How many different toiletries do you have in your bathroom? Whether you prefer to keep your morning routine minimalistic or you like to try every new product under the sun, it is highly likely that you shouldn’t flush some of the toiletries you use. Although soap, shampoo and toilet paper end up swirling down the drain without much of a problem, other toiletries are not so forgiving to our septic tanks, drains, sewers or even our oceans.
Here are 3 toiletries you shouldn’t flush or wash down the drain:
Wet Wipes
Wet wipes, face wipes, baby wipes…whatever the variation, these little cloths are a disaster for septic tanks and drains. Although they may look flimsy enough to flush, and while it certainly seems convenient to dispose of them down the drain, wet wipes may never disintegrate and will eventually cause a blockage. With 80% of sewer flooding being caused by blockages, we recommend refraining from flushing wet wipes. If for nothing else, for the sake of plumbers across the UK!
Toilet Wipes
Unlike wet wipes or baby wipes, toilet wipes, or “washlets” as they are sometimes known, are marketed by toilet paper brands as being flushable. These lightly moistened wipes, some of which claim to be biodegradable, will flush down the toilet without a hitch. However, once the wipe has passed through the toilet’s u-bend, there is really no telling what happens next. We would advise against using these unless you would like to risk a blockage.
Plastic Microbeads
Perhaps you have seen the recent headlines surrounding plastic microbeads: two-thirds of those polled think these tiny flecks of plastic should be banned in the UK. Appearing in some of the UK’s most popular face scrubs and toothpastes, plastic microbeads are marketed to offer “gentle exfoliation”; however their effect on water treatment systems is far from kind. Due to their small size, microbeads are unable to be filtered out at the water treatment stage, so they end up first in the ocean, and eventually in the bellies of unsuspecting marine life. At the moment, products containing plastic microbeads are still permitted in the UK, so we recommend looking for natural exfoliation products instead.
For more information about and advice about maintaining your drains, feel free to get in touch with the experts here at Happy Drains.
