New parents with babies may assume that it’s okay to flush baby wipes down the toilet but that is not true at all. In fact, today’s “flushable” wipes are not really flushable at all and we recommend that you DO NOT put these items, including baby wipes down your toilet.
Manufacturers of these wipes report that they are flushable, which technically is true. You CAN flush them down the toilet, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.
The ONLY thing you should flush down your toilet is toilet paper and your bodily fluids and waste.
The Truth About Flushable Wet Wipes
The manufacturers state on their packages that these wipes are “flushable” and “septic safe”. But what they don’t put on the package are the problems that these wipes can cause in your pipes and septic system.
As I mentioned above – these wipes take a lot longer to disintegrate and break down than toilet paper so as a result, they will stay in your pipes and septic tank much longer creating clogs and bulk.
And because they don’t break down quickly, other things in your pipes will get caught up in them creating even a bigger clog. Sort of like a snowball going downhill, it’s just going to get bigger and bigger.
Most wet wipes contain plastic such as polyester. These plastics are non-biodegradable and could take up to 100 years to break down. That number was reached because that’s the average amount of time it takes for non-biodegradable products to break down.
So, if you don’t want to clog your pipes or get your septic tank cleaned out every single year – we would recommend that you stay away from flushing these wet wipes.
Do Toilet Wipes Block Drains?
Yes!
We don’t mean to be blunt – but there is no other answer and we want to be clear that toilet wipes of any kind (even if they claim to be “biodegradable” can cause severe blockage in your pipes and your community’s sewer pipes.
You see, most wet wipes contain plastic such as polyester. These plastics are non-biodegradable and could take up to 100 years to break down. That number was reached because that’s the average amount of time it takes for non-biodegradable products to break down.
Will One Baby Wipe Clog The Toilet?
Unlikely, but we do recommend that you try to fish it out if you can. With the accumulation of baby wipes and other wet wipes being used – it just makes sense to do all we can to reduce the amount of debris that ends up in our sewer systems.
If you have any questions about your toilet system or are having some problems with it, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-443-8229. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.