Flushable Wipes Aren't Flushable

Once again, Adam Ruins Everything. In the last decade, the toilet paper industry has spent millions convincing Americans they need to use moist wipes in addition to toilet paper. That may be all well and good (although expensive), but don’t put them in the toilet.

(YouTube link)

Sure, they say “flushable,” but just because you can flush them doesn’t mean that you should. Adam Conover explains flushable wipes in explicit detail.

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Well, as I wrote, they can be inexpensive for a non-electric (unheated) one, although the experience can be . . . 'bracing'. If you want to splurge on a multi-hundreds of dollars one, I recommend getting one with a remote control. The control panel is often in a place that is hard to see without some strange contortions. Personally, I think a cord-attached remote would be fine, but I've only seen wireless ones.

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A plumber and friend who works cleaning out sewers both once told me the same sage advice about things that should be flushed: human waste and septic safe toilet paper (even in a city sewer system) and nothing else. The number of things people flush or pour down the drains other than those two wreaks havoc on not only their sewer connection but the system as a whole. Some of the worst things people flush that cause backups: wipes and condoms. There's also a lot of people who pour grease down their drains which causes all sorts of backups and other issues.

And I totally agree about the bidets! I really want one of those fancy Japanese toilet seats after visiting Japan.

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Bidet. A non-electric bidet seat costs less than $40, which is about the same as ten boxes of 'flushable' wipes. If you dare, you can dry yourself with inexpensive and reusable cotton washcloths, which can then be washed in your laundry.

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