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Flushable wet wipes cause blocked drains

Wet wipes can be used for just about anything. Clever marketing has convinced the general population that having a disposable cloth to clean, polish or wipe up is the best modern invention since sliced bread. We agree they are handy, but wet wipes are becoming a huge problem for homeowners, plumbers and sewer management companies the world over.

Flushable Wet Wipes cause blocked drains

If there is a job to be done you can probably get a wet wipe designed to help. You can use wet wipes to:

  • wipe a baby's bottom
  • use instead of toilet paper
  • remove makeup
  • clean the floor
  • clean the toilet
  • apply anti ageing cream
  • get rid of acne
  • remove nail polish
  • clean up after your pet
  • polish the furniture
  • nourish leather
  • clean the car
  • clear grease off your hands

The applications are endless. For some, fast-paced lives call for quickly available products like wet wipes. Who has time to fill a mop bucket with hot soapy water, clean the floor, empty the bucket AND hang out the mop? Not many of us it seems when we have the option to attach a floor-cleaning wet wipe to a mop, run it over the floor and throw it away. Easy.

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Flushable wet wipes cause blocked drains and sewers

Toilet wipes, the kind you use instead of or as well as toilet paper, are a common sight in bathrooms around the country. Apparently, men are more likely to use this product than anyone else in the family. The trouble with these toilet wipes is they claim to be 'flushable'.

Cities and towns across the world are struggling to control the deluge of wet wipes in drains and sewer pipes. The apparently 'flushable' toilet wipes don't degrade or break down as toilet paper does. Instead, they combine with other substances such as grease, oil and fat to create 'fatbergs' or large solid sewer blockages.

London authorities recently had the unenvious task of removing two enormous 'fatbergs' from the city's sewers, both weighed tonnes and took weeks to fully remove, with plumbing costs running into the hundreds of thousands.

Brisbane sewers are not immune from this costly issue. Queensland Urban Utilities recently issued an urgent request for south-east Queensland residents to bin the wipes instead of flushing them.

Our team has seen a significant rise in flushable wet wipe related blocked drains and blocked sewers in homes across the region as well. A build-up of wet wipes can quickly clog a domestic drain pipe. Authorities are in talks with the various companies producing wet wipes to change the 'flushable' labelling but in the meantime, it's up to you to make the right choice and keep your drains and sewer healthy by binning the toilet wipes instead of flushing them.

Healthy drains

Wondering what you can and can't flush? Here's our quick reference healthy drains and sewers guide.

Blocked Drain and Sewers Brisbane

Are any of these things blocking your home's drains and sewers? Give our team a call on 0403 355 550 or complete our booking form today.

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