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.
Ei
I did this same experiment at home to show my then 7 year old son why it was NOT ok to put nose tissues or paper towels into the toilet.
And as for my daughter: No tampons! Don't get me started!
"But Mom it says on the box it's ok....".
"No, its not. Never. We have a septic tank."
" But Moooomm! That's eeewwwww!"
-A plumber's niece.
Jenifer
I used to be something of a toilet paper snob, I wanted the quilt. Times have changed. A house built in 1870 and potty training 2 girls, I decided the thin (Scott's original) stuff was the way to go even if they used 3 times as much! At least it would break down and the potty training remained simple. ..just not necessarily easy. :)
Michelle
I have always bought the cheap thin stuff. My husband has always complained. Poor guy wanted to wipe with a quilt but since we have moved to the second house with septic instead of sewer I think my cheapness has paid off. Our house we sold just over a year ago had zero septic problems... not one issue. This house is going to be bad so far $5k in septic repairs and still not right. I think the bachelor fireman may have liked to wipe his arse on quilts too. So sad. Used to have a little crush on fireman and one man is ruining that. But to your credit I back your research up! You are right on the mark! Now please tell some firemen. Maybe convince them their houses should have smoke detectors and proper wiring too.
Paul
I really thought logorrhea was going to be something to do with toliet paper. Thank you for making me look up the word!
Diane
Fun topic.
Personally, I live in the country and have a septic tank (OMG) and care for it like it is a favorite child...no bleach, or food waste (I compost).
Regarding TP, I cut what goes down by half, by simply placing #1 TP into the trash can, not down the toilet. Only # 2 TP goes down the hole.
Think this is gross? Not at all.
I also have a burn barrel here, and burn TP trash and things like butter wrappers once per week.
Valerie
We also live rurally and do exactly the same thing as you do with # 1 paper.
Diane
Great minds think alike!
Every septic tank owner wants a happy septic tank, FOR-EV-ER...;-)
Lavendershrub
Me too with #1 toilet paper.
Madeleine Whitfield
OR.....you could, at very low expense, install a portable bidet hose next to the toilet and wash off every time. Wash off very well and use an old wash cloth (which you change every day) to pat dry. Problem solved!
Kim C
I slapped myself on the forehead after reading this! Probably twice a month I am unclogging the toilet after my teenaged daughters have visited the loop. Never even gave the paper a thought but now that you've brought it up, I'm sure the TP is partially to blame as it does appear to remain intact for a long time.
I will be happy to spend less to save thousands on a potential plumbing disaster!??
My daughter needs to create a knee joint model for Exercise Science class so she can use up the fancy TP for paper macho until her heart's content.
Kim C
*loo... not loop!
Kim C
Grrr... and it's *mache not macho. Darned auto correct.
Different Mike
We (those of us who live in countries that have sophisticated public sewage sytems) are blessed so much that we take for granted the ability to "flush". Many countries would never think to flush, however, to know what papers will disolve could be very helpful to them as well as we privileged ones. Also, why has there never been a course on "how much" paper to use at any one time. Some use almost a whole roll at a sitting! It may not matter "what" paper they use because of the amount used. Thanks, again, Karen, for a timely and wise and useful post!
Ann
Such a fun and timely post.
I am a good customer at Kroger's, one of our big local grocery chains. They send out targeted coupons to good customers monthly. One of those coupons is often for a free 6 pack of the store brand of bathroom tissue. I love that cheapie stuff. I have gone for the cheapie stuff now for years cause I hate how the really thick stuff just sits in the bowl and seems to take up so much room. And it wouldn't do for anyone to not flush just once and come back to use again before flushing cause that premium stuff just seemed so bulky sitting there in the water. I have never had the cheapie stuff break apart in my hand or cause me to not feel clean enough. And I don't often have to use any more than I would of the premium.
Bless you for taking on such a real task of evaluating toilet tissue!!
Eileen
We have septic pipes and had a serious backup when we bought the house, ten years of other peoples Stuff, yuk. Anyway, now: two tips, use SINGLE ply toilet paper, whatever brand, most likely store brand and Second, if you have a septic system, put a package of yeast powder in the septic once a month. You can either divide it up and flush it down each of your toilets or you can put it directly in the septic, should you have access to it easily. We not talking the little packets you use to make bread. It comes in 1 lb packages of yeast powder. We buy it at a discount store, locally. It's about $6-8 and it breaks down the bacteria, etc. in the septic.
Jenifer
My mom recently told me that my grandmother used to put yeast down her toilet once a month and never had an issue.
I'm trying it!
Paul
That is basically what RID-X is.
Karen
Hi Eileen! Thanks for the yeast tip, I'll look into it. As far as 1 or 2 ply goes, the ply really doesn't matter. Its the quality of the paper. The toilet paper in this experiment that dissolved well was surprisingly, 2 ply and the Cottonelle, the worst of the bunch is actually 1 ply. ~ karen!
Shannon
Yup, my parents have been on a septic system for 45 years and have never had to have it pumped out due to an issue. They only use single ply TP and my Dad religiously puts a product called Septo-Bac down the system monthly. They also put any expired dairy (ie yogurt and milk) down
Cred
I've read of people using yeast to maintain a septic system. But be careful of anecdotal evidence as the reasoning. I grew up in a house with a septic system that was never pumped, never any additives used and never had a problem for 20+years. My dad had called to have it pumped somewhere around 10yrs and the guy pulled the cover to check levels and said it was in great shape, good levels and suggested not pumping it since it could disrupt the ecology and thus create a problem. Another 10yrs later they had it pumped, on the request of the buyers, when they sold the house but the level was still good and functionally optimally. Our system and usage must have meet optimal conditions for breaking down the waste produced. But it isn't evidence that not pumping the tank is the way to keep the septic system healthy, either. Many ideal conditions- drainage, location, water usage, poop habits (haha)- contributed to our optimally functioning system.
Yeast doesn't break down bacteria, it consumes sugar and starches, which only makes up a small percentage of the sludge in the tank- meaning it's not likely doing much, if anything. Since some people do nothing and never had a problem, it's hard to claim that yeast is really doing anything. I've made enough failed loves of bread to know that yeast can be a finicky beast- temperature and ratio are critical; I'd expect it would be difficult for the temperature and amount of yeast to the volume of the tank, to be optimal for it to work.
Anaerobic bacteria and enzymes breaks down solids so in fact you don't want to put in anything that would kill the bacteria in the system. Things like mouthwash, drain openers and chlorine bleach will harm those beneficial bacteria that break down the solids. It is suggested that bleach be kept to a minimum or eliminated to keep a system healthy.
It is likely better to use an alternative to bleach and avoid using a garbage disposal (it add solids to septics) to improve your system rather than introducing additives to your tank.
Sorry, I hope this isn't coming off preachy or know-it-all-ish, just wanting to share something that may be useful to he conversation.
Lavendershrub
We were told by the septic tank installer, to NEVER use bleach down the toilet and hence into the septic tank, is it KILLS all the bacteria NEEDED in a septic tank to make it work. Not to get rid of bacteria!
Tara
Oh Karen, you're always so timely with your posts! My husband and I put our house on the market earlier this month and we bought an RV that we'll be living in full-time when the house sells as we venture across the United States and one of the things I was afraid of was giving up my luxury toilet paper from living in our home but this gives me the courage to venture into the one-ply world that will be RV living soon!
Kevin
Two words: Japanese bidet.
Hygenic, use tons less paper, and helps if you have personal plumbing problems.
Kim from Milwaukee
I just got one...have yet to install it....can't wait to feel extra clean and save on TP!
Paula
Septic, very old septic here so this is great info for us, too. Thanks Karen.
Sharon Jones
Wow, thank you for this post. I have a bowel problem, thus spend lots of time in the bathroom. I have until reading your article preferred good quality toilet paper, (it is kinder to ones' s derriere). Will reassess the toilet paper next grocery shop.
Danee
Living in rural Spain, I've lived in places with what is called a "green" toilet. the squeemish might need to look away now, what it is, is a hose pipe that runs down hill and away from the house (fairly large but still a hose pipe like an irrigation pipe) to an area of a particular kind of tree or cactus. NO toilet paper must ever be flushed down that pipe, the cacti "eat" the waste but can't ·eat the paper, so what you do is have a little foot operated waste basket in the bathroom. My husband and I, without ever talking about it, always put the paper "dirty-side-down", we also took turns taking out the garbage. The upside to all this was after the waste was eaten the water leached out into a grove of avocado trees, huge avocado trees, so full of avocados that after a couple of months of eating them for breakfast lunch and dinner, we would run into town and Mclove on a little McD------! Now we live near a village with a city water system and no avocado trees, I actually have to go to the store to buy avocados.
Marna
Good to know! I have wondered how well the tp of today was compared to many years ago. My husband and sons were always causing overflows, was probably the tp. Thanks
Linda J Howes
How many years ago are we talking? At one time it was the Eaton's catalogue ;-) Before that, big soft leaves (watch for poison ivy).
Lavendershrub
It wasn't so long ago that in UK we had Izal and Bronco, in individual sheets in square packets. This was the ONLY product of toilet paper during the war (WWII) and FOREVER before WWII. I kid you not, it was like tough cake tin lining paper. Maybe OK for "backside" but soaked up absolutely nothing at front. By the 1960s, tissue paper we are used to today, started to be manufactured in UK. Don't know which decade US started having it. My mother thought she was being very economical and daring to fold a sheet of the new soft tissue around the sheet of Izal or Bronco. She thought she was getting the new softness along with the solid firmness/strongness of the old. This went on well into the 1980s. Needless to say, the family used soft only. And that was in a city with proper sewage disposal. I've lived deep in the country for 55 years. And with a septic tank. After this excellent informative article, I shall be changing my tp to Andrew or Kleenex which dissolves just like the middle glass in the photo. And read the "own brand" "ingredients" to see if they say it is dissolvable for septic tanks. LOADS of them around here. I live 5 miles from Stonehenge. Wonder what they used! Moss?
Lavendershrub
Andrex, not Andrew!! Wretched autocorrect!
Karen
And here I thought you were dragging royalty into the discussion, lol. ;) ~ karen!
Lavendershrub
Ha ha!! Good one. It's the first time a have come across your article/s Karen. Very well.done and it has helped me. By the way, it is 4am Monday 27th Feb. here! I must go to bed! But I got caught by an interesting discussion on tp!!
Karen
:) Happens to the best of us. ~ karen!
Josephine
When the thicker toilet papers came out I thought I was in heaven. Until I thought about it. Our house was built in 1878. We quickly stopped buying them. A couple of weeks ago my mother-in-law's sewer backed up. Told hubby to find out what toilet paper she was using as the last time I was there I thought it was quite thick. Yes she had to pay someone to clean her line.
Denise Hosner
I have a friend in Wisconsin who will only buy Scott tissue because nothing else dissolves. When I visited, I was not allowed to flush the "flushable" Equate brand of wipes. (walmart).
Shannon
I agree with your friend. You should NEVER flush those "flushable" wipes. The do not break down. I have them at home and I put them in the trash after use.
B.L.H.
25 years or so ago, my daughter did a Science Fair project titled, Is Your Charmin Harming? It was basically this same experiment, with the conclusion that Charmin probably was not the best choice for our environment. It did not dissolve very well.
Jenifer
Yay for your daughter! She was ahead of the pack! :)
MissChris SA
Whoever thought human waste disposal and it's requirements could make such an interesting read!!!
I will have to test our local brands as well - will let you know the results!
Have a great day!
Elaine
I don't know what we'd do without you, Karen, doing all this important research stuff so we don't have to ... and more importantly, avoid potential problems. So, thank you for this informative post!
What bothers me is I'm sort of naive when it comes to advertising and tend to believe companies WAY too much. (Meaning that if a company says on their label "never clogs" or something similar, I'll buy it.). From now on, I'll pay more attention and buy the cheap stuff even if I have to replace the roll more frequently, it's a heck of a lot better than a plumber's bill. I'm going to pass this information on to my married children. Again, thank you!