Uses for Wet Wipes
Wet wipes have many uses, and they are not only for cleaning a child anymore. Many homes used to have to take a clean cloth that they would wet to clean their child when wet wipes were not available, and then the cloth would have to be cleaned by hand afterward. Cleaning cloths after changing a messy diaper was not only time-consuming but also not the most effective way to change a dirty diaper, so wet wipes became a great way to clean a child that had a dirty diaper.
Wet wipes can be very thick, allowing the person to clean the child completely with only one wipe.
The thinner wipes may require more of them to be used to clean the bottom of a child, but the wet wipes also have other uses, such as:
- Helps to remove makeup
- Cleans the face
- Can sanitize the hands
- Used to clean a baby's bottom
- Adults use them in place of toilet paper
- Clean several things around the home
- Great for wet dusting
- Wipe food stains off clothes
With all the uses that wet wipes have, it’s no wonder why many adults will keep them around their home, even after their child has grown out of using the wipes.
Adults have now taken to using the wipes for their own personal use, which can be for hygienic purposes or when they use the bathroom. Wet wipes are also great for cleaning things around the home, which can be a lot easier than cleaning with a wet cloth that has to be cleaned every time something is wiped down or cleaned with the cloth.
How Wet Wipes Can Damage Your Plumbing
Although it’s okay to use wet wipes as opposed to using toilet paper, flushing them down the toilet is what can cause damage to the plumbing system in your home, especially if you’re constantly flushing these wipes down the toilet.
The thicker the wet wipe is, the more likely it is to cause problems for your plumbing. Wet wipes can be very thick, which may be the same thickness as putting several sheets of toilet paper together. Another thing about wet wipes is the fact that they are extremely durable and may even be difficult to tear because they are made to be durable.
The durability is great when it’s used for cleaning, but when the wet wipe is flushed, the durability causes the problems in the plumbing. A lot of wet wipes will get stuck along the way when they are flushed, and they eventually will tangle up with other things that have gone down the toilet or other drains in the home.
Eventually, you may find that a massive ball of wet wipes as well as other debris has gathered together to create a clog that is very hard to get out of the plumbing system, and a plumber has to come and take care of the big mess. Getting rid of a clog caused by wet wipes is no small feat either, especially if it gets into a large place in the sewage system and causes a very large clog that takes time to dislodge and get rid of.
Many cities are having difficulties getting rid of wet wipe clogs, and the same cities are demanding that people stop flushing the wipes or else. London had a mishap some years back when they found a clog the size of a school bus that weighed 15 tons in their sewage system, and the majority of the clog consisted of wet wipes. Take the story as a warning and indicator as to how dangerous flushing wet wipes can be.
Use toilet paper instead of the wet wipes.
Toilet paper is best to use instead of wet wipes, even though they may not have the same cleaning effect as the wipes.
If you want to get your toilet paper to be more useful, get toilet paper that’s thick but still biodegradable, and wet the paper before using it to clean yourself. Toilet paper has the ability to biodegrade within 24 hours, but unfortunately, the wet wipes can go several weeks or even a month or more before they biodegrade, which means they can easily become a clog in a sewage system.
If you find that you don’t like using toilet paper, then getting a thicker toilet paper can be helpful, especially if it can be wet with water to allow for better cleaning. It’s also not a bad idea to designate a towel strictly for cleaning purposes, and the towel can be used each time you go to the bathroom, and then the towel can be cleaned to use again later.
How to Properly Dispose Of Wet Wipes
Those who choose to use wet wipes and do not like using toilet paper can still do so, but the garbage is the only way that wet wipes should be disposed of. If you continue flushing wet wipes down the toilet, then expect to have a clog that will be costly to remove, especially if you’re an avid user of wet wipes on a regular basis.
Those who are always using wet wipes on small children will throw the wipes away in the garbage, so it shouldn’t be as difficult to do the same thing when the adult uses the wet wipes, it just may have to be disposed of in a little more creative of a manner.
How to Fix the Problems the Wet Wipes Cause with Plumbing
Any problems caused by flushing wet wipes may call for toilet repair, which can be done by your local plumber. A plumbing company may need to come out to your home, and unfortunately, they may even have to remove the pipes from the ground that have the clog if the clog cannot be removed any other way.
Call Magic Plumbing in San Francisco, CA at (415) 441-2255 for toilet repair and more.