Flushable wipes?

[Jiddles]

Are any toilet wipes really flushable or do they risk blocking the house plumbing? If the latter, what are you supposed to do with the used ones that isn’t really gross?

I wouldn’t flush any wipes. Keep a small bin with a liner in the bathroom, or nappy sacks. That’s what you do with the used ones.

Wrap them up with the nappy and put them in the bin. You absolutely cannot put them down the loo.

I don't buy them as I can't see how they wouldn't create an issue.

I know someone who did use and flushed them, caused huge issues with their house and created £thousands of pounds worth of damage x

It’s ridiculous and deliberately misleading people think that means there ok to flush

they need to be biodegradable to flush

it’s no different than saying a tea towel is flushable . Yes you can flush it but it will cause no end of problems

They’re definitely not flushable. Most say this on the packet.
On the estate I used to live in there’s one house at the end of the drainage system and when too many people flush wipes the sewage backs up into their garden. They have to pay to get it sorted and they’re forever begging neighbours not to flush wipes which seems to be the major cause of this. Of course no one listens as it doesn’t affect most of them.

We visited our local water treatment works last year as part of science week. The major take away was never to flush wipes or cotton buds. They have revolting skips full of them that they have to seive out. That’s if they make it as far as the treatment works. Often they get stuck in drains and fat bergs form around them.

You so the same as you do with tampons and sanitary pads, surely?

This, the wipe is only used right at the end of your normal wiping so there should be very minimal poo left in your bum crack. The used wipe is wrapped in a couple of pieces of toilet roll and put into a bathroom bin, lined with a bin liner. Easy.

We had a neighbour that blocked ours with her bloody wipes. The water company had to clear it, we couldnt flush our one and only loo. The guys that came out were one of several teams that were employed to just unblock wipes, all day, every day. Then people wonder why the water bills are so high.

As I have a disability they came quickly, the usual waiting time to unblock was 5 days, they are that busy...

Pura wipes absolutely are flushable. But AFAIK, they’re the only ones.

I work for a plumbing firm. Flush all the wipes you want, it helps keep us in jobs!

Seriously though, the only thing that should be flushed down your loo is wee, poo and proper toilet paper.

The only things that should go down the loo are:
Pee
Poo
Paper (only loo paper)
Puke

I used to work for a sewerage company and have visited a fair few sewage treatment works. The untreatable items like wipes have to be removed from the inlet grilles by a man with a rake.

Also the contents of used condoms "ferment " blow up like a balloon if they have been knotted, and on reaching the open air at the works are known to explode!

It usually has a limit on the packet, 2 per flush for example

Ask Air India!

I still wouldn't flush them. Technically they're biodegradable and technically they will disintegrate but they will take many many many many times more than toilet paper and sre still likely to cause blockages.

@Jiddles I do as another poster does and line the bathroom pedal bin with a nappy sack. But the majority of the time I can just take the bin inner to the kitchen bin bag on its way out to the big bin and empty it into that so I rarely have to reline the small bathroom bin.

To the poster that said they would never use wipes, never say never you never know what's just around the corner.

I agree with one of the above posts. There's no such thing as a safely flushable wipe. Also any disposed of in the bin are not degradable either - because once in a non aerobic landfill - nothing degrades not even newspaper.

I can't remember the brand but there's a product liquid cleanser that you use with regular toilet paper. Perhaps that's worth a try?

This is exactly what I do. Fold it over with the unused side outwards, until it's small enough to wrap in a sheet of toilet roll and pop it in the bin by the loo, which is lined with a nappy bag.

NEVER FLUSH! They (Andrex) put on the packet that they can be flushed, but we all know at heart they cause problems if you do.

Oh bloody lovely!!

Until I read this thread, I was unaware that anyone flushed condoms. It just seems so bloody obvious that you shouldn't, mind you, people flush disposable nappies?? I don't think anyone that flushes disposable nappies should actually be allowed to be in charge of a baby!!!

I wish they had never been invented, we all managed just fine before they were available. Use a bloody flannel or get some Wype

We have the misfortune to live below a second home which the owners let their son and his young family use. Twice we have had blocked drains due to them flushing wipes. They share the cost of the plumber but not the inconvenience. The son had the cheek to come down and swear blind they didn’t flush wipes when I’d seen the evidence. Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson.

All that means is it's not going to block your toilet immediately. It doesn't mean they're not collecting in the drain, clogging other people's drains, or ending up causing blockages that lead to water companies doing 'emergency' raw sewage flushes into rivers. Just because you can technically flush something down your toilet doesn't mean it's safe or suitable to do it.

This is us. We're at the end of the drainage system and every year a blockage backs up to us. We don't pay as it's a shared drain, therefore water company's responsibility. The last blockage was caused by wet wipes and water company sent letter to everyone whose house used the same drain (six of us).

If even only half the adults in the UK flushed 2 wipes per day that would be approximately 50 million wipes blocking up our Victorian sewage system - every day. No wonder the water bills are going up!

I think if you're not happy with loo roll try a bum jug like many cultures use. Wipes just don't break down. Quickly enough to be flushed. Marketing claims they do are untrue.

I use a bidet bottle. £8.99 from Amazon. It feels much cleaner. I’m going to get some Wype for out and about too.

My husband stupidly flushed wipes (admittedly baby wipes) into his parents’ macerator toilet years ago and it had to be taken apart and unblocked (which we paid for). We’ve never flushed anything other than the pee, poo, paper and puke since!