Once upon a time, a clever person picked up a leaf while squatting and had that aha moment. The leaf could replace, the hand or nothing at all, and leave our backside clean. In addition to being a great fire starter, leaves had a new and useful application.
Suffice to say, we’ve evolved since then. Within the last century, the industry began producing special paper called “toilet paper” that was thin and soft and it worked in harmony with our toilets.
In recent decades, toilet paper companies began selling baby wipes that were perfect for cleaning babies. Wet wipes and other similar options began to catch on with adults too.
While comfortable and effective for cleaning, wet wipes may cost you on the back end. In this article, we’ll discuss why wet wipes aren’t the best option for your plumbing or your wallet.
Dry Toilet Paper
It’s funny to think about but the West created the dry toilet paper culture. There are plenty of other cultures that use toilet paper, but many still prefer to use water (bidet) to clean themselves after using the toilet.
The West has some of the most advanced plumbing systems modern plumbing, In order for plumbing to work efficiently, companies created a thin paper that was strong yet easily broke down.
Initially, there was a 1-ply paper which was great for saving trees but not ideal endure wiping. As toilet paper technology evolved we began to see 2 and 3-ply toilet paper options, scented TP, and even textured paper that aimed for a better wipe.
One problem with toilet paper is that it’s a dry substance that rubs against a tender area of the body. Some people become chaffed, while other people collect lint in their behind. It’s not always comfortable but it is practical and it works.
Why Toilet Paper Needs To Break Down, Fast
If you’ve ever used too much toilet paper you know that a clog can occur easily. Using enough paper versus using too much toilet paper is a balancing act. After all, no one wants to use the plunger but sometimes it’s necessary.
With all its faults, toilet paper does a great job breaking down. It begins as soon as it hits the water and once the toilet is flushed it begins to come apart. It’s made this way on purpose. By the time it hits the sewer lines the waste and paper are in tiny pieces, too small to cause a clog.
Problem 1: Wet Wipes Are Biodegradable
One of the largest problems is with marketing.
If you take a trip to the store, you’ll find plenty of moist wipes that say biodegradable. It’s true, they will degrade over time but the problem is time.
When will the wipes degrade? Toilet paper begins to degrade when it becomes wet, however, wet wipes are already wet and require more strength to remain intact.
It’s highly unlikely that your wet wipe will break down in a day or two let alone a few seconds.
Even people who know that wet wipes are bad for plumbing might read “biodegradable” and believe the wipes are flush friendly. It’s quite confusing.
Problem 2: Regulation
Regulation is another matter. There have been lawsuits against cities (Kimberly-Clark vs. Washington DC) that argue against regulation of “flushable wipes”.
Kimberly-Clark has worked for decades to perfect their flushable wipes that break down fast and they believe their wipe was wrongfully grouped in with non-flushable wipes that are causing the majority of problems.
When you think about flushable and non-flushable, then consider biodegradable and non-biodegradable, it’s confusing and even good-intentioned consumers may find themselves flushing the wrong wet wipes down the toilet.
At the end of the day, it’s the household that bears responsibility for their own clogs, right? If it were only that simple.
Municipalities and Treatment Facilities
Most people don’t understand that municipal wastewater has a long way to go after it leaves our homes. The real burden is on the municipality.
First, it goes through the city’s sewage system then the waste eventually reaches a treatment facility. The waste can be filtered and separated (solid waste and liquid), then reused for irrigation on golf courses and landscaping.
Some of the wastewater facilities are producing pure enough water that could be reused in the household (although it’s not pleasant to think about).
During the treatment and filtration process, non-flushable wet wipes tend to clog up the system more than trash and other items we flush down the drain. Removing clogs from the system requires more manpower and money and this affects those ever-important tax dollars.
To Wet Wipe Or Not To Wipe Wet
The next time you’re at the store, take a look at the toilet paper aisle and read some of the claims on the wet wipes. Chances are, you’ll get confused reading the wipes that claim to be “extra-strong” yet “flushable and biodegradable”.
The safe decision is to use wet wipes and throw them in the trash rather than in the toilet. Companies can make claims, but there aren’t production standards for the industry and until that happens we won’t know which wet wipes are okay or not.
One thing is for sure: a wet wipe labeled “biodegradable” doesn’t mean much if it takes multiple days to break down. Clogs occur quickly and a call to a plumber to service your toilet could cost $100 or more.
Conclusion
Wet wipes are great for cleaning and spills. They moisturize while cleaning and may have sanitizing properties as well.
In the last decade, it’s become popular to use wet wipes while on the toilet. In theory, this seems like a wise idea.
Our bottoms are sensitive and it sure beats using dry toilet paper.
The problem isn’t how well the wipe works. Instead, the problem occurs once wet wipes go down the drain.
There may be clogs in the toilet but if your household doesn’t experience a clog there could be other problems once it gets to sewer lines and wastewater processing facilities. A clog may sound like a minor problem to fix but wet wipes are causing clogs more and more as they become popular.
There are two main issues with wet wipes. Marketing and regulation. Many wet wipe brands highlight the fact that they are biodegradable.
Biodegradable is a great thing and should be expected if it’s flushed down a toilet, however, the time it takes to breakdown is really important.
Traditional toilet paper begins to break down immediately after it touches the toilet water. In order to be effective, wet wipes need to be strong so they don’t begin to break down until later.
If it takes days to degrade it could result in a clog for days too.
Regulation hasn’t been as clear for labeling and this has led to confusion for the consumer, plumbers, and the manufacturers.
Your best bet is to stick with toilet paper until there are better defined standards for flushing wet wipes.
Thanks for reading another Toilet Travels article. Stick with us for toilet information, fixes, and general help!