I spend a lot of time in grocery stores. They’re my leisure activity. I love a good grocery store like a University student loves a good kegger. Let me walk you through what a typical visit to the toilet paper aisle is like with me:
Karen: (subject strolling back and forth in front of toilet paper aisle) Hmm. HMMM. I will buy this toilet paper. It’s on sale.
Other customer: Why are you telling me? I’m not concerned with what bathroom tissue you buy.
Karen: Bathroom tissue? Bathroom tissue??!! Aren’t you fancy. I wasn’t talking to you anyway, I was talking to myself. Basically you were eavesdropping on a private conversation with myself. Which makes you either rude or a spy. Are you a spy? You seem very spy-like.
Other customer: I’d prefer to be rude than suffer from logorrhea.
Karen: Wha … what? Logorrhea? I’m starting to understand the whole “bathroom tissue” thing.
Other customer: (stares blankly)
Karen: I’ve decided you’re not a spy. You could never fit any cool spy stuff in that ridiculously small spy kit.
Other customer: It’s not a spy kit, it’s my crayon box.
Karen: Either way, kid … I’m still buying the toilet paper that’s on sale.
Other customer: You’re weird.
The End.
A similar scenario is likely to happen in the dairy, meat or cereal aisle.
This scenario is never likely to happen again because as of a few weeks ago I changed my attitude. And my toilet paper brand.
All because of my never ending plumbing problems.
ONE thing you can do to decrease the chance of any plumbing problems is buy the right toilet paper.
And do NOT buy the wrong one.
I wanted to know which was which, so of course … I did an experiment.
If you have any sort of plumbing issues, the most important thing in toilet paper isn’t if it has lotion, isn’t if it’s thick, isn’t if it’s soft, isn’t if it’s on sale … the MOST important thing is …
DOES YOUR TOILET PAPER DISSOLVE?
Toilet paper that doesn’t dissolve just sits in a clump in your plumbing. And if it gets caught on something like a jagged edge or corner in your pipes it will stay there for a longggg time, allowing more and more paper to get stuck and caught on it, creating, eventually a big mass of undissolved toilet paper blocking your sewer line.
And then one day you’ll flush the toilet and instead of the water in the toilet bowl going down, it will start to move UP. Towards you. As you stare in horror, desperately trying to remember what to do (turn the water supply to the toilet off immediately) you’ll wonder why, WHYYYYYYYY is this happening to YOU?
Because you’re using the wrong toilet paper.
In the olden days this wouldn’t have been as large a problem but a lot of today’s low flush toilets just don’t have enough power to push the super luxurious toilet paper through.
So the experiment.
I went out and bought 3 brands of toilet paper.
I bought the cheapest brand possible at $5 for a whole whack of rolls. It was my store’s own cheapo-brand.
I bought Charmin Ultra Soft which looked like a standard premium toilet paper. I bought it because this particular toilet paper had a claim right on the packaging that it’s a “no plunger” toilet paper. Meaning it won’t clog your pipes. Presumably that means it will dissolve easily.
I bought Cottonelle Gentle Care with Aloe which looked more like a blanket than toilet paper.
I put 2 sheets of each of the brands into a glass jar.
Then I added 2 cups of water to each jar.
Then I let them sit for half an hour.
After half an hour I stirred the toilet paper up a bit to see how it broke down.
The results were amazing.
Both of Premium and Super Premium brands (Charmin on the left and Cottonelle on the right) barely broke down. The cheap stuff broke down very well.
84% of households buy Premium and Super Premium brand toilet paper by the way.
The Charmin Ultra Soft which claimed on its packaging that it wouldn’t clog your pipes, did dissolve but not nearly as much as the cheap stuff. After half an hour in water I could still pull out big globs of paper without it breaking.
The cheapest brand, as I suspected, dissolved away to almost nothing after half an hour. All that remained after stirring it a bit were tiny little bits. It almost broke down completely. This toilet paper would not cause your pipes to clog.
The Cottonelle with Aloe and ripples? This toilet paper almost didn’t break down at all. And even after soaking it in the water it was still strong and not at all interested in breaking apart.
You might think this is a lot of thought about toilet paper, but the day will come, mark my words when you’re staring a toilet bowl full of horrors and you’ll wish you’d given toilet paper more thought.
The least of your worries is an overflowing toilet before you can get the plunger to work. The worst of your worries is sewer lines that need to be snaked at a cost of around $400.
Actually, that’s not the worst. The worst of your worries is spending thousands of dollars replacing your sewer lines that keep getting clogged when all you needed to do was buy better (worse) toilet paper.
Just to way in on TP subject, cheap tp uses short strands in sheets there fore they break down faster . The plush tp uses long strands so (a) they feel softer (b) take longer to break down (c) if they have lotion it takes even longer to break down due to the oils infused in the tissue . What feels good on your bottom does not come close to how it feels having money to get something you love , rather than flushed down the drain !
Just had Roto Rooter service last week…your TP info is greatly appreciated !!!
Ditto on the Baby wipes that do major clogging damage !
Two-ply?
Well thanks a lot, I just stocked up on fancy toilet paper yesterday! 😉
This makes so much sense, and I never even thought about it. I’m with some other commenters who mention how the cheapo stuff breakdown down on your rear (leaving little blobs of paper behind, stuck where you can’t see…uh, yuck), but maybe I have to reconsider. Tough choices here!
No surprise there. I think that the addition of the aloe vera is also a factor. It prevents the TP from absorbing water (or at least it slows the process down). Did you every try use to a kleenex with added lotion to wipe up a spill? It does not absorb water (coffee, tea, any liquid) nearly as well as regular kleenex. And when I say kleenex, I mean any brand, not just Kleenex.
I never buy expensive TP because it’s literally money down the toilet. 🙂
This week, Food Basics has a 24-roll pack on sale for $3.99 (the store brand). That’s the one I am buying.
Once again, I got a good laugh out of your post! I’m afraid I have similar conversations, we several different voices and opinions. Unfortunately, I sometimes talk aloud, so I must sound pretty odd.
However, as much as I’m sure the cheapo TP dissolves more, and is easier on the plumbing, I prefer to NOT use TP that feels like sand paper. And because it’s so thin, it usually takes more to do the “job”.
If I were a normal person, with a normal internal system, I might be able to use the sand paper TP. But I’m “blessed” to have a seriously whacked out internal system, so I’m in that water closet a lot. I want the middle brand~~soft on the tush and still dissolves sufficiently.
I’m sharing your blog; I feel sure others have these conversations too. And I’m sure my friends will enjoy seeing your experiment. I experiment like this a lot too, so they’ll like seeing someone else doing this for once.
Good info here, I’m definitely going to do the water test with my Kirkland brand that I use. A few years ago I had to replace the toilet and my son was always clogging the other one – his method is to spin the toilet paper roll so he gets all that he thinks he needs. Anyway, I opted to get a Toto (the cheap end not the high end one) that has a vacuum system that helps push the water out. But as you’ve proven here, it isn’t helping with any problem of the TP getting stuck in the pipes where it becomes an expensive mess.
Karen,
Given the number of replies to this post you have scored a royal flush.
As much as I love the premium brands, I’ve never bought them. I’ve used Scott all my life. It’s not my favorite but I know what damage the premium brands have caused especially with the low-flow toilets. We have 2 (out of 4) toilets that are high speed flushers (Gerber- they’re like airplane toilets – hold on tight!) so I could probably use the good stuff but hubby does the Costco/BJ’s shopping in our house we buy TP by the case. Several people I know who used Charmin, etc. had major plumbing problems because of them. I know a few plumbers who try to discourage people from using the expensive brands. (You’d think they’d wanna keep quiet so they could make more money by doing the repairs. Darn plumbers. Too honest.)
Karen, I bet you never expected so many responses to your post!
Also, your posters/responders have such a great sense of humor. I particularly like the PTSD (Post Toilet Stress Disorder) designation!
I’d like to give thanks to whoever designed and built my house. It is 66 years old, and to my knowledge, has never had a clogged toilet. It has a huge copper pipe that it drains into. I had 2 new toilets installed 2 years ago. I use Charmin Ultra-strong, because it doesn’t tear while I’m using it, but I only use a few sheets at a time, because that’s all you need. I also use Cottonelle bathroom wipes, but never more than one at a time, and I do flush them. I’ve found that they keep my bum cleaner and happier. The new toilets usually work well, (and quickly!), but if they don’t flush completely, I do it a second time. In the 70s I had a landlord who forbid his tenants to use Cottonelle toilet paper, so I’ve been aware of the situation for a long time. In my experience, most clogging problems are caused by people using WAY too much toilet paper. And it’s hard to blame them, when the paper tears to bits while you’re wiping! After having that happen, no wonder people use a huge wad! Houses are like people; they’re all different. Your article will undoubtedly help people with drain problems to THINK about why it happens, which is the first step toward a solution.
Hi Jennie! I just want to clarify. Using too much toilet paper isn’t the issue. It isn’t. You’ve got a lucky situation where you have good pipes and probably a good slope to your sewer. But it’s definitely the brand of toilet paper and whether or not it dissolves that’s the important issue. Not how much you use. Trust me. I’ve done way more research than anyone should have to do on toilet paper for this post. 🙂 ~ karen!
I respect your opinion, Karen. One reason I blame using too much, though, is that I used to work in a drug store which was in an old building. It was small and didn’t have a public restroom, but at times we would let a customer in immediate need use the employee restroom. Over the course of a number of years, the ONLY times it ever clogged up was when a customer used a ridiculous amount of toilet paper. The employees knew better, and never caused a problem. We used toilet paper provided by the company; always the same kind.
It’s a little scary to me that your former landlord forbid his tenants to use Cottonelle! I understand his concern but wow! That’s crazy!
I usually just buy my toilet paper according to price without much attention to brand. But, after buying Cottenelle I realized that I could be creating a problem with the house plumbing. The tp seemed thick and didn’t tear at the perforations. Then, I thought to myself, wasn’t it Cottenelle that had the commercials showing wedding dresses made out of their product? And let’s face it. You wouldn’t, couldn’t and shouldn’t try flushing a wedding dress down the crapper.
Thank you Karen for this Post. I read each and every response and it seems that in the end it really doesn’t seem to matter what kind of house you live in, what kind of toilet you have, pipes, drains, or t.p. paper you flush, good or bad, whether it works or it doesn’t work with Grandma’s recipe; what are we really doing to the earth with all these papers, tissues, and wipes? Take a shower say some, use an old wash cloth say others. Where would you do this at work?
We will continue with our daily bodily problem the best we can, some with concern and some with “I will use what I want” attitude, because its never clogged my toilet. I think most of us are conscious of the fact that it’s our home and our land and we care. Good grief, I can almost hear America The Beautiful playing in the background. Thanks you for bringing us all together to discuss this subject. Keep bringing it on, Karen.
Do like the rest of the world does. Put your TP in the trash. Remove it daily. Better yet, get a bidet.
We have an ancient fragile septic tank. It will cost $7000 to retire it and hook up to local sewer. I tried thin one ply TP and it falls apart in my hands, so we get whatever paper we like. BTW, if you have a septic tank, you SHOULD NOT use a disposal. Septic tanks are not designed to handle that much compost. YMMV.
Most Americans will be disgusted by my opinions on this, so feel free to ignore.
I second the vote for a bidet….makes so much sense.
You folks need to learn how to make a TP sandwich. Use as much cheapo TP on the inside and wrap a strip of 2 sheets of YP plush around it. I use the plush for the bum and I throw the all cheapo TP used for liquids only, into a lined bathroom trash bucket. The brown goes down the pipe.
I had a plumber recommend using Scotts toilet paper years ago for that very reason. Been using it ever since with no plumbing issues.
Off to the bathroom to give my Kirkland brand a test.
In the last few months, Consumer Reports magazine did a report on toilet paper. One of the things they judged was how it broke down. Since I didn’t keep the magazine I can’t check which paper scored the highest. It seems that it was a Wal-mart brand, but I am not sure.
I was reading recently about how you should NEVER flush anything but toilet paper in your toilet and that includes all brands of tissues as they are not made to breakdown as toilet paper is.
Great post Karen…I don’t ever what to have that expense again…Over $1000 to replace the sewer line pipe…
Today’s ad. Charmin – Clog Free or It’s Free. LOL
I’m in control,
My worries are few,
‘Cause I got TP like I never knew,
Poo, poo, poo, poo, pooo…
I got a new attitude! 🙂
My father was licensed to test and build/repair sewage treatment plants. He said the best thing to use was CHEAP toilet paper and never, ever, ever “feminine protection items” no matter what the manufacturer said. Since we have been on septic system for 50 years, it was important that we followed his advice. Whether or not he was right – it has paid off. Hard to get my daughter to give up her extra soft butt wipes but she finally did when getting on a budget and miraculously, no more clogged pipes. As an aside – I named my female guard dog Maxi – she was my feminine protection.
Hahaha This was a good one which I will forward to my sister as we were just talking about toilet paper yesterday. I buy the sandpaper brand which like your cheap stuff, dissolves quickly as we live in the country and have a septic field. My sister lives in the same setting but buys the plush kind…like a blanket. Now I can justify my choice to her as you have spelled it out in plain English….the cheap stuff is the best! Cheers for a great post.
the boy (9 yrs old): is that science?
me: … why yes. it IS!
What a great experiment! Now I know which TP to buy. Thank you Karen<:} I must admit that I, too, have a secret curiosity about toilet paper, one that now I feel safe to reveal (without shame) to this TP-supportive group. I always wondered what kind of toilet paper I could buy that would not leave some kind of poisonous chemical on my arse, which might lead to some terrible arse-eating disease (this despite having no problem using red lipstick, which I'm sure had many terrible cancerous ingredients.) Of course I don't often use lipstick on my arse, so there's no real comparison to be had. Anyhoo, I know that some TPs add un-spellable chemicals to make it dissolve faster in septic systems, so ever since I discovered this, I've had this tiny little thought haunting the back of my mind whenever I go…am I poisoning my arse? If so, how shall it be fixed? Removal? Radiation? At which time my mind flashes disturbingly to images of how, exactly, one would position themselves to receive arse radiation; it's not pretty. I eventually changed over to natural baby wipes to solve this crisis of imagination, which did alleviate my internal arse-safety dialogue; however, unfortunately, I now have to deal regularly with clogged pipes!
Have you ever considered a bidet? I haven’t tried one yet, keep hoping I will stay in a fancy hotel which has them. But, they seem like a smart thing for women especially. For those buying wipes you’d likely save your plumbing and all that paper.
Actually I LOVE a bidet; great idea Laura<:} I got used to them in France way back when, and I've wanted one ever since! I have since resolved my wet-wipes problem by installing a little foot-pedal-opening trash bin in my bathroom, to toss away the wipes. Now, no more wipes in the pipes<:}
We have one bidet. I’m so spoiled! They do have bidet toilet seats that you can install on a regular toilet. They start at $22. But if you want one with the warm water option, the price goes up.
I have always purchased Scott toilet paper. That being said, I also keep a container of wipes on hand in the bathroom for those occasions that necessitate, um, a more thorough cleaning – and I never, ever discard the wipes in the toilet.
BTW: Yes, tampons are The Kiss of Death for plumbing. Landlords can get quite testy when they have to pay to have pipes snaked or replaced that have been snarled and clogged by tenants’ tampons.
My daughter also said, “Ewwww!” to disposing her tampons in the trash can. My solution – keeping on hand disposable (and biodegradable) paper bags for sanitary pads: http://www.amazon.com/Necessities%C2%AE-Feminine-Courtesy-Disposal-Hospeco%C2%AE/dp/B000BARF9I/ref=pd_sim_sbs_194_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=416th%2BeW94L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=08PJQ1VRXP3KM7Z95NPT
Well you did it again Karen! I have been sick for over a week now and the last couple of days have been the worst. But reading all the comments on this particular post has got me over the critical hump to recovery. I did however roll out of bed to test my own cheap ass toilet paper while sneezing, shivering and hacking all over the place and was proud it passed. I use the Presidents Choice Plus, 2 ply and after just 5 minutes stirred it up it was totally shredded apart into pieces I could not pick up with my fingers. Good post and once again great photography!
That’s the one I like best too. I even make the extra trip to Zehr’s to get get it.
We are on a well so we have always checked our toilet paper this way (well, I put it in a jar and shake it to avoid waiting the half hour). When Cottenelle changed their paper, I re-tested and lo! It does not break down anymore. Trying to find a soft, strong paper that breaks down good enough for septic and well is a challenge. I finally found my winner – I’m not a fan of big box stores with memberships, but Costco’s Kirkland toilet paper is amazing. Love it, and my plumbing with the low well water pressure loves it too.
omg, my husband bought the “ultra-luxurious bum comforters” for the cottage, no less! 8 adults and 6 kids all sitting around at 10:00 at night in the northern tip of PEI with no useable toilet in sight while their uncle unclogged the toilet with an inflatable bouncy ball because there was no plunger. Holy cow, don’t buy the good stuff!
Julie..Too coin a phrase from SNL..Dan Ackroyd…”you ignorant slut”. eight adults +6pups ate their fill like mama…HOLY Cow they like mama…emptied their colons. Holy Cow..it was the paper…uncle saved the day “no mention of uncles name” Shame on you..
this is such a great post and an eye-opening one!
I buy the cheap store brand because the name brands pill up and that really bugs me. We had plumbing trouble a couple of years ago. Had to get the sewer connection to the house changed, not caused by a clog just old pipes. Since then the only clog we had was caused by coffee grounds. They can build up like concrete the plumber said. So I’ve been trying to throw them out on the grass instead. Not such a great option now with snow on the ground though.
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but this may actually be my most favourite post of yours to date. (Sorry, Uncle Shifty’s Antijito’s) We moved into an old home, and our toilet has backed up AT LEAST once a week for 7 solid months. Sorry I said solid. We have littles who don’t always flush, and I had noticed the TP wasn’t breaking down but hadn’t made the connection. I literally took back the 80% full pack of TP I just bought from Costco the next day and bought the cheapest brand I could find. I owe you my eternal gratitude.
Remember to check to see that it does break down Alyssa! Just because it’s cheap doesn’t guarantee it will break down. It’s a good sign, lol, but not a guarantee. if you’re in Canada the BEST brand I’ve found in my never ending quest is Cascades. In the States it’s Scotts. (Or Cascades if they sell it there too) I have literally done toilet paper tests from different brands every single day since this post went up and prior to it. Just ask my neighbour who just left my house. I subjected her to a toilet paper test. And my 6 year old niece who was here earlier, lol. Ditto for her. ~ karen!
I bought the no name Superstore brand, and it dissolves in minutes! I definitely made sure, I watched it like a hawk. And I don’t think I’ve ever felt so cheery about my toilet before. ?
One thing to remember when the toilet backs up when you flush: NEVER FLUSH A SECOND TIME!!! until the water seeps back down to normal level. Seems like common sense, but I know someone who did that. There was some – uh – substance abuse involved, so he was sort of excused. Well, not really. We made him clean it up.
Basically, toilets are designed so the tank water will only fill the bowl to the rim from normal level. So, unless water etc. is actively pushing back up from below, it won’t overflow. If it IS pushing back up from below, turn on a radio, you are probably under a hurricane evacuation alert.
LOL. ~ karen!
Hello. Interesting subject. Personally I think everyone should have their own septic system, have to dispose of their own garbage instead of just letting the garbage fairy take it away and kill their own animal or whatever they’re having for supper.
Just making a point here, that sometimes people don’t think about what they’re putting in the environment. They just keep buying tons of “plastic” non recyclable items, items with excessive packaging and when it comes to toilet paper, “whatever is the softest for their poor bum.
Maybe everyone should take a trip to where the “soft” toilet paper ends up. This would be the treatment plants.
People have just become so unaware of what they are doing to the planet. Every time you flush, where is it going? Does the toilet fairy just turn it into sugar cubes?? This is a great article to raise awareness about an even greater issue. Environmental responsibility!
oh
a chance to tell a favored story.
And a story containing both humor and meeting, words not often cheek by jowl….. (your choice of which cheek)
We had monthly meetings. First part was typically administrivia. At t this meeting, our Exec Direct rose, and pronounced, that while we usually covered other topics. she needed to touch on the toilet. there had been a clog problem she announced.
“Please do not allow anything but toilet paper in the toilets.”
susan M, white haired, Mary Worth look alike, murmured (loud enough to hear) “Well, that sort of defeats the whole purpose, doesn’t it?”
HA! ~ karen
Oh the heartbreak: Cotonelle with its restrained grid pattern is the Architect’s Choice – florals are so cheesy!
I read this post a few weeks ago and thought … Huh … Interesting … Did nothing about it! So foolish – the vintage toilets & pipes in our 1959 home apparently can’t handle the Kirkland brand and we had quite the mess. I experimented and that brand also failed your 30 minute soak & stir test.
That’s funny because I *just* tested the Kirkland brand for an upcoming Part II of the toilet paper tests. The Kirkland did eventually break down but it took a lot of stirring and mixing. A lot. I’ll let you in on the secret winner of the test. It’s Cascades toilet paper which you can get at Loblaws/Fortinos. It’s fantastic. Costco sells it in bulk online but I haven’t seen it in store. ~ karen!
Thanks for “going there.” You know, I never thought about the subject until a couple of years ago, when I tried a 3-Ply from Great Northern, and quickly discovered, to my dismay, that this toilet paper was a clogger. Twice in a week, my bowl nearly ranneth over. It never had before. I am moderate to conservative in my square usage, and nothing had changed except switching to that 3-Ply.
After that second near disaster, I eyed that bundle with a narrowed eye-swivel and stopped using it.
Sometimes, less is more. 🙂
P.S. I have not done the test yet, but my favorite brand for a while now is Member’s Mark (Sam’s). Never had a clog issue, decent texture, low price.
Wow. I am so thankful for indoor plumbing, though. The things we take for granted.
We buy very few disposable items such as paper towels and sponges, so I with the money saved, I don’t mind spending a little extra on TP. Comfort isn’t quite as big a deal for me as the responsibly sourced and preferably recycled. However, if my husband buys it, he just gets the cheapest stuff. I saw “No Impact Man”, who went a year without any TP, and since I’m NOT willing to take ‘green’ that far, I’ll settle for any comfort level just to have my disposable TP
While I am finding your post interesting I would like to know if you have since looked into, whether buying cheaper and therefore thinner sheets of TP means that people tend to use more sheets per visit. In my household we do. I estimate we use about one and a half times more paper than with more expensive TP. If that is the case might not the increased “load” have the opposite effect the desired one?
Hi Cassie. It doesn’t really matter in this case if they use more or not. The toilet paper dissolves. Whether it’s a whole whack of it or a few small pieces. So no, even big clumps won’t be a problem. ~ karen!
OMG this post is awesome. I have always hated that fluffy TP stuff, used to be because there’s like 7 sheets on a roll. Give me a break. New roommate has brought the vile fluffy stuff into the house but I let it stay because I thought I was just being quirky and weird. But now that I live in a 90+ year old house and had to have the plumber out this morning, I have real empirical facts and not just my own opinion about how and why that stuff sucks. I’ll stick to my cheapo Scott tissue, that has like one layer but gets the job done. Thank you for this post justifying my fluffy TP ban!
Yup. Truth. 🙂 ~ karen!
I use a bidet attachment to the toilet. About $60 on Amazon. After #1 I towel dry, no toilet paper used at all. After #2 I do one or two toilet paper wipes to ensure maximum cleanliness prior to towel drying. I use “special” hand towels as my “bidet towels”. As they are only ever used for that purpose. I absolutely love having a bidet! I’ve never been cleaner and I spend so much less on toilet paper! I imagine if I had pipe issues they’d be gone now too!
A Roto-Rooter plumber told me not to use 3-ply toilet paper because that thickness causes clogs. What ply toilet papers were used in the “test” and what ply and brand do you recommend?
Originally, I bought a huge package of 3-ply toilet paper from Costco, before I found out this stuff can clog. What I now do is crumple up each one after using and toss into a wastebasket. (This also is done in Mexico.) No more potential sewer-line clogs. PROBLEM SOLVED!
: )
I’m still perplexed after reading all the replies. We have always used Charmin in the house in NY, and we “never” cleaned out the septic tank and never had problems for the 27 years before selling it. I bought the house new, and had 6 of us living there. We had to clean the septic tank out and flush the lines before the buyer bought the house and there were absolutely no problems with using the Charmin in all the 27 years. According to the septic company and the town inspector, the tank and leach lines were great.
Now, in Florida, we still have been using Charmin and the leach lines have given way and are leaking after 14 years. (Hadn’t had the tank pumped for the first 6 years of living here, then every 3 years since). Still not sure what caused the line leak, as the DIL (daughter in law) drove the small car over the lines to unload the groceries, so that may have been the problem. Started leaking after about a week or two after the driving mishap.
The whole leach line system is being replaced in a couple of weeks (middle of December) and will cost a total of $2500, OTD (out the door) (total price).
My problem with using a quick dissolving TP is that we always use TP that is wet with water for wiping the butt. Charmin works great for that without dissolving. Some of us have stinky poo and if the butt isn’t wiped with wet TP, I’d hate to be around us with the after smell. (sorry for the descriptive wording). With Charmin, we use three sheets, folded to make 4 sheets. Holds together very nicely when wet. I expect Scott’s would take 10-20 sheets to do that. Yep, I know the story that it’s the dissolving, not the paper strength that is the answer. Got that!
My thoughts are, “why does it really matter if it dissolves instantly” A half hour or two hours, or 4 hours, when it will be sitting in the septic tank and dissolve way before heading towards a leach line.
Regarding Rid-X or some other additives, including yeast. One septic company (http://alseptic.com/septic-system-dos-donts/) says “You do not need to put special additives into your septic system. Those which advertise that they will remove solids from your tank usually do. The solids exit the tank and end up in the disposal field. Once there, the solids seal off the disposal area, and the system malfunctions.”
I don’t know any answers for anything I wrote here and am still trying to make a personal decision what to do next. I do not doubt anyone’s postings here and still have to make some decisions for the 6 of us here at the house. Not sure if any of this helps as it still hasn’t straightened me out. I do know that the 5 others here will fight me tooth and nail if I make a change to the one ply top branded TP (Scotts or other) as they are all used to the soft Charmin.
One other note: I had to repeat to the grand daughter, her husband, and my daughter-in-law not to throw the “disposable” wipes from the 2 year old into the toilet. Sounds like they have been doing that (forgetting what I said year’s ago) as their response was not very spectacular.
Okay this is nearly one year later but I’m slowly catching up on Karen’s older posts having only discovered the blog a few months ago. I have come to view Karen’s research as mandatory reading. As well, I read the comments both for further information and the humour.
We are on septic and live in a rural, vacation destination area where wood stoves are commonly used for heating.
Almost everyone has a polite sign by the toilet for their ‘city’ guests saying something along the lines of “In this land of fun and sun we never flush for #1. Toss the paper in the basket, there’s a reason why we ask it ”
In winter our ‘basket’ is lined with a plain brown paper lunch bag that gets used as part of the daily kindling. In summer we use household compost liners (prefer the paper ones) and throw the whole shebang into the garden compost bins. It provides a good carbon addition that speeds along the process of turning vegetable matter into garden gold. Which produces food which, in turn, converts into the reason for this post in the first place. Life is a circle, everyone join hands and say ‘ohmmmm’.
Kirkland rules in our house but I’m going to check out Cascades.
If I was living alone I would put all paper into the basket and would abide by the rule of not flushing for #1. Around here, everyone (5 others) would either say OK, but then wouldn’t abide, or just give me some constant argument that I’m full of what we are talking about. I guess the main thing is to have the tank religiously emptied every 2-3 years as the septic companies recommend, thereby getting by the chance of having problems. I did go 14 years without problems until the DIL ran over the septic lines. $185 every 3 years for septic tank draining isn’t too bad I guess and that is what I’ll be doing from now on.
I found this article while Googling plumbing stuff – we just moved into a pre-1950 house and the downstairs toilet backed up and flooded. Oh boy. Plumber comes out, snakes it and says it hit a ‘soft clog’ in the main sewer drain line which he was able to clear but is going to be an issue. He specifically told us to stop using Charmin or any other premium brand and to only use Scott toilet tissue. Only Scott TP and our um, waste, should go down the line. We’re also never going to use the garage disposal in the kitchen sink, just put a strainer in.
Hey CeeCee! Sorry you had to call the plumber out, but at least it wasn’t your sewer lines! Yeah. NO more Charmin. 🙂 ~ karen!
I just spent a couple of weeks in Taipei, Taiwan – which is very much like Manhattan – a big, busy city, and discovered something very interesting. Everyone is asked to never flush TP down the toliet! All the TP gets neatly folded and put into a trash can. I traveled a lot while I was there and used numerous public restrooms and not once did I see or smell anything nasty in the waste cans. Everyone was very conscious of how they disposed of their TP. This might be an excellent method to use in a house with old or problem plumbing.
What I’ve found with toliet paper that dissolves quickly is that it tends to leave little ‘dingle’ balls and tiny ‘rolls’ of paper behind (pun intended) ! These bits of TP are very irritating to the skin. I’ve only noticed this in the past few years and I think that a lot of TP manufactures have been changing their TP so that it will dissolve faster, and thus the paper trail.
Personally, I find that I am sensitive to TP now. I miss the old fashioned TP that didn’t dissolve the moment it became damp!
I was previously a renter. bought a home 3 years ago. since then, i’ve had reoccurring issues with the toilet not flushing and the toilet gurgling in the shower. went on the roof yesterday to check the plumbing vent pipe/stack – it was completely clear.
after doing some thinking, i started to think maybe it was the “cottonelle” and “charmin” that I usually use. I now have Angel soft after plunging the toilet and everything is smooth again.
your research has confirmed my suspicions, I will use angel soft from now on or some other brand that breaks down easily.