It’s easy to think that your toilet can easily handle paper towels and wet wipes, sometimes the wipe package even says that they are FLUSHABLE; but ultimately items other than your personal business and toilet paper should be the only items you flush.
If you look into the fine print on flushable wipe packages, they are only flushable under the most perfect conditions. While flushable wipes, paper towels, and napkins look similar to toilet paper, there is a difference in the manufacturing process. Toilet paper is manufactured in a way that is made to pass through plumbing pipes that are limited in size, which is why it disintegrates more quickly when soaked in water. Paper towels on the other hand are constructed to withstand wiping multiple surfaces, and even being rung out and reused. Think about all the paper towel commercials you have seen; they always focus on strength when wet and absorbency. The exact opposite of breaking apart under moisture. Flushable wipes are the same way, they sit in a moist container for months before use and are not made to break down as quickly as toilet paper.
Clogs are bad news for your pipes and your house. Traditionally, when you think of a severe clog you might think of wastewater traveling backwards up your home’s pipes and into your drains, but did you know that if a clog is severe enough the pressure can cause a leak (or several leaks) in your plumbing system? A great way to reduce the chances for a clog and save yourself from a plumbing problem is to stick to flushing toilet paper!