# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![The\_Lobster\_Lodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@The\_Lobster\_Lodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lobster_Lodge)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/141 "2009-12-12T07:14:25Z")
Was not trying to spam. I have plenty of clients. I was just doing a google search for some new Sanitary tampon bags and this forum thread came up. I feel really strongly about people flushing tampons so I had to post. Didn’t see the date. Have no idea what this forum is even about. I belong to 1 forum and always sign my post with my website. Just habit. Only reason I am responding now is because the window was still open on my computer and I just happened to read it. I’m sure I will never even see this forum again. I’m sure it’s great but I only have time for 1 forum in my life. Best of luck. Don’t Flush tampons!!! it sucks to have to clean the mess. Most of all at 5am on a Sunday morniing after you have been out parting at fantasy fest all night. Peace ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/142 "2009-12-13T04:48:39Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > 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? This is about what my experience was like too. Though I remember figuring out on my own that neither of these things are flushable. My mother taught me that tissues weren’t flushable, so I just figured, well, if THEY can’t be flushed, then pads and tampons DEFINITELY can’t. I always ignore the instructions that say you can, because I really, really don’t believe them. Tampons are meant to absorb and expand…so how on earth are they flushable? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/143 "2009-12-13T05:08:05Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > Tampons are meant to absorb and expand…so how on earth are they flushable? A tampon that is dropped into a toilet is going to be saturated with water, and is considerable less dense than a turd, and most of them are flushable. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/144 "2009-12-13T05:27:40Z")
Old buildings = narrowed pipes. Tampons expand so much in water that they get stuck in the pipes. Plumbers’ snakes won’t reach the narrowed area of our pipes. The trap has to opened in the basement and sewage dumps out. The plumber charges $175 each trip. We did it ourselves the last time. We now have a sign in the bathroom that says \*“Please, no feminine products (tampons) in toilet – old pipes will clog. Use bags behind toilet to dispose of in wastebasket.Thank you!!!” \*No clogs since we banned tampons from the toilet exactly 2 years ago, instead of every few months. (In our case, the house has shifted over the years, and where the house outflow pipe meets the outside sewer pipe, the pipes don’t quite meet up anymore and the inner diameter is greatly narrowed. Fixing the pipes would involve jackhammering large amounts of concrete steps and porch, digging it out, replacing the pipe, and repouring the porch and steps.) I save all our plastic newspaper delivery bags for this purpose, which I had to stock in the bathroom anyways since our dog will root out other used feminine products from the wastebasket, too. Many years ago, I saw a sign in a store bathroom imploring females not to flush tampons, and I was really appalled. Not anymore. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/145 "2009-12-13T05:46:27Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > A tampon that is dropped into a toilet is going to be saturated with water, and is considerable less dense than a turd, and most of them are flushable. It has nothing to do with density. Turds will quickly break down in the event of a clog. They will wash away. Tampons aren’t paper products, they’re made of cotton. If they cause a clog, the tampon will keep that clog in place and the sewage will back up until it comes back out the toilet. The same thing happens with “flushable” wipes. They don’t break down, either. Try flushing a sock and see what happens. Old pipes have corrosion/mineral deposits narrowing the interior and are not large enough to accommodate the tampons around bends and protruberances. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/146 "2009-12-13T08:03:21Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > It has nothing to do with density. Turds will quickly break down in the event of a clog. They will wash away. Tampons aren’t paper products, they’re made of cotton. If they cause a clog, the tampon will keep that clog in place and the sewage will back up until it comes back out the toilet. I don’t think this is true (that density has no bearing on the situation), and I might need to ruin a tampon to figure this out. I’m pretty sure that unlike a sock once they become saturated with water they expand and become more loosely packed/flexible, which _should_ make them not too much more difficult to flush than a wad of toilet paper. Of course, some pipes have issues with wads of paper too. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/147 "2009-12-13T08:24:53Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I don’t think this is true (that density has no bearing on the situation), and I might need to ruin a tampon to figure this out. I’m pretty sure that unlike a sock once they become saturated with water they expand and become more loosely packed/flexible, which _should_ make them not too much more difficult to flush than a wad of toilet paper. Of course, some pipes have issues with wads of paper too. It is irrelevant whether you think it’s true or not. I am telling you based on years of experience of tampons getting stuck in the pipes. As is the OP. Read my previous post about it. Every single time we have to open the trap and unstop the logjam, it is because of a tampon. When a tampon expands, it gets B-I-G-G-E-R. It doesn’t matter how “flexible” or “loosely packed” it is. It can’t fit though an opening smaller than itself. Think of it like a sponge. It expands when wet. The manufacturer deems it “flushable” based on whether they think it will fit through the average 4" pipe. “Flushable” doesn’t mean dissolvable. Old pipes are often no longer 4" diameter. Mine has a narrowed area where it is only 2". With rough edges that tampons get caught on. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/148 "2009-12-13T08:26:04Z")
So basically, I’m an ass, that guy wasn’t a spammer, but he’s been run off. Whoops? Anyway, even post-bump, my point is still the same. Tampons are supposed to be flushed, so most women will, ehh, flush them. They flush them at home, they flush them at work, and there are never any plumbing problems. If you own a building with 105 year old tubes, put up a sign. I drank some place in an old building on Friday that warned against flushing tampons, which said something like “Our plumber drives a BMW.” Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/149 "2009-12-13T08:36:19Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > So basically, I’m an ass, that guy wasn’t a spammer, but he’s been run off. Whoops? You weren’t the only person to think that. And I think he was just passing through. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BeScensible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8edcca/32.png) [@BeScensible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeScensible)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/150 "2009-12-14T15:43:33Z")
Flushing ANYTHING but toilet paper and human waste down the toilet can damage your household plumbing, wastewater treatment system and our water environment. Tampons are a major culprit in costly plumbing repairs and contributing to blockages in sewage systems. Though many manufacturers label the package of tampons as flushable there are no regulations in place that mandate the actual testing to see if the product disintegrates or disperses. Guess what…tampons do not!! They maintain their structure throughout the entire time in a sewer system and are hopefully removed during the screening process at a treatment plant. Think before you flush any trash down the toilet and toss it in the garbage! ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/151 "2009-12-14T17:35:14Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Girlz are teh stoopit! > > ++Penis Joke! > > great post, thanks for your contribution. ++Whoosh! I was merely reflecting the same type of stereotype that **gang green** used to describe all men… > [@gang\_green](#): > > Because you guys always want to play with the dump trucks and jackhammers. And snaking out plumbing is exactly the kind of story you guys like to relate during your bonding sessions. > > Every time I try to even pick up a screwdriver to do something, all the males in my family swarm around and butt in. In fact, the best way to make a man do something that requires a tool is to start doing it yourself. At least, in my experience. …but thanks for your contribution! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905/152 "2009-12-15T13:34:38Z")
At least you guys flush them. Sometimes, I can’t get my wife to do even that. Nothing makes a turd crawl up my sphincter faster than seeing tampon tea being made in my throne. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ladies-dirty-tampons-do-not-belong-in-the-toilet/497905.md?page=7)