Just because you flush something down the toilet or toss it down the drain doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. In fact, it could very easily come back to haunt your plumbing — and you.

“We know more about people than they know about their own spouses and kids,” says Shary Moxley, owner of Shary’s Plumbing in Monrovia, Md. “Believe me, we’ve pulled stuff out that other people were not aware was in that house. … If it could be found, we find it.”

Among the items people often try unsuccessfully to flush: Q-tips, dental floss and tampons. Also: condoms, underwear and other contraband that those doing the flushing presumably hope will disappear into the deep blue forever.

Mitch Smedley, owner of Smedley Plumbing in Blue Springs, Mo., once got a call from a woman who returned home after a few days away and found the toilet in the primary bathroom clogged. Smedley went there to auger the pipes and found that flushed condoms and feminine products were to blame. When the customer asked what had caused the blockage, he told her. “And her husband starts backing out of the room very slowly,” says Smedley.

Moxley says her teams have uncovered marital infidelity “multiple times.” Most often, it’s because of evidence flushed down the toilet, but different-colored hair pulled from drains has also led to drama. “Everyone has their secrets,” says Moxley. “If you want to keep yours, don’t try to flush it down the toilet.”

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