Why we're selling flushable wet wipes

There are some products I sit on the fence with stocking and flushable wet wipes are one of them. Promoting single use products is not something we heavily deal in when there's a reusable / washable option available. CleanLIFE are an Australian brand who have their flushable wet wipes certified as flushable and independently tested. There are 8 products in the range that are not flushable and 4 that are. We have started off with 3 of the flushable products which we will outline below and we will gauge consumer interest in not only these, but also a couple of other products in the range that could potentially have a place in our eco friendly home cleaning products range.

What can't you flush down the toilet

Before we go in to the flushable wet wipes, I want to go over a few things that people think are safe to flush down the toilet but aren't. Just because something is biodegradable or compostable doesn't mean it's safe to flush. Something breaking down in water vs compost are completely different. Water Corporation Australia have a list of things that wreck drains and cause severe damage and significant expense for local / state / federal governments to fix. Click through to the article and you'll see there is now a standard that has to be met with a logo displayed on the products that meet this standard. The flushable products we sell meet these standards.

flushable wet wipes can go in the toilet, tissues can't

Can I flush tissues down the toilet?

No. Toilet paper is designed to break down in water. Tissues are not. During COVID when there was a shortage of toilet paper, people were taking to buying tissues and flushing them instead. Even Kleenex tell people on their website that their tissues are not flushable and to dispose of them in the trash.

Tissues get wet every time you blow your nose. Imagine if they started breaking down in your hands while you were doing that!

Can I flush paper towel down the toilet?

No. Same thing applies as the tissues. They're not made to break down in water. Since paper towel is often used to clean up wet spills, they are made to be a strong as possible while dry AND wet. Put them in your compost or dispose of them thoughtfully.

Can I flush cotton buds down the toilet?

No. Even if they're paper or bamboo stemmed, they're still not designed to break down in water. Our bamboo cotton buds are biodegradable with cotton tips and a bamboo stem, but they need to be composted or placed in the rubbish, not in the toilet. They are not made like flushable wet wipes are.

Can I flush dental floss down the toilet?

Absolutely not. And in some regards, it's worse than the paper products. Even if it's silk dental floss, it still won't break down in water. What it will do is get tangled up with other materials and create a net and make the situation of catching other items significantly worse. Flushing dental floss compounds the issue when wet wipes, tissues and other non flushables go through the sewerage system.

Can I flush hair down the toilet?

We've put this one right underneath the floss for a reason. It will not break down and it will create a net like the floss does.

Can I flush menstrual products down the toilet?

There's a reason why there's an entire industry built around collecting all used menstrual products in public rest rooms. These products are designed to absorb liquid, not break down in it. While many people understand that sanitary pads are far too bulky, it's still common for people to flush tampons and it's a bad idea. Save up for the plumbing bill to fix that one over time.

Can I flush condoms down the toilet?

We understand the situation people find themselves in when they do things like this, but again, not designed to break down in water. What catastrophe that would be! Sure, they'll go down just fine, but the sewerage system is not built to cope with them.

Flushable Wet Wipes for cleaning the loo

Available in 2 sizes (a 15 pack and a 60 pack), loo, clean isn't for your every day cleaning. Well, you can, but it's not why we're stocking them. If you're ever out and you're using a public rest room and it's not clean, carrying flushable wet wipes that are disinfectant wipe to clean the seat before you sit down is a must. Very few public toilets have disposable seat covers. Simply wipe, flush and then use the toilet. They use native Australian essential oils of tea tree and eucalyptus.

NOTE: these are purely for cleaning the toilet, NOT your body. That's what the next 2 are for.

Flushable Wet Wipes for cleaning your body

Flushable Wet Wipes for bums of all ages

Both of these products are very similar. The ingredients are the same, but they are sized differently and have a different name. Look, I haven't asked the question yet, but I suspect they're exactly the same product marketed a different way. Why? Adults who need to use a flushable wet wipe may not like the idea of having a packet of baby wipes in their bathroom. There's a stigma attached to it, and I get that, so we are stocking both. The baby, clean are better value for money. They're cheaper and about 20% larger.

It's not the first time we've seen this. We have something about to arrive in our natural shampoo range that helps to grow stronger hair and boost regrowth. These products are usually marketed more towards men than women, but again, there can be heightened emotions around the product, so it comes in a black bottle for men and a pink bottle for women. They're not even a different scent, they're exactly the same product in 2 different bottles. Mental health and perception is important for some products, so we have 2 flushable wet wipes for wiping bums of all ages!!!

They are fragrance free, boosted with aloe vera and Vitamin E, are gentle enough for newborns and the elderly and the toosh, clean is listed as being dermatologically tested and hypoallergenic.

How do I safely flush my flushable wet wipes?

The flushable certification isn't a license to stuff 20 of them down the toilet and push the button. You wouldn't do it with toilet paper and you shouldn't do it with these either. Check on each individual packet for the number, but most of the range tell you that you shouldn't flush any more than 2 wipes, independent of any other paper product in the same flush.

What else is in the CleanLIFE range?

All their wipes are plastic free, but they're not all flushable like the ones listed above, which are all used near a toilet. There are wipes to clean floors, kitchen benches, bathrooms, a surface disinfectant, non flushable baby wipes, body wipes and hand sanitiser wipes. We currently feel, as an eco friendly store, that all these jobs can be performed with products already in our store that are not a single use wipe.

Congrats! You just qualified for a gift.