How do you dispose of the wet wipes you use?
If you’re a user of wet wipes, also known as disposable wipes, how
do you dispose of them? If you’re like many people, you’re probably
flushing them down the
toilet, and there are more than enough compelling reasons why you shouldn’t do this.
Wet wipes have good uses, especially outside of simply cleaning the buttocks,
and that’s why many people love them. Even adults have taken to wet
wipes, if they’re not using them for their children because they like
using the wet wipes on themselves.
It’s all good and well to use wet wipes, but when you start flushing
them, you can cause so many problems with the plumbing system, and you
may not know the problems have started from flushing that first wet wipe.
The disposable wipes need to be realistically labeled because they are
being labeled as flushable, and there are many quarrels going on about
this label. Anything can be labeled as flushable, even if it’s a metal
object that couldn’t possibly go down the toilet, so labels don’t
always mean what they should.
The same way a label can say that something is sugar-free but is still
sweet, something can also say it’s flushable, but it can still get
stuck within the plumbing system. What wet wipes do is cause clogs, and
those in sewage treatment centers know all about it, especially in cities
that have to process the wet wipes and pull apart clogs that have gummed
up the sewage system.
Wet wipes can cause the worst clogs you’ve ever seen.
If you’ve ever pulled a clog out of your sink, more than likely it
was covered with hair, soap scum, grease, and even toothpaste. Clogs that
can be found in the kitchen sink may be covered with food, grease, soap
scum and more.
Toilets are different because they can clog up, but generally, toilets
clog because of too much toilet paper being flushed down at once. Toilet
paper can biodegrade rather rapidly, and that means that by the time you
finish flushing the toilet, the toilet paper not only disappears but may
have already broken apart and easily goes through the plumbing system.
Toilet paper only causes problems when it’s too thick and wadded up
and is flushed down the toilet. Wet wipes can be more of a challenge because
they can be very sturdy. The wet wipes aren’t made to come apart like
toilet paper, especially since the creators of the disposable wipes want
you to get a clean feeling after you use it.
Many don’t feel clean after they use toilet paper, even if they use
a lot to clean themselves and see no more residue when they wipe themselves.
Since wipes are wet, they are able to clean the bottom of a person, and
the person can then throw the wipe away, but they flush it instead.
Flushing the wipe can be the start of a whole host of problems, and they
may cause some of the worse clogs you’ll ever see. Even if you’ve
seen some bad clogs, imagine all the waste going down the toilet, and
the wet wipes start the clog, but all the other waste that goes down the
toilet gets stuck to it as well as other debris that goes down the drains.
Some of the largest and most disgusting clogs have had many wet wipes
within it, so everyone is encouraged not to flush wet wipes at all.
How You Can Help
If you want to know how you can help, then don’t flush your wet wipes.
Realize that wet wipes are not meant for flushing and should be disposed
of in a proper manner, such as in the garbage, in a trashcan, or even
in a diaper pail.
If wet wipes are disposed of properly, then you won’t have to be one
of the many victims that have to call out a plumber to unclog a disgusting
mess filled with wet wipes that have clogged up your plumbing system and
doesn’t allow you to flush or use your drains properly.
The main things you can do to help are:
- Don’t ever flush your wipes
- Throw wipes in the trash
- Never throw wipes in a portable toilet
- Get plumbing help if you previously flushed many wipes
- Get drain cleaning once you know wipes are clogging your pipes
- Have a plumber do toilet repair to make the toilet usable again
If you completely stop flushing your wipes, even if it’s just a single
wipe that’s very thin in nature, you can help to avoid clogs.
Remember, clogging up your system becomes your problem, but if the wipes
make it further into the sewage system, then the clogs can become a problem
for everyone. Don’t be afraid to dump your wipes in the garbage, and
if this is an issue for you, then feel free to get some toilet paper to
wrap the wipe in, and this way, you won’t be forced to look at the
wipe in the garbage, similar to wrapping a sanitary napkin in toilet paper.
Remedies for Your Plumbing Problems
You always want to call a plumber if you have a clog, even if you suspect
it’s a small clog. Those that have clogs that are the result of too
many wet wipes being flushed and clinging together, they’ll have a
journey ahead of them because clearing this clog won’t necessarily be easy.
If the clog has been there for a while, then drain cleaning alone may not
help, snaking may or may not fix the problem, and toilet repair isn’t
necessarily going to work either. A plumber may have to use all of the
methods available to them, in order to remove a clog, especially if wet
wipes are the sole cause of that clog.
