Companies that specialize in offering paper products and body care products are now all clamoring to produce flushable everything – wipes, toilet bowl cleaners, face wipes, and more. Don’t buy the hype unless you want to buy new pipes!
Some of these companies’ claims are true – many of these cotton-based products do eventually break down. The problem is, that research shows these products take much longer to break down than average toilet paper. Where they are misleading is that these products are not safe for septic systems.
With wipes taking longer to break down – this presents a huge problem. Any obstructions in your pipes, or harsh angles can give your ‘flushable’ wipe somewhere to reside before it gets where it’s supposed to. As your wipe lingers in your pipe it becomes a magnet collecting debris that gets flushed, and could potentially create a block in your pipes. A block in your pipes means water won’t flush and you’ll be calling Rooterman to solve your problem.
Flushable wipes are not just bad for those home owners who have their own septic system, but home owners who are hooked up to public sewer should beware, too! According to a 2013 article in the Washington Post, Washington DC spent over $1million to install ‘grinders’ throughout their septic system to grind-up flushable wipes that were wreaking havoc on their sewer system.
Skip the headache, toss those ‘flushable’ wipes in the garbage can where they belong.