The Truth About Flushable Wipes

While toilet paper is essential for your bathroom hygiene, wet wipes can offer a more convenient way to clean up after using the restroom. They’re often advertised as being flushable, so it’s easy to assume they’ll break down after use like traditional toilet paper and be safe for your home plumbing system. But if you’re using flushable wipes, it’s important to know the truth about what they’re made of and how they affect your plumbing system.

While wet wipes are marketed as being safer than toilet paper, they’re not without their own issues. In fact, they can cause clogs in the home plumbing system, city sewer systems and water treatment facilities. These clogs can lead to expensive plumbing repair bills and can even lead to the overflow of toilets and sewage backups.

In the United States, wet wipes have gained in popularity due to their convenience and comfort. They’re commonly used on babies and to help relieve symptoms of hemorrhoids and other medical conditions, but they are also increasingly being used by adults. As a result, they have caused clogs and overflows in homes and cities across the country.

As a result, some state and local governments have begun requiring clear “Do Not Flush” labeling on nonflushable products such as wipes and feminine hygiene products. However, these measures don’t address the larger problem of the waste that is being flushed down the toilet. This is a serious concern because it’s not only causing damage to the home plumbing system but also affecting the environment and marine life.

So, if you’re looking for a solution that doesn’t require disposing of wet wipes in the trash bin, consider switching to Nice ’N CLEAN® SecureFLUSHTM Technology Flushable Wipes. These wipes are biodegradable [1] and are formulated to break apart in the water faster than other conventional flushable wipes. Unlike many other brands, Nice ’N CLEAN® SecureFLUSHTM technology is able to be flushed up to five times at a time, which saves you time and helps conserve water.

While the majority of flushable wet wipes are made of cellulose, a natural material found in plants, there are some that contain regenerated cellulose. Regenerated cellulose is made from plant fibers but treated with chemicals to create a stronger product than what you would find in nature. Regenerated cellulose can pose a threat to the home plumbing system and municipal wastewater systems because it is difficult to degrade in the pipes.

The industry associations for the nonwoven product manufacturers in the US and Europe (INDA and EDANA) have worked to develop voluntary testing guidelines to help consumers understand whether a wipe is truly flushable or not. Unfortunately, the current guidelines are not legally binding, and nonmember companies can still sell wipes that do not pass these tests. This is why it’s so important to choose only wipes that have been deemed to be truly flushable.