School’s out, and that means your bathroom is seeing a lot more action. If your family uses flushable wipes, your toilet and pipes could be majorly clogged by the time fall comes. Why? Because flushable wipes are, well, not so flushable.
When regular toilet paper is flushed, it disintegrates almost instantly as it moves through your plumbing system. But despite their name, flushable wipes don’t dissolve as easily, so when they’re being used frequently, they can pile up and form into a ball that will clog your whole system.
According to the Frederick News-Post, Frederick County dealt with at least two sewer overflows last year which were caused by debris such as personal wipes. And when Consumer Reports did a test on flushable wipes, they found that after 30 minutes of simulated swirling (just like a toilet bowl) the wipe was still intact. The wipe showed no signs of even beginning to break down, making them no better than any other kind of wipe that you wouldn’t put in the toilet.
So what’s the solution if you want to keep your family clean? Go ahead and use “flushable” wipes, but tell the kids to put them in a lined waste can, just like you would do with baby wipes. You’ll have much more fun this summer if you’re not dealing with messy plumbing problems.
If you do find yourself with a problem, give us a call.
