# Flushing baby wipes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370 "2016-05-09T03:02:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/21 "2016-05-10T03:36:06Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I’m pretty sure by “cleaning up” he means “cleaning shit off my arse after doing a poo.” If you want to use a sponge for this and reuse it, then go for it, but don’t blame the OP for wanting a disposable solution. He says “cleaning up between showers”, and I’m pretty sure a shower isn’t part of his excretion routine. I think if he meant he was using wipes in addition to toilet paper, he’d say so. I reckon he’s using the wipes when he needs to freshen up, but hasn’t the time/the inclination/the opportunity to take a shower. Or, to put it another way, I’m thinking armpits, not arses. But why speculate? UCBearCats, if it’s not an excessively personal question, what exactly are you using the wipes for? Are they a toilet paper substitute/supplement, or are they an alternative to a sponge or washcloth? Or something that has so far escaped our speculations? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/22 "2016-05-10T10:55:54Z")
There are plenty of moist wipes that are made of actual paper, rather than the synthetic or cotton fabric that baby wipes are made out of. Those break down almost as well as normal toilet paper, and are flushable. Look for “moist toilet tissue” rather than “wet wipes”. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/23 "2016-05-10T13:14:35Z")
> [@Clark\_Cello](#): > > OP didn’t say anything about flushable; he just called them “baby wipes”. AFAIK, no baby wipes are flushable (my info is a few years out of date, so feel free to correct if I am wrong). This was my thinking and I don’t know exactly what the OP means. We have baby wipes in the house and they’re labeled as “Do not flush”. We also have bathroom wipes which are essentially the same thing but with a bit less structural integrity and those are labeled as “Flushable/septic safe”. Now, I’ll admit that many a people will say that even the nominally flushable ones just cause problems but there’s still a difference between moist bathroom wipes and actual baby wipes. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/24 "2016-05-10T16:40:02Z")
According to my plumber (who has cleared out a couple of clogs from my own sewer line) “Just because they say ‘flushable’ doesn’t mean they’re going to dissolve before they get to the main line.” ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/25 "2016-05-10T22:36:54Z")
> [@Ornery\_Bob](#): > > It depends on where you’re “cleaning up” with the wipes, eh? No, I don’t see that. Washcloths are used in bathing everywhere on the body, after all. If the OP is using these instead of toilet paper (why?), then … ick! ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/26 "2016-05-11T01:58:23Z")
I am using them as both a between shower clean-up (after work ) and after going to the bathroom and wiping for an extra clean feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/27 "2016-05-11T02:44:23Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > However, new parents routinely use wipes, for feces, without needing to flush for disposal, so clearly there ARE other disposal choices. When I was changing diapers, the wipes were put into the diaper, which was then wrapped into itself with those nice tape fasteners and dropped in the diaper pail. Buying diapers to use to dispose of wipes seems extravagant :). ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/28 "2016-05-11T02:59:24Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > No, I don’t see that. > Washcloths are used in bathing everywhere on the body, after all. > > If the OP is using these instead of toilet paper (why?), then … ick! Because a wet wipe works better than dry toilet paper. Particularly on hairy men. If a baby wipe had no advantage for cleaning poos we wouldn’t bother using them on babies. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/29 "2016-05-11T03:59:36Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Because a wet wipe works better than dry toilet paper. Particularly on hairy men. If a baby wipe had no advantage for cleaning poos we wouldn’t bother using them on babies. I’ll agree that wipes have a cleaning advantage but hopefully there’s less going on when you wipe than when a baby has soiled itself and is carrying the whole load against its butt. Which goes back to the “baby wipe” vs “bathroom wipe” thing. Baby wipes are more like cloth because you have to clean a lot more with them. They are labeled as not flushable. Bathroom wipes are more like paper towels or something – come apart a lot easier than the baby wipes but aren’t intended for the same heavy duty (heh) and are nominally flushable even if it’s not such a great idea. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/30 "2016-05-11T11:12:50Z")
I picked up a pack of the “flushable bathroom wipes”. I am not a fan. Smaller surface area, thinner, and not as durable. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/31 "2016-05-11T13:50:50Z")
> [@UCBearcats](#): > > I picked up a pack of the “flushable bathroom wipes”. I am not a fan. Smaller surface area, thinner, and not as durable. All traits designed to make it flushable, however. But it sounds like your OP was about actual baby wipes. Don’t flush those – it says so right on the package. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/32 "2016-05-11T14:27:11Z")
Why the OP can’t just use a more durable paper towel with a little dab of water on it? ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/33 "2016-05-11T14:31:38Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Yes: > > [Authorities fear giant wet wipe-filled 'fatbergs' could destroy Australian sewage systems - ABC News](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-06/fears-giant-wipe-filled-fatberg-could-destroy-sewage-system/6597592) > [Wet wipes blockage weighing a tonne pulled out of sewer pipe near Newcastle - ABC News](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/monster-wet-wipes-blockage-pulled-out-of-sewer-pipe/7199230) > [10-tonne fatberg removed from west London sewer | London | The Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/21/huge-10-ton-fatberg-removed-chelsea-sewer-london) > [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/enormous-fatberg-size-aeroplane-found-4145785](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/enormous-fatberg-size-aeroplane-found-4145785) > > And many more. “Flushable” is technically correct - they \*can \*be flushed - they just \*shouldn’t \*be. **Askance** already pointed this out, but \*\*[you shouldn’t be flushing ANY wipes](http://www.unitedutilities.com/know-what-to-flush.aspx), [even if they claim to be “flushable.”](http://cordpu.blogspot.com/2016/04/flushable-wipes-are-not-flushable.html) \*\* Your wastewater utilities say so: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/flushable-personal-wipes-clogging-sewer-systems-utilities-say/2013/09/06/9efac4e6-157a-11e3-a2ec-b47e45e6f8ef\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/flushable-personal-wipes-clogging-sewer-systems-utilities-say/2013/09/06/9efac4e6-157a-11e3-a2ec-b47e45e6f8ef_story.html) > **[Wet Wipes Clog Sewer Systems](https://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i19/Wet-Wipes-Clog-Sewer-Systems.html)** > > Down The Drain: Costly battle brews over which products are flushable—and which are not Wipes, even “flushable” ones, clog the sewer lines and cause problems at the plant. Sewer clogs can cause nasty events like basement backups and sanitary sewer overflows. Some wastewater utilities are being forced to install grinder pumps to deal with materials like wipes. They’re expensive equipment and require a lot of power to run. At the end of the day, you’ll see this reflected in your higher water/sewer bill. If you own your own septic system, it’s up to you. I still wouldn’t recommend flushing any wipes. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/34 "2016-05-11T14:44:09Z")
I haven’t read the packaging lately but Kleenex used to make a wet-wipe that was labeled as flushable. Reading the fine print it said to only flush one at a time. I then compared to the Wet-Ones brand. They didn’t push the flushable angle but the fine print did say to only flush one at a time. Most municipal sewage treatment plants would prefer that you never flush them as has been covered up thread. I suspect that lots of things get flushed that aren’t ideal, I’m surprised they don’t already have a mechanism to deal with things that don’t immediately disintegrate. I don’t have hidden cameras in most people’s homes but I suspect the condom flush count is more of an issue than wet wipes. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/35 "2016-05-11T17:34:28Z")
Along with feminine hygiene items, they are known in the wastewater treatment trade as “rags”.They foul pumps, float switches etc. They damage outright, or shorten equipment life, and cause extra service calls, and take a fair amount of labor to manually clear from equipment. At most lift stations you will find a barrell full of rag wads. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370/36 "2016-05-11T21:29:16Z")
I once had to have the line to the curb routed. The guy came up with a single wipe. We know better than to flush them, so this must have been the result of a rare lapse in concentration. Don’t flush any wipes is my advice. If you’re using wipes to clean up between showers, put them in a plastic bag and throw away. Easy. If there’s enough feces on the wipe to pose a smell problem, I suggest you first wipe with toilet paper to clear away the worst of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flushing-baby-wipes/754370.md?page=1)