Relax Australia! We have enough Toilet Paper. Don’t break your toilet!

Toilet paper is flying off supermarket shelves in Australia as people prepare for corona virus (COVID-19) lock-down. People are panic-buying as much toilet paper as possible, leaving many shoppers staring blankly at empty shelves.

Woolworths takes out full-page ads to explain shortage and new COVID-19 safety measures

As a result, people often resort to DIY alternatives to toilet paper, such as kitchen paper towels, facial tissues, and paper napkins. However, flushing these products can damage your entire plumbing system, including drains and toilets. If your drain or toilet gets damaged, you can buy a replacement online, but it’s better to avoid causing damage in the first place rather than replacing them every few weeks.

We are receiving a lot of queries where people have damaged their toilets when they blocked their toilets.

So, we have compiled a list of what not to do so that you don’t damage your toilet while trying to unclog it.

Never flush wet-wipes

Blocked drains and clogged sewer systems from flushing wet wipes have troubled plumbers long before COVID-19. Wet wipes in all forms—makeup remover wipes, baby wipes, disposable cleaning wipes, and even “flushable” wipes marketed as toilet paper substitutes harm plumbing systems.

Their high durability causes the problem. Tests on various wet wipe brands show that none break down easily. When wet wipes mix with grease and debris in the sewer system, they form large clumps, forcing homeowners and water companies to spend millions on blocked drain repairs each year.

There is no reason to assume that months from now, we’re not going to have plenty of toilet paper. Realistically, the only thing that is keeping the store from filling the supplies is that there are only so many trucks that can deliver.

Don’t flush kitchen paper towels

Manufacturers designed paper towels to replace fabric dishcloths. A paper towel’s durable, highly absorbent construction allows it to wipe up spills and messes without tearing when wet.

Paper towels offer convenience and better hygiene than fabric dishcloths. However, they make a poor toilet paper substitute. Though they may seem similar to toilet paper, their durability prevents them from breaking down easily when flushed. Their tear resistance and absorbency cause them to accumulate in pipes, eventually blocking the toilet drain.

If any company overproduces toilet paper right now, they will struggle to sell it in the coming months.

Paper napkins should be placed in the bin

Paper napkins often come in lovely colors, with pretty designs and embossed surfaces. They are also much sturdier than toilet paper. If you place a paper napkin in a bucket of water and a few squares of paper in another, give it a swirl and then come back in an hour the results will be very different.

The toilet paper will be almost completely dissolved while the paper napkin will remain largely intact. Now imagine you and your family flushing multiple paper napkins down the toilet every single day. It wouldn’t be long before you were calling a blocked drain plumber to come and unblock the toilet.

The good news: This nightmare will end. Once people stop panicking so much, and the national tissue ecosystem adjusts to our strange new normal, stores will be once again flush with toilet papers.

Some FAQ

Can you flush facial tissues instead ?

If you’re desperate, facial tissues are probably the best paper alternative. They’re not as hardy as paper towels, napkins or wet-wipes and they will break down more easily when flushed. However, they are still stronger than regular toilet paper. They are also much bigger and often two or three-ply.

What can you flush?

The only things that are truly safe to flush down the toilet are excrement, toilet paper, and water. These are what sewerage systems are designed to transport and anything else will likely cause problems.

If you have caused a blocked toilet in your home by incorrectly flushing toilet paper alternatives, you can call a local plumber, don’t do it yourself or you would have to bear the cost of replacing your entire toilet set. They will carry a jet blaster machine capable of quickly unclogging a blocked toilet caused by any of the items mentioned in this article.