With the increased awareness of the 2019 novel coronavirus in Iowa, one state agency is reminding everyone of materials that are allowed to be flushed down a toilet.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials say toilet paper and human waste are the only allowed materials that should be flushed down a toilet. The DNR realizes there is a shortage of toilet paper products due to the virus outbreak, but warns against using other items such as flushable and disinfecting wipes, as well as surface cleaning wipes and baby wipes. Even though the product might be flushable, it is not recommended to actually flush it down the toilet.

These items may clog pipes and potentially overwhelm a community’s sewer system, which could cause several households to have backup issues in their homes and pump failures at a wastewater treatment plant.