We’re not picking on anyone in particular. We’re just here to tell you not to believe everything you read, at least on flushable wipe packaging!
Literally, flushable wipe manufacturers aren’t lying when they tell you their products can be flushed. So can jewelry, cutlery, toys, hand towels, and lots of other things that technically can be flushed down a toilet, and yet not recommended for that purpose. And why is that? Because until someone comes up with a true innovation, the only product that is designed to be flushed down a toilet and does in fact dissolve is toilet paper.
“They do not break down as manufacturers advertise,” says Dr. Joseph Kurtz from the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, as previously reported in The New York Post.
Instead, flushable wipes remain intact even after being flushed and, with enough repetition, will most certainly clog your toilet drain line.
Manufacturers are rightly assuming that “flushable” will be read as “biodegradable,” hence the initial and growing popularity of these products. Sales have been growing around 7% per year over the past decade, and annual sales now exceed $13 billion.
Here at Burton, we say “buyer beware,” and flush those flushable wipes at your own risk. Better yet, don’t flush them at all. At the end of the day, you’ll have one less reason to contact us for our professional drain cleaning services, and goodness knows there are enough of those already.
