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Ask Southern Water’s experts about ‘The Unflushables’ - items that could cause a sewer flood in your home - £150 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

312 replies

AmeliaMumsnet · 28/03/2017 09:16

Every year in England and Wales water companies deal with over 300,000 blockages, many of which are caused by common household items being flushed down the toilet. That’s why Southern Water, along with the Consumer Council for Water, have launched ‘The Unflushables’, a campaign to help people protect themselves from the misery of sewer flooding. Many products that have been labelled as ‘flushable’ can actually contribute to these types of problems, so, to clear up some of the confusion, the team at Southern Water are offering you the opportunity to ask some of your burning, sewer-related questions to their expert, Sharon Holdstock!

Here’s what Southern Water have to say: “‘The Unflushables’ campaign aims to help people know how to properly dispose of fat, oil, grease and unflushable items like wipes, tampons, nappies and condoms. It’s designed to help customers understand the impact a sewage flood in their house can have – and provide some hints and tips to help prevent it.”

Post any questions you might have about ‘The Unflushables’ - how to dispose of them, what can and can’t be flushed, or how to get into good habits to prevent sewer flooding, and we’ll pick 20 for Sharon to answer. Everyone who posts their questions will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £150 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Here is some information about Sharon Holdstock:

Sharon is currently Southern Water’s Field Customer Engagement Officer, and has been with the company for five years. She travels to areas that have been affected by flooding caused by blocked drainage systems and advises people on what not to flush, giving talks and presentations around the community. She is passionate about this project, and about the importance of getting the message out to as many people as possible to help them protect their homes and the environment.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw,

MNHQ

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Ask Southern Water’s experts about ‘The Unflushables’ - items that could cause a sewer flood in your home - £150 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED
Ask Southern Water’s experts about ‘The Unflushables’ - items that could cause a sewer flood in your home - £150 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
glennamy · 01/04/2017 14:04

Whats the best way and least time consuming to dispose of cooking oil... and can it be recycled?

LeeR1985 · 01/04/2017 14:35

I always empty out sauces and stuff like curry/gravy down the sink. Is that fine to do or is it a no-no??

Juzza12 · 01/04/2017 14:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MaryTheCanary · 01/04/2017 14:49

Is everyone else still deep frying food

Well, yes, sometimes. What an odd question.

DelphiniumBlue · 01/04/2017 14:55

I'm wondering about washing out paintbrushes, which would have emulsion or oil-based silk/gloss on them. Whilst I try to remove as much paint as possible on old newspaper, it takes a lot of washing and swilling to clean them, and I know bits of paint must be going down the sink.

footdust · 01/04/2017 15:00

I think that there is so much confusion over what you can and cannot put down the toilet. I think it would also be helpful to publicise that tampons aren't flushable

gd2011 · 01/04/2017 15:00

Can you put kitchen roll down the toilet or just toilet paper?

lizd31 · 01/04/2017 15:32

I'm very good about flushing down the toilet, nothing but bodily fluids & loo paper & I never pour fats down the sink,I always put them in a container & put them in the bin

jcyclops · 01/04/2017 15:43

In the old days, food cans used to be binned, but now we are asked to rinse them and recycle. Does this rinsing cause sewer problems?

maryandbuzz1 · 01/04/2017 15:46

I always wonder whether hair from hairbrushes clogs up the toilet. Is that so? I put sod crystals down the kitchen sink to help keep it free flowing, Is there anything that you can recommend that can be put down toilets which will help keep it clear?

ThemisA · 01/04/2017 15:56

When my mother wants to get rid of some old soup she flushes it down the loo - is this recommended and if not how should we get rid of unwanted liquid food?

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 01/04/2017 16:11

I am Shock at this thread.

The only things that should go in the toilet are vomit / wee / poo and normal (not moist) toilet paper. Nothing else.

AnimalAddict · 01/04/2017 16:36

I would love to know what is acceptable to flush and what isn't? The information I've found so far tend to contradict each other and I would like to know for sure. Thanks! :)

rachelmi · 01/04/2017 16:44

Whilst I flush only bodily produced items(!) I wonder why manufacturers are still producing wipes and liners, nappies etc that are not BIODEGRADABLE. People are still flushing them down the toilet, I know, I see them on the beach sometime after. Ships are probably the worst culprits though. Just a thought.

Alexandra87 · 01/04/2017 16:45

I didn't know that tampons could not be flushed. I knew the applicator couldn't but not the Tampon

madge47 · 01/04/2017 17:14

Is it ok to flush dental floss ?

emmav6 · 01/04/2017 17:17

i am never sure which tissues are flushable. is it just toilet roll or can the tissues you blow your nose on be flushed?

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 01/04/2017 17:20

A good way to test is to get two glasses of water. Put the toilet roll on one, and the tissue in the other. If the tissue breaks down faster or the at the same speed as the toilet paper then it is fine.

But I'd hazard a guess that tissues break down slower, and this shouldn't be flushed.

grannybiker · 01/04/2017 18:08

When I was a young girl, most of the marketing for sanitary towels was based around the claim they were flushable. Were they then? What has changed?

Mrsmonkeymoo1 · 01/04/2017 18:13

Can you flush those toddler wipes? I only buy them because I think you can flush them.

Also been happily flushing tampons for as long as I can remember- didn't realise that this was an issue at allBlush

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 01/04/2017 18:19

No. You can't flush toddler wipes.

Ollivander84 · 01/04/2017 18:25

Basically if it's not loo roll, poo, wee or vomit, you can't flush it
So no you can't flush wipes, pads, tampons, nappies, dental floss, cotton wool....

cherylann2461 · 01/04/2017 18:50

Is it OK to flush the toilet wipes that say they are flushable or are we still causing a problem?

Ollivander84 · 01/04/2017 18:50

As far as I'm aware, no. They still clog

ILikeBigBumpsAndICannotLie · 01/04/2017 18:58

Should those of us with shared drains be doing any kind of regular maintenance checks to ensure blockages don't build up?