Have you seen this strange ribbed plastic thing in your toilet? The Reason Will Surprise You
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It’s not every day you find something unusual in your toilet. But every now and then, a mystery object makes you stop and wonder.
Sometimes it’s just gunk—other times, it’s something more baffling.
One homeowner recently ran into exactly that problem.
When online user charlesira66 removed their frequently clogging toilet, they found something unexpected.
It was a thin, ribbed piece of plastic embedded in the wax ring. According to them, it was “fairly rigid but does bend slightly.”
The mystery deepened when they shared a photo with the caption, “What is this thin, ribbed plastic thing someone flushed down my toilet?”
The object appeared to be broken at one end and smooth at the back.
The homeowner hoped someone could identify it to figure out “who (and why) this plastic thing was flushed down my toilet.”
In the Reddit post, they added, “Sorry I didn’t clean it better for the picture because ew.” The question left commenters intrigued and eager to help.
In true internet fashion, answers came quickly. Multiple users were confident it was just a plastic shim.
One wrote, “Hard to tell from the pics but if it has a tapered wedge shape to it, it is a plastic shim.” Another confirmed, “Definitely a plastic shim. Possible it was used during toilet or flooring install and made it’s way into the pipe after a while.”
Contrary to how it looked, the plastic shim likely wasn’t flushed.
Instead, users suggested it ended up there by accident during installation. “I could imagine a handyman using a shim to level a toilet or stop it from wobbling during installation.”
One user said. “Having it migrate into the line/wax ring is kind of weird in my mind.”
Online users also theorized the shim may have stuck to the bottom of the toilet.
“But it is completely possible that there was a sticky shim on the floor prior to installation of the toilet,” one user wrote.
“The toilet was set on the floor after being taken out of the box, and the shim stuck to the toilet.” Another added, “Or maybe the flange needed to be shimmed up.”
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Have you ever uncovered a mystery object during a home repair? Maybe a forgotten tool, a toy, or something even stranger? Share your story in the comments. You might just help another curious homeowner solve their own domestic mystery.
Sometimes it’s just gunk—other times, it’s something more baffling.
One homeowner recently ran into exactly that problem.
When online user charlesira66 removed their frequently clogging toilet, they found something unexpected.
It was a thin, ribbed piece of plastic embedded in the wax ring. According to them, it was “fairly rigid but does bend slightly.”
The mystery deepened when they shared a photo with the caption, “What is this thin, ribbed plastic thing someone flushed down my toilet?”
The object appeared to be broken at one end and smooth at the back.
The homeowner hoped someone could identify it to figure out “who (and why) this plastic thing was flushed down my toilet.”
In the Reddit post, they added, “Sorry I didn’t clean it better for the picture because ew.” The question left commenters intrigued and eager to help.
In true internet fashion, answers came quickly. Multiple users were confident it was just a plastic shim.
One wrote, “Hard to tell from the pics but if it has a tapered wedge shape to it, it is a plastic shim.” Another confirmed, “Definitely a plastic shim. Possible it was used during toilet or flooring install and made it’s way into the pipe after a while.”
Contrary to how it looked, the plastic shim likely wasn’t flushed.
Instead, users suggested it ended up there by accident during installation. “I could imagine a handyman using a shim to level a toilet or stop it from wobbling during installation.”
One user said. “Having it migrate into the line/wax ring is kind of weird in my mind.”
Online users also theorized the shim may have stuck to the bottom of the toilet.
“But it is completely possible that there was a sticky shim on the floor prior to installation of the toilet,” one user wrote.
“The toilet was set on the floor after being taken out of the box, and the shim stuck to the toilet.” Another added, “Or maybe the flange needed to be shimmed up.”
Read next:
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