Think before you flush those wet wipes! Plus your chance to win a £25 Boots Voucher!

We’ve all been there, especially if have children! You flush one wet wipe down the toilet and think what’s the harm? Before you know it you’re regularly flushing them down the loo. However, one day you notice that there’s a funny smell in your bathroom, perhaps also outside your home. You also notice that your toilet isn’t flushing as it should be.

All of those wet wipes that you thought weren’t doing any harm, have actually caused a big problem, and one that my husband and I know all about! In the early days of having twin babies, it was really easy to throw the wet wipes into the toilet, flush and forget.

It saved us from having to carry dirty, smelly wet wipes through the house, and it just made life easier. That was until we noticed our toilet wasn’t clearing properly when we flushed it and an awful smell was starting to take over our bathroom.

One day I walked up our driveway and caught the awful smell of the drain outside our home. My husband had smelt it too and upon further investigation – I’m glad my husband did this and not me, as I probably would have been sick! – he lifted the cover up off of the drain outside our home. It was full to the brim. The smell was horrific and it certainly wasn’t hygienic.

A quick call to the water board later and the problem was soon solved, well after a couple of hours and much embarrassment! It also cost us a pretty penny too.

It’s fair to say that we’ve well and truly learnt our lesson. Wet wipes now go straight into the bin. The only thing that ever goes down the toilet now is toilet paper.

Think before you flush

United Utilities have recently launched a ‘Think before you flush’ campaign which aims to raise awareness of the problems that flushing wipes – particularly baby wipes – can cause for homeowners and our wastewater system in general.

Did you know that sales of wet-wipes continue to soar, in fact estimates suggest that we spend over £500 million per year on wipes for all sorts of purposes – from cleaning our sinks to caring for our children.
However, the fact that we’re buying them isn’t the problem, it’s what we’re doing with them that is.

According to a new study by United Utilities, baby wipes have the biggest flush factor. In a survey of 1,000 people, a quarter said they flush baby wipes down the toilet, a third of whom do so more than once a week. Given that we use between 1,500 and 2,500 baby wipes per child from the day they’re born to the age of three (source Euromonitor) that’s an awful lot of wipes going down our drains!

Water companies have to spend millions to unblock public pipes. United Utilities tackles around 25,000 blockages, costing around £10 million, each year. I can certainly of plenty of other ways that £10 million could be better spent!