Can I Flush Baby Wipes? Sometimes with baby wipes, we do not have a place that we can dispose of them. No one wants to carrying a dirty wipe around. At home, throwing them in the garbage can cause a terrible odor. Many people just want to flush baby wipes in the toilet, but is that safe to do? Can your toilet clog or flood? We will dive in on baby wipes and whether it is safe to flush a baby wipe down a toilet, even if it is just one time.
What is a baby wipe?
A baby wipe is a pre moistened toilette that is used to do two things while your baby is getting a diaper change. Firstly, it is there to clean your babies mess. Secondly, it is there to soothe your little one’s skin while they are being changed. Adults use diaper wipes on occasion as well.
Is It Okay to Flush Wipes Down The Toilet?
It all depends on the wipe! Some wipes say that they are safe to flush down the toilet, while most you cannot flush down the toilet safely. If you flush a wipe down the toilet you can risk clogging the toilet or having the toilet overflow. Even though you may think your toilet can take it, there is no showing that the pipes are okay. There can be clogs from years of sludge, previous owners or tenants and more. We never really know how clean our pipes are unless we have a professional plumber come in. The results may shock you!
Wipes should not be flushed down the toilet. If a company claims there wipes can be flushed down the toilet, proceed with caution. We never know what our pipes really look like!
We think Mikey Pipes, the pipe doctor from Youtube showcases this best where he shows what happens to the baby wipes in pipes. Proceed to watch this with caution if you have a queezy stomach. Mike Pipes even mentions that even if they say baby wipes are flushable, they can still be a real challenge for toilets. It is best to avoid flushing baby wipes all together.
The result can be smelly, gross and costly. The worst part of it, is you may even have to call in a plumber to help you.
How do I get rid of baby wipes?
Since flushing baby wipes down the toilet is not a great idea and can cause your toilet pipes to clog and your toilet to over flow, we need other options. Here are some other ways to get rid of baby wipes for good.
Throw Baby Wipes In The Garbage
To throw a baby wipe into the garbage seems like the most logical alternative to throwing a baby wipe into the toilet. However, many people do not like this option. The main reason is the smell. You would not only have to change your garbage every day to avoid the disgusting smell of pee and poop, but you may even have to change it every few hours. Eventually the odor can seep from the bathroom into other rooms. Hot houses can make the smell come faster and the odor even worse.
An alternative can be to seal the garbage bag by tying it up after every use. You can also throw in baking soda for good measure. This is more of a cost effective measure that can tone down the smell of baby wipes. If you live in an apartment, make use of your garbage shoot if you have one!
Dispose of Your Diaper Wipes With A Diaper Pail
A diaper pail can be a more expensive option to get rid of of your diaper wipes. It is great for disposing diapers but you can easily place the wipes at the base of the diaper before you wrap the diaper up. Diaper pails are not needed but they certainly are wanted by many families because of the convenience, cleanliness and odorless options they bring. You can cover up odor and use baking soda to further help stop smells from seeping out, but the diaper pail does a great job at sealing the smell for good. You can then empty the diaper pail into the garbage and get the diaper wipes safely out of your house.
These are two alternative ways to disposing of baby wipes without flushing them down the toilet. These are ways on how to dispose of baby wipes.
I Accidently Flushed Baby Wipes Down The Toilet!
Sometimes, in a rush, we accidently flush baby wipes down the toilet! Does that mean our toilet is going to clog and we will have to call in a plumber? Probably not but it all depends on the pipes. Firstly, check if your toilet is flushing. Flush it a second time and make sure that everything is going down properly. If all is working well, chances are the wipe went through. However, continuous flushing of wipes down a toilet can mean that it can clog and cause a huge problem for you.
We never know what is in our pipes. If we accidently flush something here or there, that can add up! Secondly, if you bought your house from another person, you never truly know how the previous family treated the house. Coming into a clean house does not mean the pipes were brand new and you would be surprised how quickly your pipes can clog up from just a few baby wipes. It is best not to flush any baby wipes down the toilet, including the flushable ones.
