(NEXSTAR) – Just because you can flush something down the toilet doesn’t mean you should.
Plumbers and utility companies are warning people to think twice before flushing so-called “flushable” wipes down the toilet: Some don't actually break down or decompose, causing clogs and annoying (and costly) problems.
Figuring out which wipes are truly flushable isn't always easy: Companies are required to test their products before labeling them as flushable, but in the United States there is no third-party verification. CBC reports.
“Part of the problem is that the wipes packaging says 'flushable,' and they are. Kids can flush their toys down the toilet, but parents shouldn't. It costs everyone money,” said Lynn Riggins, a spokeswoman for Washington Suburban Sanitary Company in Maryland. Associated Press.
The costs of unclogging these pipes (which require utilities to install grinder pumps, manually unclog the pipes, and send dump trucks full of wet wipes to haul them out to landfills) are passed on to everyone in the form of higher utility bills and taxes.
Video: Clumps of wet wipes block sewer pipes during COVID-19 pandemic
Needless to say, if a clog occurs in your home, you will be responsible for paying a plumber to clear the clog.
When I asked Roger Wakefield, a plumber and YouTube instructional video maker, how to know if you're unwittingly damaging your home's plumbing, he tested different brands of so-called “flushable” wipes. On our YouTube channelhe found that there was a big difference in how easily the products decomposed.
“Typically, if it's a truly flushable wipe, there's no problem. The problem is that most people flush baby wipes,” Wakefield told Nexstar. “Baby wipes have plastic binding fibers so they don't break down or dissolve. They completely wreak havoc on people's sewer systems and are also a problem for the water treatment plants where they end up.”
Wakefield recommends Cottonelle flushable wipes as a good option because they break down easily — it's the wipes that don't break down easily, like baby wipes, makeup remover wipes, and disinfectant wipes, that are the real problem.
Look for flushable wipes made from cellulose plant fibers that are designed to dissolve within a few hours, Dave Roos, president of the Nonwoven Fabric Industry Association, said in 2020. The pandemic has led to a surge in wet wipe use, causing sewer blockages It will be held all over the country.
“These wipes cannot be causing the problems that the sewage treatment companies are accusing them of,” he told The Associated Press.
“If you do your research and make sure it dissolves like toilet paper, you won't run into any problems,” Wakefield says. But “if you flush baby wipes, even one can get caught in the pipes and cause a major clog.”
