You’ve probably seen the commercials about those miraculous little wipes that can do everything from clean your baby’s bottom to remove your makeup to clean your bathroom floor. And since they’re advertised as flushable, what could be the harm in using them, right? Unfortunately, when it comes to your plumbing system, those wipes are anything but a miracle. In fact, they cause some serious plumbing problems.
The Truth Can Hurt
Flushable wipes may be marketed as being safe for your plumbing system, but the truth is they’re not. While flushable wipes will eventually (maybe) break down in your system, they stay intact significantly longer than regular toilet paper and can cause major clogs. Not only that, but they can also damage your septic system and your city’s sewer system, too.
If you’re using flushable wipes, it’s important to be aware of the potential problems they can cause. The next time you reach for a wipe, think twice before you flush.
Don’t Flush That!
You may think that anything that fits in it can go down, but that’s not the case. There are actually a lot of things that you shouldn’t flush down your toilet. In addition to flushable wipes, these things include:
• diapers (even those marked as ‘flushable’)
• feminine hygiene products
• toilet bowl scrub pads
• paper towels or napkins
• cat litter
• cigarette butts
• food scraps, fats, oils, greases
• and more
These items don’t break down like toilet paper does so they can and will cause clogs. If you’re not sure whether something is flushable, ask yourself, “Is it toilet paper?” If the answer is no, don’t flush it.
Worry-Free Flushing
So now you’re like, “What do I do with all those booty wipes I bought on sale?” One suggestion would be to buy a small, covered trash can for your bathroom and dispose of them there instead of flushing them. That’s not always the most appealing suggestion but there is another safe and effective toilet paper alternative that poses no risk to your home’s plumbing system.
If you’ve ever experienced a bidet, you know that it’s a type of toilet (and now an attachment to a standard toilet) that provides a stream of water to clean up after you go. Bidets have been around since the early 1700s and are extremely common today; worldwide, about 80% of households with indoor plumbing have them installed in their bathrooms.
If you’re not ready to have a bidet installed by JMP Plumbing Services, here’s an alternative: a perineal irrigation bottle or a portable bidet – you could even make one out of a plastic water bottle with a lid. These products are affordable, easily purchased online or in-store, and will add a pure clean freshness to your life. Heck, you may wind up saying, “Bye-bye TP!” Either way, these options are much safer than flushing wipes down the toilet.
By following these tips, you can help keep your plumbing system in good shape and avoid the problems that ‘flushable’ wipes cause. And always remember, JMP Plumbing Services is here when you need us. Call us, text us, email us, or stop us as we’re driving down the road… you’ll be glad you did!
JMP Plumbing Services proudly serves McKinney, Allen, Plano, Richardson, Fairview, Frisco, Anna, Celina, Prosper, Princeton, and the surrounding Collin County area. You can find us at www.jmpplumbingservices.com, at your neighbor’s house, and sometimes under a house; in a trench, in a bathroom, a kitchen, or maybe a utility closet.
We locate leaks in water, sewer, or gas lines, install new plumbing, remodel plumbing and build new plumbing systems, and if it’s clogged, JMP Plumbing Services will put it down – we guarantee it. Reach out to find out why Texas’ newest master female plumber is making a huge splash in the plumbing services industry.
