Flushable Wipes Are Not So Flushable

Why Flushing Regular Wipes Will Clog Your Drains

It’s Nice To Clean With Disposable Wipes

Disposable wipes can really be nice to clean with, especially when you get rid of dust that has been plaguing a coffee table or a piece of furniture for a while. If you have a TV that has a lot of fingerprint smudges, then a wet wipe can help to get rid of it.

Don’t forget the fact that your computer monitor may also become smudged and get dusty, and the wet wipe can help with that as well. You have stains, your hands are dirty, the counter top needs cleaning, your mirrors are dirty, or if you need to clean yourself, then all of these things can be taken care of with a wet wipe. Also, you can:

  • Clean a stain
  • Get makeup off the face
  • Remove sticky messes from the hands
  • Clean off a counter top
  • Make a mirror spotless
  • Wipe the buttocks after bathroom use
  • Clean a child in many ways
  • Remove smudges off TV screens and monitors
  • Sanitize a frequently used keyboard
  • Clean anything that hands are frequently touching

The manufacturers who create wet wipes know all the uses that they have, and many of the wet wipe creators have even made them thinner but durable, so they can be used for many different chores. Those who choose to use wet wipes as a cleaning tool for themselves when they go to use the bathroom may have completely replaced their toilet paper with the wet wipes, which makes a lot of sense.

Anyone who uses toilet paper knows that they will never get you as clean as a wet wipe will, but toilet paper is made to go through the toilet and be flushed down the toilet, and it’s rare if you ever have to worry about toilet paper clogging your toilet.

Unless you’ve chosen to use a massive amount of toilet paper, which may amount to a quarter of the role or more, then it’s unlikely that toilet paper is going to cause clogging problems in your toilet. The wet wipes are a completely different story because flushing even one wet wipe can become a problem or start a problem that only ends up with a clog in your drains.

Disposable Wipes Are Becoming A Problem

It’s been a while since disposable wipes have become a problem in the sewage system because many more adults are choosing to use them in their daily cleaning routine as opposed to sticking with toilet paper. When wet wipes were only used for cleaning a child who was in need of a diaper change, flushing the wipes was never a problem because the person changing the child would always toss the wipes away with the diaper. Since adults have chosen to make it a habit of using wet wipes when they’re in the bathroom, that’s when flushing the wet wipes became a problem.

Since so many wet wipes were being used by adults, manufacturers who created the wipes started making thinner versions of the wipes for adults, which were not as thick as the ones used for cleaning a child. The thick ones that were used for cleaning dirty diapers were always thrown away, so there was never a worry if they would be flushed because common sense would tell the adult that the wipes were too thick to be flushed.

Since the wipes have become thinner and the labelling is telling consumers to flush the wipes, that’s when the clogging problems have become overwhelming, and this is happening all over the world. If people would simply stop flushing their wipes, then there would be no problems with the toilets, pipes, or the sewer systems.

There have been many incidents of clogs caused by wet wipes that have even made the news. Certain cities in states around the USA, such as in New York, Minnesota, Washington DC and more have taken out lawsuits against the creators of wet wipes. These lawsuits stemmed from consumers complaining about having plumbing problems in their home after flushing the wipes.

In some cases, the city itself has chosen to sue because of the damage created by the wipes in their sewage system, especially to their costly machines that need replacement or upgrading to take on the challenge of the massive amount of wet wipes being flushed.

London had its own incident years ago when an extremely large clog that mimicked the size of a school bus was found in the sewers, and the main component of the clog was wet wipes. The clog took weeks to get rid of and kept many people in the city from being able to use their plumbing. The reason why disposable wipe manufacturers are being sued is because their false labelling says the wipes can be flushed, but experience would say otherwise.

You never want to flush a wet wipe, no matter how thin it may be because they are made to be durable and have a hard time coming apart, even if they sit in water for weeks at a time. Although the labelled on the wipes me tell you it’s safe to flush the wipe, throw it away. Use your trash all the time if you are constantly using wet wipes, then you won’t have to worry about your pipes, plumbing, or toilet.

Let An Engineer Help You

If you know you’re in need of toilet repair or feel it’s time for you to get drain cleaning in your home, then know that both drain cleaning, as well as toilet repair, can be performed by the engineer you choose to call out to your home. If these services are needed because you were previously flushing your wet wipes, then make sure you’ve stopped doing so to avoid future occurrences of clogs.

Call your FD Plumbing & Heating serving the London, UK area by calling 020 7060-4770

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