Toilet training twins or more is quite a task, and parents will take any help we can get. When I was training my identical twin boys, I eagerly purchased some wipes from the store– the box was clearly labeled “flushable wipes”. Anything that simplified the process of helping 2 little ones learn the language of the toilet seemed like a good idea to me!
Not coincidentally, 2 months into the toilet training process some unwelcome events occurred in our home. During the washing machine’s spin cycle, water began gurgling in a shower drain. The gurgling quickly turned into overflowing in the direction water is not meant to go. Long story short: those “flushable” wipes had collected and clogged up the main sewer line exiting the house.
As the plumber worked on the expensive repairs, he recommended not flushing anything other than toilet paper and #1/#2 [to phrase it politely]– not even Kleenex! When I asked specifically about “flushable” wipes, he said there is no such thing, even if the box is labeled as such– if used, they should be thrown in the trash.
More recently, my friend Cara experienced a similar plumbing situation at her home in Texas. Her home is busy with a preschooler and a toddler– lo and behold, her main sewer line became clogged up with flushable wipes (her plumber even joked that “flushable” wipes keep him in business!). We compared notes and figured it was time to spread the word to others with young children, especially those who are toilet training multiples. Here’s hoping this tip keeps your pipes clear and spares you unnecessary plumbing repairs.
2 comments:
My plumber told me the same thing. He was visiting on an unrelated issue (old house = old pipes), but I've kept that in mind to prevent his return.
We had the same problem in our basement bathroom. Luckilly, my husband was willing to take on the task of emptying out the ejector pump on his own. It was nasty, but it saved us a lot of money in the end.
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