Facial tissues are such a useful product; we use them for everything from blowing our noses to removing makeup. Along with toilet paper and paper towel, they are one of the most used paper products in a household. But how to dispose of them? Can you flush tissues down the toilet?
Can You Flush Tissues Down The Toilet?
No, you shouldn’t flush tissues down the toilet. While tissues may seem to be similar to toilet paper, in truth they are quite different and must be handled differently.
Toilet paper is designed to disintegrate quickly and easily once it comes into contact with water. It actually very quickly becomes a slurry-like consistency that helps it flow with the water and waste through the plumbing and out to the public sewer system. Even toilet paper will clog a toilet though. Anyone with young children knows the danger of having the toilet filled with toilet paper and then flushed.
Tissue paper is designed to be nice and soft, much like toilet paper, but is also meant to be strong enough to manage the tasks we put it up to. It doesn’t dissolve in the same manner as toilet paper though; it’s meant stay together even when wet and that’s why it shouldn’t be flushed.
Everything (that’s not toilet paper) that we flush down the toilet has the potential to form a clog. Remember, it’s not just about that one tissue that you flushed. It’s also about the paper towel that someone flushed, or the dental floss that went down the toilet, or the cooking grease someone disposed of in the toilet. It all has the potential to come together and cause a clog.
So, just don’t. Don’t flush tissues down the toilet.
What Is The Best Way To Dispose Of Tissues?
There are two ways you can easily dispose of tissues:
- If tissues are permitted in the compost at your location, then this is the best option. It’s environmentally friendly way to dispose of decomposable items.
- Placing them in the garbage is the next best option. They may not contribute to the planets health but at least they are not causing clogs and heartache.
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