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.
Kathy
You get the best notions and then follow with 4 star experiments. The toilet went glug while I was in the shower. That is not as heart stopping as the bowl about to overflow but it still means plumbers. It was tree roots that cracked a cement sewer line. The fence comes down for the heavy equipment to dig a 5-6 foot deep trench and that starts 3-4 days that I wouldn't curse on anyone. No sign of the main sewer line at the end of my property and they dig up my neighbors yard to almost the corner of her house. The tree was on her property but who knew where the sewer line was hiding. Yeah it was 5,00.00 and they only take fences down :) So I will test my toilet paper in the morning. I wonder if flushable wipes ever dissolve often used on little kids.
Emily
Not a good idea to flush wipes.
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/may/26/disposable-wipes-sewer-toilet-cities-flushable
Margaret
My son is a plumber. He says to NEVER flush wipes down the toilet.
Karen
No they do not Kathy. :) ~ karen!
judy
yuck-I was channel surfing one day and paused at a documentary or maybe just a news thingy about the problem municipal sewage treatment facilities are having with these wipes from baby wipes,feminine hygiene and just designed for post potty cleaning. The pictures were disgusting...great masses of grey solid looking stuff that looked impenetrable and immovable. The tech was explaining that the product was playing Havoc with their ability to process the waste rapidly and flush it out to your local stream or river. They had to build at no small expense an alternate processing stream and it wasn't working very well. I clicked off,went to the BR and tossed the box into the waste basket. Sorry because I liked feeling that I was as clean as possible without installing a bidet-small Bathroom even smaller budget- so not happening. Thanks for the info,am switching tomorrow.
Karen
I'm going to do a follow up on this post Judy. Your best bet is to look for toilet paper that's meant for use in septic tanks. It completely degrades to nothing. (Cascades is a great example. It just dissolves to almost nothing but is a great toilet paper. Not sandpapery. :) ) ~ karen!
Muff Hackett
I live in Squamish BC - our District has addressed this very question:
jen
Pinned...to my 'It Works' board ;)
Shannon
Thanks for this post. We have suffered from clogs in the past. My current favourite is Cascades. It has post consumer recycled fibre and it starts to break down rather quickly. It is also not too bad on the tooshie either. Unfortunately our local Costco did have it last time so we bought the Kirkland brand. Doesn't breakdown as fast and I have read that it is not great for the sewer system. Have you heard anything about that?
Julie
Hey Shannon...I'm wondering about Kirkland as well...I hear bad things about it here in Fredericton NB...
Gwen
Adding my two cents to the Kirkland comment because I have a timely observation to make about it. We just had a service out to do an emergency septic tank cleanout. We also had a "stuff going the wrong way" happen at our house. We consulted several services by phone in a search to find one who'd come out on a weekend. All of the gentlemen I spoke with were helpful and knowledgeable and offered advice about babying our 40 year old septic system in what is now it's old age. Two of them, without me asking, listed a few of the worst offenders when it comes to causing septic tank problems. And although they didn't name the exact same things in the exact same order, BOTH of them listed Costco's Kirkland brand toilet paper first! They both told me that they see more problems with systems when the family uses Kirkland than they see with any other brand. I've never bought it, and you can bet I never will!
Mark
Really good demo Karen, good information to know.
A few years ago (when I was replacing 60 yr old toilets with low flush 6L models), a plumber told me that I would not be happy unless I replaced the cast iron waste stack at the same time. This is because cast iron is rougher inside, and there is not enough water to transport all the solids along that rough cast iron without the occasional clog. It wasn't a problem as it was a complete remodel of the house and I was planning on relocating fixtures anyway, but it was good information to know.
peg
i will test my store brand tomorrow.I won't buy "charmin" to expensive at my grocery.(almost to thick ) Thanks for getting us to think about stuff that doesn't seem important but is. :D
stephbo
Also a tip--don't flush baby wipes or dental floss. We had some old pipes that apparently had some tree roots poking through. Those things snag and cause problems.
Jenifer
Dental floss??
Kim from Milwaukee
Or hair...or tampons...or condoms....or prescription drugs (or any drugs for that matter)....I think Adam Ruins Everything covered this in an episode....
Nancy W
Basically what you are saying, is that your toilet is not a garbage can. TP, the cheap stuff or Scott brand, that's all you get to put in there. Besides, you know, the obvious!
Milton
I have often said that plumbing is something you never think about until it breaks. THEN it becomes the most important thing in your life. Your experience seems to confirm this same observation. Thanks for a great post!
Connie
This just happened to me TODAY! I was horrified and thought well what did I do to cause this? My bathroom is after all 42 years old so maybe I need a new stool. I use Charmin because I like the way it feels on my bum but I do not like what happened when I got up this morning.
I would bet its the toilet paper. Thanks for the timely post. Silly me, I never even considered the tp.
Connie
Andrea
Or maybe you just need new stool. Harhar
Barbie
Yes! We only buy Scott .... Breaks down great! Great post.... A lot of peeps just don't realize this!
Karen
Yes! Thanks for the reminder Barbie. If you're in the U.S. Scotts is a great choice! Excellent toilet paper that breaks down incredibly well. ~ karen!
Pam
P.S. I've also noticed that with the cheapo brand (which a friend buys) you end up using twice as much as you would of the so-called premium brand. That's no bargain....and with twice as much TP going down the drain I don't know that one is ahead of the game.
Karen
It's not about the cost of the toilet paper Pam. It's about the fact that the cheap stuff won't ruin your pipes and clog (no matter how much you use). The thick, plush, expensive stuff does not dissolve or break down. The post isn't about the cost of toilet paper. It's about the cost of repairs using the wrong toilet paper will lead to. Like I say, continue to use the premium if you want. Go nuts. Maybe you have superior pipes. But it's not the right choice if you have even slightly questionable pipes or substandard toilet and will, without question, lead to problems. ~ karen!
Pam
LOL. I realize it's not about the cost Karen. But maybe I've been lucky as I've been in the same house for over 26 years, with an original toilet which is probably almost 40 years old, and I've never had a major problem yet. Yes, I've had a few clogs but a rubber plunger solved the problem.
Kelly
And that's why you don't have such an issue with clogging...most of the the newer toilets are "crap". Pun intended.
Dagmar
Please welcome me as a specialist on this topic. I live with most of my digestive system removed, due to a gastrointestinal disease. Having said that, I visit washrooms, A LOT of washrooms; which means knowing a little about toilet paper. And indeed the thinner ones are much better. I have found that the Costo brand called Kirkland Signature are fantastic. They are soft but don't clog. They don't have fancy lotions, so they don't cause any unwanted itching or side effects. Plus, they are a good value. The only issue is that most people cannot walk into the Costco stores and buy just toilet paper. That, unfortunately I cannot give any advice on.
Marla
Right on! My house (1924) had old pipes, and I found, at great expense, that the cheap stuff is the best.
Dagmar
And no one said that you can't double it when wiping. It really just "comes down" to flushing tp or something that is as thick as a shop towel. ?
Dagmar
I hope you get the same result as mine. I followed Karen's formula, but only did half the amount: one cup to one piece. My results showed that it does break up with a little spinning.
Karen
Keep in mind, you're looking for it to disintegrate as opposed to just break up a little. The more it disappears the better. :) ~ karen!
Paul
The POM brand at Sam's Club is another one that works well with a septic. It's 2-ply so it strong enough, yet thin enough that it works with the low flush toilets. It also breaks down quickly.
It a little less expensive than the Scott. Anyone remember the colored TP? Most of it would not decompose in a septic!
Stefani
Thank you Dagmar!! I just returned from Costco with a giant package of their tp and picked up my iPad. Through the whole article I was thinking 'oh, no' and how I was NOT going to test it.
Carolyn
As a self proclaimed nerdy girl I will be testing my tp in the am.
Kirkland (Costco) is my brand since consumer reports named it a best buy a few years back.
Pam
Problem with the cheapo brand is that is ALSO breaks down when you're wiping your rear end or even dabbing gently at your front end :). I'll go for the premium brands every time. And flush well.
Karen
I'm guessing the first time you get a $1,000 repair bill you'll rethink that sentiment, lol. But that's just a guess. ~ karen!
Nancy Blue Moon
You got that right sister!!!! I learned the hard way..as in cold hard cash to replace the sewer line pipe....
stephbo
That was exactly my thought! I'll take the higher quality "takes a little longer to break down but won't leave me with unpleasant things on my hands" toilet paper any day.
Marti
Renters. Just a guess, but I'm guessing I'm right.
cindy
Yes, break through is pretty yucky. Angel Soft and White Cloud (Walmart) are both inexpensive and strong enough without using a huge wad. I'm a TP experimenter, too. HaHa.
Rhonda "Smartypants" Davis
Um, I may have missed something while otherwise unclogging my toilet; however, how do I, pray tell, know which TP is the preferred choice? You live in Canada, m'dear, and I live in Oregon (Ory-gun) and I'm sure your cheapest brand is not the same as the cheapest brand here. Or, am I wrong? I do know which two brands NOT to buy, so thanks much for that info. ;)
Karen
It doesn't matter. Just buy whatever is the cheapest and it's likely to be the one that breaks down the fastest. If you're unsure do a test yourself. Just buy a small amount, put it in a jar of water for half an hour and mix it up. It if falls apart, it's good, if it stays pretty much together you know it's going to clump. ~ karen!
Leah
The problem that I have found With cheap toilet paper, is that when you wipe, It falls apart and it’s in the cracks and crevices. Pretty gross.
LuAnn
Dear SmartyPants,
I live in a 90 year old house for the last 26 years and I've found Scott tissue works well with my old pipes. Learned that years ago from issues with our old motorhome as well.
LuAnn
Ronda
Luann, we live in a 60 year old house, rurally.
We too only use SCOTT Tissue, for the same reasons.
The original Scott tissue, not the cushy stuff.
Martha Gooding
Also Scott paper has like three times more sheets on it which by far makes it the thriftiest! I'm obsessed with sharing this info to everyone including you! Love your blog!
BaconBleuCheez
Even better, with three times the sheets the roll doesn't run out so often (can you spare a square?)
Gretchen Sexton
I've been a Scott paper user since 'way back when. I totally agree!
Pat
I just did this test myself because my sewer backed up into my garage. Scott was *by far* the best. After 30 mins Quilted Northern and Kirkland had both not even dissolved (Quilted Northern was a little better). Scott started dissolving in less than one minute. I used cold water because that's whats in the toilet tank here in Alaska.
Karen
If you can get Cascades, Pat, it's also great. Dissolves away to nothing. In Canada we can't get Scott brand. Or at least I can't find it, so I sussed out Cascade toilet paper. It's made of 100% recycled material so the fibres it's made up of are smaller and shorter which is mainly what helps it to dissolve quickly and easily. I imagine it's similar with Scott brand. ~ karen!
Lavendershrub
That made me laugh - that you use cold water because that's what you get in Alaska. Do you REALLY mean that some houses flush their toilets with HOT, or warm, water?! NEVER heard of that, and certainly in UK flushing is ALWAYS cold water. Hot?.....mmmmh! What a laugh! And Scott toilet paper? Never heard of it in UK. We get Cushelle, Andrex, Kleenex and supermarkets own brands.
TIFFANY
Almost 30 years back, I read from a tabloid about the house of
a famous person. They said that she wanted to flush her toilet with HOT water. So it was equipped with hot water. And this well- known person/lady turned out to be none other than Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
Dee
Scott is hard on the tushy.
Jenn
Thank you!! We are in a septic tank and field system and it's great to know this!!!
Suzanne
I thank you and our sewer line thanks you. Our home was built in 1950 and every time we have guest for the weekend we have sewer problems. In fact this last Christmas my husband and brother-in-law spent the day in our front yard trying to clean out the sewer line. Not the day any of us had planned on.
Karen
It's an INSANELY important topic that no one seems to know about! I have no idea why this hasn't been discussed or showcased more. It's bizarre really! ~ karen
Shirley
As a rural homeowner on our own septic system, I can tell you I bought Cottonelle ONCE!
allyn
thank you for devoting your life to answering the big questions all of us are not admitting we really want to know!
Karen
Thanks Allyn! That's what I'm here for. That and eating chips. ~ karen!
Billye T
Hmmmm. I am a ""researcher". Before I buy anything...like a bar of dark chocolate to a car and everything in between I research. I did the toilet paper test and my results were different from y ours. I used Northern Ultra Plush and Cotonelle Ripple (not Aloe Vera). The Northern was starting to dissolve but the Cotonelle was mush within 30 minutes. I don't like to spend a lot o TP (considering what you do with it) but I want something that gets the job done without using more than I should. I have used house brands that I know wax paper would have done a better job and had the comfort level of medium grit sandpaper. I used another brand that made my friend ask if I was okay because I looked pale. I told her I was fine and it was just the dust from my toilet paper that was on my face....and every where else.
Karen
Hey Billye t. Being mush is one thing, but to prevent clogs the toilet paper needs to dissolve. Like, disappear basically. I did this test again with the same results and came to the conclusion that (in Canada at least) the best brand to buy is Cascades. Barring that, the next best option is to buy anything made from recycled paper because it's short little fibres as opposed to long ones. Feel free to use Cottonelle if it disappears for you! ~ karen
Rachel San Diego
That's our Karen... Always on the forefront of groundbreaking (pipe-clogging?) research!
Nicely done. I TP my hat to you, lady.
Mel
Fabulously useful post! When I taught middle school art, I found a recipe for paper mache clay using toilet paper, and indeed, the cheap stuff IS the right answer for that as well!
Karen
Thanks Mel! That's funny, I was thinking about paper mache when I was doing this experiment! ~ karen
Marla
Thank you so much for doing this test. We have a septic field and use Cottonelle with ripples. I'll never buy it again!