DIY Wet Wipes (Why Flushing Regular Wipes Will Clog Your Drains)

Disposable wipes were mainly used to wipe the behind of a child, especially a young baby in order to get them clean. The wipes are great because of the fact that they’re already wet, and they can easily clean off the buttocks of a child, especially when they have messed themselves.
Since wet wipes are so good for children, many parents will carry them around anywhere they go, especially when the child has to be changed. Wet wipes are also great for cleaning a child’s hands, getting makeup off the face, cleaning adult hands and more. With all the uses that you can get out of wet wipes, who wouldn’t want to use them?
Although these wipes are great for usage, they do not flush as well as it was once suggested. Many of the wipes even tout the name “flushable” or “disposable,” which gives a lot of people the thought that they can be flushed down the toilet.
Flushing wipes have caused many clogs around the world, and the problem is only getting worse, especially since the wipe companies are not being completely honest about the wipes they’re creating.
These wipes state that they can be flushed, but the fact is that they don’t biodegrade very quickly, and it eventually gets stuck down the drain somewhere, which can cause a massive clog that can cost you a lot of money later.

You may be sorry if you flush your wipes.

Those who flush their wipes outside of their home may never experience what it can do to their own toilets. Many will take their kids out to the park or somewhere where they don’t have to use their own toilet to flush the wipes, so they may never know what the wipes are doing to the toilet or sewage system.
Although most parents who use wipes will throw them into the dirty diaper and then throw the diaper away, adults that use the wipes on themselves are unlikely to throw them in the garbage because of what’s contained in them unless it’s only used to wipe their hands or face.
Anything that is flushed down a toilet has to go through a sewage system, and if the wipes get stuck partway down, anything else that passes though can also get stuck to it. What typically happens is the wipes will go down the toilet, go down through the pipes, but somewhere along the way they will get stuck, and eventually, more can get stuck, creating a ball, which then creates the clog and a big mess.
Those who have continuously flushed wipes down the toilets in their home may experience clogging of all their drains, especially if it’s gone far enough down the drainage system. It’s possible for tubs, sinks, toilets and more to back up in the home, simply because wipes were flushed down the toilet and clogged up the piping system.

Problems You May Experience When Flushing Wipes

Many will first experience a problem with their toilet if they continue flushing wipes down the drain. The toilet may overflow at one point, or it’s possible that it can’t flush anything but keeps backing up into the toilet or slow draining.
Those that have a large clog caused by the wipes may also see that when they go to take a shower, the drainage in the shower is simply hoarding water as opposed to draining it.
There’s also a possibility that when you’re using the sink, the sink will not drain as well, and this all can be caused by a large clog within the drainage system in your home.
In certain cases, the problem can be snaked out, but it’s very likely that a lot of septic work will have to be done in order to get rid of the clog, especially if the clog is able to block the drainage systems throughout the entire house.
The problem isn’t the wet wipes alone because the wet wipes are simply a part of the clog, but it’s possible that grease, hair, toothpaste, and even food that goes down the drains will all come together into one big clog. The larger the clog is, the harder it is to remove, and the more costly it’s going to be to get rid of.
The best choice is not to flush wipes down the drain but to use toilet paper instead.
Many choose to use toilet paper and then finish off with a wet wipe, which gets thrown into the garbage. Those who continue flushing their wipes down the toilet will eventually have a problem with the clog, and this is not an if, but, or maybe, but a when, because this is something that will definitely happen.
The best choice is to look for wipes that have been proven to be quickly biodegradable and flushable, and it’s even wise to ask your plumber which type of wipes would be best for use in the toilet. You also will want to read the labels because many companies are being sued for misrepresenting wipes as flushable when they truly are not.

Get a Plumber to Come to Your Home

When you experience a clog, you may never know exactly what’s clogging your system, but if you know that you use wipes every day and flush them, then you can bet that it’s very likely that the wipes will eventually clog up your drains.
Getting a plumber out to do toilet repair and drain cleaning may be necessary, especially if you can’t flush the toilets because of the clog. The only thing you can hope for is that the clog is not too bad to where you’ll have to spend thousands of dollars to fix the problem, but it’s very likely to cost you hundreds of dollars when the problem has become bad enough to where there is a clog that’s caused by wet wipes.
For toilet repair and drain cleaning in Arlington, VA call The Plumbing Dr at (703) 525-9280.