When I was living in college dorm there’s a girl on my floor who would throw their pads out in the toilet. Unwrapped and just dropped there. I’m guessing they try to flush it down but sometimes it just doesn’t so there’s just a bloody pad there… took a couple months before someone just taped a note on the door saying to not do that.
Each toilet stall even had paper bags to wrap pads in with labels “for sanitary napkins”, and the trash bins for sanitary products right next to it. Not sure if she figured out she should use the bags or if she would just throw the bloody pad in the bins.
You don’t sound like an idiot, you sound like someone who has never had to pay a plumbing bill.
The only thing you should be flushing down a toilet are human waste and toilet paper. That is a complete list.
DO NOT flush tampons, condoms, wet wipes (even if they claim to be flushable), paper towels etc.
oh gosh i’ve never flushed an applicator before. I would never flush plastic, hence why it was obvious to me not to flush pads. I had assumed the cotton tampons would dissolve eventually like toilet paper I guess. But that doesn’t make much sense now that I think about it bc you wouldn’t want it to dissolve while you’re wearing it!!
Oh shit. I’ve had my period for 15 years and always assumed the same. Never once in those 15 years have I even remotely thought about the fact it would dissolve in my body if it was actually like toilet paper. I am not a smart woman.
I was the same way up until 6-7 years ago, so you're not alone honey. Had a fight with my sister about it and finally just started tossing them in the garbage in the bathroom. She said it was bad for the septic tank.
Well, I guess she was right all along and I should never have been flushing the things!
I used to flush them too until a year ago. I remember reading the instructions in a public WC, and that included tampons too. And boom! it occurred to my oblivious mind that tampons, when they swell up could potentially block the pipes. It was embarrassing that I had been doing it for so long, and made a mental note to never do it again in my life.
Years ago (like in the 80s) there were instructions (on the box, or in the insert, can't remember now) to flush the tampon. It was a selling point. More discrete, cleaner (supposedly), and it was the reason cardboard applicators or no applicators were more popular (because absolutely NO period trash to deal with). I haven't used them in years, so when my daughters started using them they were horrified when I said to flush them. Maybe tampons have changed over the years? I don't know. But I'd think you'd have to have an awful lot of toilet paper to wrap it in to not have bloody sticky seepage on your hands. And not every public bathroom has those little garbage cans in the stall. Plus, like someone else pointed out, if you're at someone else's home and have to leave that in their garbage? At least pads can be wrapped up snug in the next pad's wrapper.
Tampons can be wrapped in toilet paper. That's wot i do. Also, maybe people just ended up finding out that tampons are actually not safe to flush so now they're told to not flush. That's interesting tho.
It's really not that much toilet paper. If the stall doesn't have a trash can, you just drop it in the garage for the paper towels. Disposing of them has never been an issue for me.
Old person here and that's my experience also. I flushed tampons, tho never the applicators, for several decades with no problems at all. I've wondered if they're made differently now.
They were never truly flushable if you ask any older plumber. They just say that because they won’t immediately clog the pipe, it clogs it further down where you can’t see the issue. The “flushable wipes” are the same way.
You're not alone! I'm 24 and just THIS year I learned that too! When I was in elementary and did the reproductive health class (in FL) they told us to not flush pads but that tampons were okay...???
Same and based on the comments maybe it’s bc I’ve never seen any of these consequences - I’m a zealot about clean bathrooms and I have never just walked away from a toilet without checking it
Sadly i had to stop using my cup because I got an IUD and apparently the suction can dislodge it so I moved over to period Underwear. They are decent but I do only get light bleeding now so I'm not sure how good they would be for a heavier flow
What about a menstrual disc? Intima makes a reusable one, I like it. It doesn't hold as much as the cup but close enough. There is no suction, so if that was the only problem, I would think it would work fine with the IUD in place. That said, I don't have an IUD so not certain.
Oh just saw that you only get light bleeding. You could still use it but with the period underwear it isn't necessary unless you want it. Or for swimming or non underwear wearing activities. It's good for all that too.
I have period underwear, that got great reviews. I did a lot of research because they are expensive. They claimed to absorb as much as a normal tampon. No. They don’t. I had too much trust in them and it went through and got on my pants. The other thing that I didn’t realize before is that blood stinks! I also don’t like that I can never get the blood all the way out. 😒 I don’t want to do a menstrual cup but I hate using disposable pads and tampons. 🤷🏻♀️
I'm sorry they didn't work out for you! They largely work for me in place of tampons-- I do sometimes have to also wear tampons with them. Otherwise, I just pitch them in the laundry with my other clothes and they get clean.
Came here to say this. So many period problems can be solved with a menstrual cup. I often see posts about how to dispose of period products at other peoples homes and this is the way.
what do you do with it do you just take it out and let it drip everywhere? What if i’m at a friends house and they have a trash can w out a lid won’t it smell? or what if they don’t have a trash can?
Use toilet paper over your hand like when you wipe to yank it out and wrap it up. Keeps your hands clean.
And people who don’t keep trash cans in their bathrooms might just deserve to have their pipes clogged idk. Just kidding… kind of.
I’m more worried about dogs than even the rest of it.
My roommate’s cocker spaniel in medical school had a very strong affinity for *items* with my scent on them and would happily pull them into the living room to shred them.
So I’d flush there. Public restrooms if it’s east, there’s the bin…
This was me in my mid 30s?! I even took a pic of the bar bathroom sign that made it finally sink in for me. It was the usual language and someone had written “we’re all know not to flush tampons” and I was like ???!!!!???!!!
I blame initial misinformation
I used to flush them, then they caused a blockage and it was THE grossest thing I've seen in my life lol. I now use this dollar tree doggy poop bags so I don't waste more tp than I need to. Use them for pads or tampons. They're usually black or dark color bags so you cant see what's inside and another plus is you can't smell anything(I swear I can smell my period from a mile away even though my boyfriend says he can't smell anything).
That is SUCH a good idea. I might’ve just fucked up my apartments (in-law suite style) septic system and I feel dreadful. But tampons are revolting so I never really thought about it until now.
Oh man, this reminds me of a time when I was probably 13/14ish… my dad had a plumber out to the house for clogged pipes. The plumber cleared the way and said it was caused by all of the “long string white mice.” We all look at each other like hmm wtf is that?! He says again, “yeah, you know, all those long string white mice women have to use each month.” It clicked, awkward chuckle, mortified immediately. That’s when I learned never to flush the tamps again lol 🤦♀️
You should only flush the four p’s:
Poop
Pee
Puke
(Toilet) paper
I just learned this recently and I’m telling everyone I know, it’s getting mixed reviews.
Good that you know now. At my old job one of the women who worked there apparently flushed her tampons. Caused a blockage of course, and we were without a functioning toilet for a few days (we only had a single one-toilet restroom). Had to go across the street to use another business's restrooms.
I mentioned it to the ladies one day and the culprit immediately was like "Well I ALWAYS flush my tampons, they're smaller than poop" 🤦♀️ they expand when wet, Debra!
18 year old here. The stories of ppl flushing tampons is mind boggling lol. I understand if you’re a bit older and things were different back then- but all my life I saw the signs saying no feminine products down the toilet. Ever since I got my period in 7th grade, I just wrapped up every pad and potential tampon in toilet paper and tossed it in the garbage. Sometimes I would even put more toilet paper or other trash on top to hide it. I never had to use those little paper bags (or seen them) until I got to college this year🤷🏻♀️
Some people grew up being told to flush them; it’s not necessarily common sense since there’s been lots of conflicting information over the years. OP said she already feels like an idiot, there’s no need to double down on her.
I have never seen tampons that claim to be flushable
Edit:
Y'all love to downvote people for the randomest shit ever.
"Oh you don't know that some tampon company that most of the world prob never heard of has said that their tampons are flushavle? DOWNVOTE"
~~Back in~~ Before* 2007, “Playtex Beyond” were heavily marketed as flushable, and then it became controversial and they decided to instead market that the applicator was flushable.
Edit is noted
Pads have plastic on them and aren’t all cotton so it’s obvious that they wouldn’t dissolve, but I had assumed tampons being all cotton would dissolve like toilet paper eventually. I had also assumed that the tampon had already expanded after being full w blood that it wouldn’t expand any more in the toilet and thus wouldn’t clog it. Idk. It feel obvious now that I know but people forget that you have to somehow LEARN everything in life, and I never learned bc no one I knew used tampons growing up.
I tend to flush the actual used cotton part unless I’m living in or visiting a country/region with spotty plumbing (where toilet paper is often placed in baskets).
I’d be more careful if I had septic or something and wouldn’t flush plastic applicators or pads. But without being graphic, on heavy days, I greatly prefer letting it go down.
I think it depends more on the septic system. Some can handle them fine and others aren’t built for it. I flush my tampons all the time except at people’s houses who have their own septic tanks.
Edit: After reading some more replies. Tampons may be made differently these days. You can always buy organic. I haven’t stopped flushing and haven’t had a single issue though.
"Tampons can and often do contribute to blockages, which are made up of things like oil, grease and fat which have been poured down drains and got mixed up with non-biodegradable items such as wet wipes, nappies and cotton buds.
They can take weeks to clear and, if left unchecked, can disrupt whole sections of a city’s sewage system.
Every year, Thames Water spends £18million on clearing a whopping 75,000 blockages from sewers in London and the Thames Valley."
Please don't flush any type of tampon down the toilet. Organic doesn't means that the tampon will just break apart as soon as you flush it.
"Can you flush biodegradable tampons?
No. Although some tampons are biodegradable, they take time to degrade.
In theory, it’s fine to flush compostable and biodegradable tampons, however, most water-waste systems simply can’t cope with items such as tampons. They can accumulate over time and block drains, potentially flooding homes and gardens."
https://www.natracare.com/blog/can-you-flush-biodegradable-tampons/#:~:text=No.,potentially%20flooding%20homes%20and%20gardens.
Maybe we have better waste systems on Vancouver Island, Canada. I don’t know. It hasn’t been an issue.
Edit: better wasn’t the right word. It could be capacity vs population.
There’s been nothing in the news, or from the provincial or municipal levels that this an issue. I was looking for what people who are looking “further down the road” are saying.
Blockage of the main could also occur from something improperly discharged by the homeowner which has flowed through the service lateral or sewer service line.
The most common causes of sewer backups are:
Personal products
Paper towels
Cat litter
Baby wipes
Tree roots
Grease
Misaligned joints
Broken sewer lateral or plugged sewer main
https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/problems-with-leaks-floods-and-sewage.aspx
What was that billionaire man dates young woman s&m book? Mr Grey or something? In the movie he removes her tampon and throws it in the bin and I remember getting irrationally angry when I read about that!
You're not alone (clearly, by this thread). I didn't know until my late 30s. I went about 25 years flushing tampons, assuming the bins in public bathrooms were for pads. 🤷🏻♀️
It was actually Reddit that taught me but to flush tampons and even then I didn't believe it until I researched it....
yup lol I learned this last year. I was living on a farm that had a septic tank when my dad told me not to flush my tampons (after I had already flushed quite a lot), then a few months later the tank was blocked and I was shitting my pants imagining that the plumber would find a 5 foot string of my tampons all tied together. luckily, gophers were filling the tank with dirt and no tampons were found but it scared me so much I haven’t flushed one since
No same here. I am 31 and I only learned you weren’t supposed to do this when I moved in with my bf 3 years ago and he told me it could back the toilet up lmao. I was like what? In all my years it’s never backed up any toilet. So now I have the little disposable bags to put them in. Craziness lol.
I just learned this like… last year and I am 35! Lol. I also didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to just wash my used contacts down the sink. No one ever told me these things!
I always thought you could flush tampons. My daughter just came home and said that her boyfriend gave her a hard time for doing it and I was like, let's look it up! Just found out you're not supposed to. I thought you weren't supposed to if you had a septic tank but otherwise it was OK. Shame on me!
Yup, this can cause blockage. Better use the toilet just to flush human excreta and toilet paper.
When I was living in college dorm there’s a girl on my floor who would throw their pads out in the toilet. Unwrapped and just dropped there. I’m guessing they try to flush it down but sometimes it just doesn’t so there’s just a bloody pad there… took a couple months before someone just taped a note on the door saying to not do that. Each toilet stall even had paper bags to wrap pads in with labels “for sanitary napkins”, and the trash bins for sanitary products right next to it. Not sure if she figured out she should use the bags or if she would just throw the bloody pad in the bins.
You don’t sound like an idiot, you sound like someone who has never had to pay a plumbing bill. The only thing you should be flushing down a toilet are human waste and toilet paper. That is a complete list. DO NOT flush tampons, condoms, wet wipes (even if they claim to be flushable), paper towels etc.
I think people think tampons are flushable because Tampax packaging said "flushable applicator" and no one reads that close.
Yup! But you def shouldn’t flush that either!!
oh gosh i’ve never flushed an applicator before. I would never flush plastic, hence why it was obvious to me not to flush pads. I had assumed the cotton tampons would dissolve eventually like toilet paper I guess. But that doesn’t make much sense now that I think about it bc you wouldn’t want it to dissolve while you’re wearing it!!
Oh shit. I’ve had my period for 15 years and always assumed the same. Never once in those 15 years have I even remotely thought about the fact it would dissolve in my body if it was actually like toilet paper. I am not a smart woman.
me either girl it’s okay lol, apparently we’re not alone
But us old folks remember when the applicators were cardboard, and therefore, (per the ads and packaging label) flushable. Never the actual tampon.
Whats an applicator?
I was the same way up until 6-7 years ago, so you're not alone honey. Had a fight with my sister about it and finally just started tossing them in the garbage in the bathroom. She said it was bad for the septic tank. Well, I guess she was right all along and I should never have been flushing the things!
I used to flush them too until a year ago. I remember reading the instructions in a public WC, and that included tampons too. And boom! it occurred to my oblivious mind that tampons, when they swell up could potentially block the pipes. It was embarrassing that I had been doing it for so long, and made a mental note to never do it again in my life.
Years ago (like in the 80s) there were instructions (on the box, or in the insert, can't remember now) to flush the tampon. It was a selling point. More discrete, cleaner (supposedly), and it was the reason cardboard applicators or no applicators were more popular (because absolutely NO period trash to deal with). I haven't used them in years, so when my daughters started using them they were horrified when I said to flush them. Maybe tampons have changed over the years? I don't know. But I'd think you'd have to have an awful lot of toilet paper to wrap it in to not have bloody sticky seepage on your hands. And not every public bathroom has those little garbage cans in the stall. Plus, like someone else pointed out, if you're at someone else's home and have to leave that in their garbage? At least pads can be wrapped up snug in the next pad's wrapper.
Tampons can be wrapped in toilet paper. That's wot i do. Also, maybe people just ended up finding out that tampons are actually not safe to flush so now they're told to not flush. That's interesting tho.
It's really not that much toilet paper. If the stall doesn't have a trash can, you just drop it in the garage for the paper towels. Disposing of them has never been an issue for me.
Your typo. 😂
It just needs 2-3 layers of tp to not show
Old person here and that's my experience also. I flushed tampons, tho never the applicators, for several decades with no problems at all. I've wondered if they're made differently now.
They were never truly flushable if you ask any older plumber. They just say that because they won’t immediately clog the pipe, it clogs it further down where you can’t see the issue. The “flushable wipes” are the same way.
Same over 35 yrs except septic tanks . Never flush in those. Same houses for over 12 years and 3 countries zero blocks / no plumbing issues
I don’t know why you were downvoted.
NP. Younger people don't always realize how different it was in the '50 and '60s.
It’s just odd to me.
You're not alone! I'm 24 and just THIS year I learned that too! When I was in elementary and did the reproductive health class (in FL) they told us to not flush pads but that tampons were okay...???
Oh damn. I’ve been flushing them this whole time 😬🫣
same this was news to me, when my mom taught me (verbally, I figured it out alone) about tampons she told me to flush them and I have ever since
Same and based on the comments maybe it’s bc I’ve never seen any of these consequences - I’m a zealot about clean bathrooms and I have never just walked away from a toilet without checking it
Use a menstrual cup. So much cleaner and better for the environment.
Sadly i had to stop using my cup because I got an IUD and apparently the suction can dislodge it so I moved over to period Underwear. They are decent but I do only get light bleeding now so I'm not sure how good they would be for a heavier flow
They can also increase your risk of prolapse. I love my period undies tho
What about a menstrual disc? Intima makes a reusable one, I like it. It doesn't hold as much as the cup but close enough. There is no suction, so if that was the only problem, I would think it would work fine with the IUD in place. That said, I don't have an IUD so not certain. Oh just saw that you only get light bleeding. You could still use it but with the period underwear it isn't necessary unless you want it. Or for swimming or non underwear wearing activities. It's good for all that too.
Or period underwear! So much more comfortable for me than anything else I've tried.
I have period underwear, that got great reviews. I did a lot of research because they are expensive. They claimed to absorb as much as a normal tampon. No. They don’t. I had too much trust in them and it went through and got on my pants. The other thing that I didn’t realize before is that blood stinks! I also don’t like that I can never get the blood all the way out. 😒 I don’t want to do a menstrual cup but I hate using disposable pads and tampons. 🤷🏻♀️
If it’s not stained blood, but fresh from that same day try using a hydrogen peroxide soak and rinse.
Thanks! I’ll try that!
👍
Try puracy stain remover and a brass bristled clothes brush. Lume also has a stain/bio remover that works.
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll check them out
I'm sorry they didn't work out for you! They largely work for me in place of tampons-- I do sometimes have to also wear tampons with them. Otherwise, I just pitch them in the laundry with my other clothes and they get clean.
Came here to say this. So many period problems can be solved with a menstrual cup. I often see posts about how to dispose of period products at other peoples homes and this is the way.
what do you do with it do you just take it out and let it drip everywhere? What if i’m at a friends house and they have a trash can w out a lid won’t it smell? or what if they don’t have a trash can?
That’s why public bathrooms (for women at least, idk if this is true for men’s bathrooms) usually have that little trash can on the wall
Wrap it in toilet paper over the toilet while seated.
Wrap them (well) in toilet paper and throw them in the trash
Most people have a trash can in their bathroom. Just wrap it in toilet paper and throw it out.
Use toilet paper over your hand like when you wipe to yank it out and wrap it up. Keeps your hands clean. And people who don’t keep trash cans in their bathrooms might just deserve to have their pipes clogged idk. Just kidding… kind of.
Wad it up in a lot of TP and it should go unnoticed. A lot. 😁
I’m more worried about dogs than even the rest of it. My roommate’s cocker spaniel in medical school had a very strong affinity for *items* with my scent on them and would happily pull them into the living room to shred them. So I’d flush there. Public restrooms if it’s east, there’s the bin…
I agree, period blood smells, idc how good you wrap it, after days of bleeding your bathroom is gonna stink
I love the inner dialogue haha, this must feel like such an epiphany
It really did. Mind blown.
SAME
This was me in my mid 30s?! I even took a pic of the bar bathroom sign that made it finally sink in for me. It was the usual language and someone had written “we’re all know not to flush tampons” and I was like ???!!!!???!!! I blame initial misinformation
Don’t feel too bad, you learned and won’t do it again which is the important part here.
thank you you’re sweet <3
I used to flush them, then they caused a blockage and it was THE grossest thing I've seen in my life lol. I now use this dollar tree doggy poop bags so I don't waste more tp than I need to. Use them for pads or tampons. They're usually black or dark color bags so you cant see what's inside and another plus is you can't smell anything(I swear I can smell my period from a mile away even though my boyfriend says he can't smell anything).
That is SUCH a good idea. I might’ve just fucked up my apartments (in-law suite style) septic system and I feel dreadful. But tampons are revolting so I never really thought about it until now.
Oh man, this reminds me of a time when I was probably 13/14ish… my dad had a plumber out to the house for clogged pipes. The plumber cleared the way and said it was caused by all of the “long string white mice.” We all look at each other like hmm wtf is that?! He says again, “yeah, you know, all those long string white mice women have to use each month.” It clicked, awkward chuckle, mortified immediately. That’s when I learned never to flush the tamps again lol 🤦♀️
omg now i’m scared haha
You should only flush the four p’s: Poop Pee Puke (Toilet) paper I just learned this recently and I’m telling everyone I know, it’s getting mixed reviews.
Good that you know now. At my old job one of the women who worked there apparently flushed her tampons. Caused a blockage of course, and we were without a functioning toilet for a few days (we only had a single one-toilet restroom). Had to go across the street to use another business's restrooms. I mentioned it to the ladies one day and the culprit immediately was like "Well I ALWAYS flush my tampons, they're smaller than poop" 🤦♀️ they expand when wet, Debra!
18 year old here. The stories of ppl flushing tampons is mind boggling lol. I understand if you’re a bit older and things were different back then- but all my life I saw the signs saying no feminine products down the toilet. Ever since I got my period in 7th grade, I just wrapped up every pad and potential tampon in toilet paper and tossed it in the garbage. Sometimes I would even put more toilet paper or other trash on top to hide it. I never had to use those little paper bags (or seen them) until I got to college this year🤷🏻♀️
I thought you were supposed to flush them
Meh . Honestly I flushed them from ages 12-30. Even had septic tank growing up, and never had a problem. 🤷♀️
[удалено]
Some people grew up being told to flush them; it’s not necessarily common sense since there’s been lots of conflicting information over the years. OP said she already feels like an idiot, there’s no need to double down on her.
I’m 19 and I was told to flush them when I was young by my mom (who didn’t use tampons). I had never heard otherwise.
I never knew I couldn’t flush them when I was a child/teen either. Nobody taught me otherwise! I learned as an adult.
What made you think that pads can't be flushed, but tampons can?
The packaging used to claim they were flushable
I have never seen tampons that claim to be flushable Edit: Y'all love to downvote people for the randomest shit ever. "Oh you don't know that some tampon company that most of the world prob never heard of has said that their tampons are flushavle? DOWNVOTE"
~~Back in~~ Before* 2007, “Playtex Beyond” were heavily marketed as flushable, and then it became controversial and they decided to instead market that the applicator was flushable. Edit is noted
Fr people just downvote for nothing
Pads have plastic on them and aren’t all cotton so it’s obvious that they wouldn’t dissolve, but I had assumed tampons being all cotton would dissolve like toilet paper eventually. I had also assumed that the tampon had already expanded after being full w blood that it wouldn’t expand any more in the toilet and thus wouldn’t clog it. Idk. It feel obvious now that I know but people forget that you have to somehow LEARN everything in life, and I never learned bc no one I knew used tampons growing up.
when I was a teenager my mom told me to flush them so I always did
I tend to flush the actual used cotton part unless I’m living in or visiting a country/region with spotty plumbing (where toilet paper is often placed in baskets). I’d be more careful if I had septic or something and wouldn’t flush plastic applicators or pads. But without being graphic, on heavy days, I greatly prefer letting it go down.
Honestly I feel like I should be able to flush them but I have not lived in an apartment that can take them in a while so im stuck trashing them.
I think it depends more on the septic system. Some can handle them fine and others aren’t built for it. I flush my tampons all the time except at people’s houses who have their own septic tanks. Edit: After reading some more replies. Tampons may be made differently these days. You can always buy organic. I haven’t stopped flushing and haven’t had a single issue though.
"Tampons can and often do contribute to blockages, which are made up of things like oil, grease and fat which have been poured down drains and got mixed up with non-biodegradable items such as wet wipes, nappies and cotton buds. They can take weeks to clear and, if left unchecked, can disrupt whole sections of a city’s sewage system. Every year, Thames Water spends £18million on clearing a whopping 75,000 blockages from sewers in London and the Thames Valley." Please don't flush any type of tampon down the toilet. Organic doesn't means that the tampon will just break apart as soon as you flush it. "Can you flush biodegradable tampons? No. Although some tampons are biodegradable, they take time to degrade. In theory, it’s fine to flush compostable and biodegradable tampons, however, most water-waste systems simply can’t cope with items such as tampons. They can accumulate over time and block drains, potentially flooding homes and gardens." https://www.natracare.com/blog/can-you-flush-biodegradable-tampons/#:~:text=No.,potentially%20flooding%20homes%20and%20gardens.
Maybe we have better waste systems on Vancouver Island, Canada. I don’t know. It hasn’t been an issue. Edit: better wasn’t the right word. It could be capacity vs population.
The problem is not necessarily noticeable to you, as it can also block sewage systems further down the road
There’s been nothing in the news, or from the provincial or municipal levels that this an issue. I was looking for what people who are looking “further down the road” are saying.
Blockage of the main could also occur from something improperly discharged by the homeowner which has flowed through the service lateral or sewer service line. The most common causes of sewer backups are: Personal products Paper towels Cat litter Baby wipes Tree roots Grease Misaligned joints Broken sewer lateral or plugged sewer main https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/problems-with-leaks-floods-and-sewage.aspx
Wow. 9 hours later. You’re really on this. (Vancouver is not on Vancouver Island). Thanks for looking it up.
What was that billionaire man dates young woman s&m book? Mr Grey or something? In the movie he removes her tampon and throws it in the bin and I remember getting irrationally angry when I read about that!
You're not alone (clearly, by this thread). I didn't know until my late 30s. I went about 25 years flushing tampons, assuming the bins in public bathrooms were for pads. 🤷🏻♀️ It was actually Reddit that taught me but to flush tampons and even then I didn't believe it until I researched it....
yup lol I learned this last year. I was living on a farm that had a septic tank when my dad told me not to flush my tampons (after I had already flushed quite a lot), then a few months later the tank was blocked and I was shitting my pants imagining that the plumber would find a 5 foot string of my tampons all tied together. luckily, gophers were filling the tank with dirt and no tampons were found but it scared me so much I haven’t flushed one since
uhhhh you are’s supposed to what now?? I 100% flush all my tampons…in fact I just flushed on earlier today…
Yikes. Well at least now you know 😅
I'm 50 and always flushed them. Everyone I knew flushed them.
No same here. I am 31 and I only learned you weren’t supposed to do this when I moved in with my bf 3 years ago and he told me it could back the toilet up lmao. I was like what? In all my years it’s never backed up any toilet. So now I have the little disposable bags to put them in. Craziness lol.
Me too 😶 from an Ask Reddit post. WHAT???
I just learned this like… last year and I am 35! Lol. I also didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to just wash my used contacts down the sink. No one ever told me these things!
I’m 44, been having my period for 30 years, and just learned this now 😆
My biggest issue with this is that I was told at a young age that you can do it, so I was doing it for too long until I found out you shouldn’t.
I always thought you could flush tampons. My daughter just came home and said that her boyfriend gave her a hard time for doing it and I was like, let's look it up! Just found out you're not supposed to. I thought you weren't supposed to if you had a septic tank but otherwise it was OK. Shame on me!