# Dear Ladies: Dirty tampons DO NOT belong in the toilet **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 28, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905 "2009-05-28T04:31:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/21 "2009-05-28T15:09:53Z")
I, too, work at a bar…and I flush my tampons. The problem in the OP is with the plumbing, not the tampon-flushing clientele. We do have signs posted in the bathrooms NOT to flush the paper towels used for hand-drying, but tampons have never created any problems. And honestly I’ve worked in bars and restaurants for over a decade, and there are ALWAYS problems with the toilets. People get drunk and stupid and decide it would be “funny” to flush a whole roll of TP down the toilet, or they drop other foreign objects in the toilets accidentally or on purpose…and plumbing mayhem ensues. Even if you post signs, a percentage of your clientele is going to be too drunk/oblivious/stubborn to heed them. Having said that, if tampons ARE a problem for your plumbing, posting signs will reduce the number of incidents. It won’t eliminate them, but it will help. Particularly if there is a trash can and plenty of TP in every stall. Just remember that for the majority of the female public, tampons DO belong in the toilet. So take your ire out on your plumbing, and possibly your management for not solving the issue, vs. your clientele. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/22 "2009-05-28T15:28:46Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > It really is a matter of having adequate (clean, frequently emptied, ideally with a closed top) trash cans. If a woman is balancing above the toilet seat in heels, slightly drunk with her skirt hiked up a new tampon in her teeth, she’ll likely take the easiest route (flushing). A sign should improve things a tad. If you don’t have a trash can at all in a public or even private bathroom, frankly you are asking for trouble. Even the kindest, most sober lady doesn’t want to wander the halls, wrapped tampon in hand, looking for somewhere to dispose it. > > I’ve been taught not to flush them and really I think it’s best to always err on the side of caution (i.e. not staring in horror as the toilet overflows) – unless you’re somewhere with an open wastebasket and a dog. The two do not mix. It couldn’t hurt to check and empty the receptacles _at least_ daily. Sometimes the – uh – “fragrance” – can be less than fresh and perfumey. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/23 "2009-05-28T15:53:47Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > I was always taught not to flush tampons. My friend’s dad runs the local sewer district and says that they cause major problems. > > It’s not that hard to wrap them up and toss them, is it? I mean, on the off chance that the plumbing you’re using can’t handle flushable 'poons, why not err on the side of caution? The problem is a lot of people _are_ taught to flush them. How would they know to err on the side of caution when they didn’t think they’d need to worry? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/24 "2009-05-28T15:58:32Z")
I’m female and I’ve never flushed them. I’m not sure why. My mom never told me that–she did make it clear that pads were never to be flushed, so maybe I just assumed the same with tampons? I just figured that nothing but bodily waste and TP got flushed. I’ve had to yell at guys not to flush condoms, too, so maybe some people see the toilet as the great emptier. ETA: Through googling, I found this Jezebel article on tampon flushing, and from the comments, a LOT of people get very pissy about their right to flush and how disgusting it is to have a used tampon in the trash. Am I the only female who’s heard of the wonders of wrapping their tampons up in toilet paper and then regularly taking out the trash? ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/25 "2009-05-28T16:17:06Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Yeah, this is a problem with your inadequate plumbing. > > And you could go for a permanent solution, rather than putting up signs asking your customers to compensate for your problems (which half of them will ignore anyway): fix the plumbing! > > If it’s happened to you 4 times in the past 6 months, and each time takes 2 hours of a plumbers time at emergency-nighttime rates, you will soon have paid for the re-plumbing just by avoiding these calls. Besides keeping your customers (and employees) happier. > > I’m surprised the local health inspector hasn’t forced you to fix your plumbing. Probably only because he hasn’t heard about this. And of all people, you pick one of the cooks – the food preparer – to clean up the overflowing toilet? I’n glad I don’t eat at your business! Did you not catch the part where the Original Poster IS one of the cooks? ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/26 "2009-05-28T16:39:57Z")
What’s the deal with tampons anyway? Isn’t it there to stop blood with bits of flesh in it from dripping down your leg? How do you know thats not going to start again when your at the bar and you pull out the stopper? ICK. So glad to be a man. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/27 "2009-05-28T16:42:19Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > What’s the deal with tampons anyway? Isn’t it there to stop blood with bits of flesh in it from dripping down your leg? How do you know thats not going to start again when your at the bar and you pull out the stopper? > > ICK. So glad to be a man. Um, not sure if this is a whoosh, but it isn’t to stop the flow. It absorbs the flow, same as a pad, but it’s internal. And you don’t pull out the tampon when you’re at the bar. You usually remove it in the bathroom and you replace it with another tampon. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/28 "2009-05-28T16:44:53Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > And you don’t pull out the tampon when you’re at the bar. Maybe you’re going to the wrong kinds of bars. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/29 "2009-05-28T16:54:42Z")
It really has never occurred to me not to flush a tampon. The box says flushable and I believe them. I also have septic and have never had a problem with using them. The OP needs to have the powers that be fix the plumbing problem. If there was a sign I’d make the effort as long as I were straight. But buzzed? That baby is going down like usual. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/30 "2009-05-28T16:58:51Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > What’s the deal with tampons anyway? Isn’t it there to stop blood with bits of flesh in it from dripping down your leg? How do you know thats not going to start again when your at the bar and you pull out the stopper? > > ICK. So glad to be a man. A tampon isn’t a stopper, but then you wouldn’t know that, being a man. ---
**Author:** ![PerditaX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@PerditaX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PerditaX)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/31 "2009-05-28T17:02:42Z")
When I first started using them, I flushed one (the box said they were flushable) - ONCE! We lived in an older house, with older plumbing, and dad was furious when he found out what had clogged the drain. I haven’t even considered flushing one since. I just wrap them thoroughly in TP and place them in the little metal box attached to the side of the stall. IME, (okay, TMI :eek:), if you hold them by the “tail,” you don’t get anything on your hands, and what little there is is easily wiped off with a bit of TP. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/32 "2009-05-28T17:29:53Z")
Reason #20 I’m glad I’m a guy. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/33 "2009-05-28T17:41:09Z")
True story: I went with my ex-wife, her family, and her best friend to a rented house in Plymouth, MA, right on the beach. We spent the night drinking and eating lobster, eventually crashing at around 3:00 am. Her best friend, let’s call her Kristen (because that’s her name), apparently had to change the, um, filter at around this time. Instead of flushing it, she just wrapped it loosely with two squares of TP and threw it in the waste basket. By the time everyone got up at 10 or so, the house reeked of dried blood and dirty vagina (because that’s what Kristen obviously had). It was the most pungent odor I’ve ever smelled – it forced your face to contort into the one small eye, one big eye configuration. So, this, coupled with everyone being hungover, produced a lot of vomit (and shame) the next door. So, ladies, please, if you can’t flush the fuckers, at least take them with you in a nice little scent-locking pouch. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/34 "2009-05-28T17:48:09Z")
Maybe your friend had some kind of vaginal infection? Because I’ve never heard of such a thing. I regularly throw mine out and I’ve never had the smell be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/35 "2009-05-28T17:57:04Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I work in rental property management. We include a clause in our leases that anyone who flushes tampons, snitary napkins, paper towels, wet naps, baby wipes, or disposal diapers pays for the repairs. One of our tenants flushed a douche bottle once. No, really. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/36 "2009-05-28T18:01:10Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Maybe your friend had some kind of vaginal infection? That has to be the case, because I have never once encountered the smell described. Not even in Plymouth. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/37 "2009-05-28T18:04:15Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > That has to be the case, because I have never once encountered the smell described. Not even in Plymouth. Or in A Plymouth? “Brand-new, she was. She had the smell of a brand-new car. That’s just about the finest smell in the world, 'cept maybe for pussy.” ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/38 "2009-05-28T18:05:30Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Or in A Plymouth? > > “Brand-new, she was. She had the smell of a brand-new car. That’s just about the finest smell in the world, 'cept maybe for pussy.” LOL, that’s a great quote. Shitter. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/39 "2009-05-28T18:08:01Z")
Women who don’t dispose of them properly (i.e., wrap, wrap, wrap them up) and who have heavy periods and who don’t take the trash out in a timely manner are the ones who will have the odiferous tampon issues. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/40 "2009-05-28T19:06:51Z")
> [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > So, ladies, please, if you can’t flush the fuckers, at least take them with you in a nice little scent-locking pouch. First, “take them with you”? Not gonna happen. Second; if this pouch even exists, I’d be amazed. Third; If I know the place I’m at is on a septic system, especially old ones, then I wrap and toss, but otherwise I flush. I’ve never had problems nor known anyone to actually have problems with their plumbing because of flushed tampons (until this thread, that is!) I doubt I’m going to change my habits. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905.md?page=3)