OK Mamas, I have a personal question. We had our plumbing back up twice in the past year/year and a half. Both times the plumber claimed it was feminine products and said nothing but human waste and toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet. I don't flush anything but tampons (not the applicator, not the wrapper, not pads) and I think it's disgusting to dispose of them in the trash! I chalked it up to our house and its plumbing being old. THEN last week the plumbing backed up at our office. Small 2 story building, each tenant has one bathroom. So the landlord calls after things get back to normal and advises...no flushing feminine products!
So Mamas, tell me - aren't tampons supposed to be flushable? I can't be the only person that's run into this. It's to the point that I try to hit the public bathroom wherever I am before I head home/back to the office so that I don't upset the apple cart during that time of the month. Plus, I really can't keep paying $6-700 to have my pipes rodded out every time things get clogged up.
UPDATE - Thanks for all the nice advice and commisseration Mamas, although to the few that felt it necessary to degrade me (I am not blonde) for asking an honest question, that's not what this forum is for.
No it is NOT a good idea to flush them. I have a septic system and it is especially a NO NO!! I provide small scented bags (for diaper disposal) and put them in the bathrooms - I no longer use tampons, and my teenage daughter doesn't yet... but we have a pool and LOTS of guests... Only toilet paper and potty should go down the toilet!!!! Also flushable wipes are NOT flushable either.... another don't!!!
C.,
My brother is a plumber. Just because something is advertised as "flushable" doesn't mean it's wise to flush it! Just wrap in tissue and dispose of properly in a trash can. I like a can with a lid for my bathrooms.
As you have probably guessed by previous posts, they lie on the box. If you are not sure, put an unused one in a glass of water and see how long it takes to break down. My dad was a plumber and we(all three girls) were told , without question, they go in the garbage. So it is a decision you need to make...gross garbage or shell out $600 a month to have the problem fixed.
No tampons down the toilet! They don't biodegrade and they clog up your sewer system and pipes down the line. Our neighbors had to have their main line routed out and it was ALL tampons that had clogged the line, about 100 ft. away from their house. They had been having problems for a few years and finally discovered it was this.
Don't believe everything companies write on their boxes. Just like when food is labeled "natural" but is full of chemicals and everything but natural food. Any professional plumber will tell you not to flush them.
Hi C.,
I feel your pain! With three teenage girls in the house, my Mom laid down the law: no tampons down the toilet.
Her solution for us was she bought small, paper cups to put them in... as far as I was concerned, it was still nasty, but a lot less messy than it could have been.
Today, I am VERY thankful for modern plumbing :))
t
I'm the daughter of a plumber and the answer is definitely NO!!! Does not matter what the box says, they are not flushable, they do not breakdown. If they make it through your pipes they eventually end up at the sewage treatment plant and have to be cleaned out. They clog the system. The same goes for "flushable" baby wipes, diaper inserts and even the tampax cardboard holders. It costs a tremendous amount of money to maintain the equipment at the other end not to mention what you are shelling out to get your sewer cleaned. You might also be having another problem with you pipes. How old is your house and do you have a lot of trees around you? You could have a pipe that is either broken, dislodged or has a tree branch broken through it. You could get your sewer televised to see if there is an additional problem.
1 tampon will screw with my toilet!!!! not even kleenex is suppose to go in your toilet. it will make a huge difference if you stop flushing them!!! promise:)
Yes, they are supposed to be flushable...but not every system can handle them. An older home with older plumbing would certainly pose a problem. As a teenager I used have to help my dad empty the clean-out pipe...imagine my embarassment the first time we pulled out a tampon!
Assuming you don't have a septic tank, the challenge is getting the waste to navigate from your house to the city system. If you have a lot of build up, or a bathroom was retrofitted, ect...it can complicate the journey.
Wrap them up and take the trash out each day.
Good luck. Being a woman can just be gross.
I've always thrown my tampons in the trash. Now I use the DivaCup, which I love. I even wrote a blog about it: http://urbansuburbanfamily.squarespace.com/home/2009/12/3...
Be glad we live in the U.S. where it's normal to flush toilet paper... in most countries that goes into the trash as well!
Unfortunately, our house seems to be the same way. I never heard of this until my husband said not to do it anymore. I've been doing what you said, using the public bathrooms when I can, but mostly I've switched to pads, specifically because of the plumbing. Sorry I don't have any good news, just commiseration!
Wow, I am surprised you haven't seen the signs in public restrooms, I feel like they are everywhere posting not to flush feminine products because it messes up the plumbing I usually think "Doesn't everyone know this" when I see these signs. Obviously they are still needed. It really doesn't matter how old your plumbing is, no plumbing is designed to handle that. I don't understand completely why you would think it is disgusting to wrap it in toilet paper and put it in a lined trash can, but if it bothers you that much, keep the little scented bags that are used to throw diapers away stashed in your bathroom and put it in one of those, tie the top up and dispose of it.
Good Luck,
D.
yep, same problem over here so they get wrapped out and thrown inthe garbage. take out the garbage more often if it concerns you
Although it says they are flush-able I do not do it at my house. We have an older home and a septic system so I just won't chance it. I bought a small garbage can with a lid and wrap them up good before I dispose of them. They are biodegradable enough for many systems to handle, but older homes and plumbing were not built for such things. I know it gross, but empty the waste basket every day and wrap them up in a lot of toilet paper or even the little diaper disposal bags.
NO! Tampons are not supposed to be flushed!
Not all brands are flushable. I remember looking at the package for Kotex tampons a while back, and noticed it did not say they were flushable. I called the compnay and they confirmed that they should not be flushed.
I have had this same issue. I used to own a 100 yr old home and one that was less than 20 years old and yes Plumber told me the same thing in each instance. I imagine you and I had the same reaction. I actually pulled out my box for him to read...they are flushable. Arghh... But, in the end, I had to go through the small inconvenience of putting them in the outside trash, rather than the larger monetary inconvenience. The home we live in now is about 50-60 years old and although there are many other problems, thankfully...that is not one of them.
they may say flushable but are not really bio-degradable, so think of the yuck factor of tampons out in our water system.........TP and waste is the only things that should be flushed
