the toilet. Photo: Getty Images
Party Items
Plastic cups
Liquor bottles (the tiny variety served on airliners)
Groucho Marx Halloween mask
Toy cars have a way of driving themselves right down the drain. Photo: Getty Images
Kids' Stuff
Hot Wheels / Matchbox cars (too many to count)
Army men (More than a brigade's worth, so far)
GI Joe dolls (less than a platoon's worth)
How are you going to explain this one to your dentist? Photo: Getty Images
Gross Stuff
Prosthetic eyeball
False teeth
Gold teeth
Toupees
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lots of that stuff is to big to go down a drain, some of it even to big to be flushed, i dont believe it
ReplyI am not a professional, just used to own apartments. I mostly found certain womens personal products that they try to flush after it is really nasty. Also a lot of socks.
ReplyI agree with you Mike. I also don't believe it because of the size of that stuff.
Reply