Flushable Moist Wipes

Flushable wipes may not live up to their name

Flushable moist wipes are marketed as a supplement to ordinary toilet paper. "For a cleaner clean," Charmin Freshmates (*Est. $3 for 40 wipes) advertises. Cottonelle Fresh Flushable Moist Wipes (*Est. $2 for 42 wipes) claim to offer "that shower-fresh, clean in-between feeling." A video on Charmin's website explains how the wipes are designed to be used: First wipe with toilet paper, then with a moist wipe, and flush. Toilet paper companies that manufacture the product tout this as a safe, everyday routine.

Users who buy the wipes say they like the idea of going a step beyond toilet paper. Some users at Drugstore.com say the moist wipes feel gentler than paper, although others say they've gotten a rash from the wipes. Some brands of wipes do contain perfumes and ingredients such as aloe, which these users blame for their skin irritation, although experts do not caution against these wipes for that reason. Major-brand wipes all get nearly identical ratings in one top test, including excellent scores for strength. But ConsumerReports.org finds them a little too strong: While ordinary toilet paper disintegrates in seconds after flushing, some flushable moist wipes failed to disintegrate after 30 minutes.

"We generally advise against flushing [flushable wipes] down the toilet," ConsumerReports.org's editors say in a blog posting. "To avoid taxing your toilet or your septic system, we recommend that you bag the wipes after use and toss them into the trash."

In recent years, some products have been so problematic that a few city officials have pleaded with residents to quit flushing "flushable" wipes. In a test at Portland, Maine's, sewer department, flushable wipes fail to disintegrate after standing in water for nearly a week. "Disposable wipes, even flushable wipes, should not go down the drain," Portland's wastewater chief tells the Portland Press Herald. Sewer departments in Raleigh, N.C., and Sitka, Alaska, report similar problems.

Still most manufacturers insist that their flushable wipes will not clog plumbing. Kimberly-Clark says its Scott Flushable Wipes (*Est. $3 for 51 wipes) "break up like toilet paper after flushing." Charmin and Cottonelle say their flushable wipes are safe for sewers and septic systems, but they caution users to flush only one or two at a time. We found some user reports that the wipes had clogged their plumbing, but only a small fraction of users have reviewed flushable wipes at all; we found ConsumerReports.org and city sewer officials to be a more reliable guide. Bottom line: If you prefer pricey moist wipes over regular toilet paper, throw them away in the trash instead of flushing, experts advise.