Stop Flushing Tampons — Trust Me, My Plumbing Bill Is Expensive

A few years ago, I stumbled upon an eye-opening article that revealed a shocking truth: tampons shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet. At first, I tucked this piece of advice away under “Meh, whatever.” I believed it, but for 25 years, I had been flushing tampons without any issues. Surely, all those horror stories about blocked pipes and costly plumbing repairs were just for old houses with outdated plumbing. Right?

For a while after learning this disturbing fact, I felt a twinge of guilt each time I changed my tampon. I continued flushing, but with crossed fingers and a silent plea that everything would be okay. What was I supposed to do if I didn’t flush it? Toss it in the trash? No way!

I would see warnings in public restrooms and on tampon boxes, but they always seemed to refer to the applicators. I never flushed those, but surely the actual tampon could go down? Fast forward to now, and I’ve moved “don’t flush tampons” to the “Lessons Learned the Hard Way” section of my life experiences, alongside the realization that a shower curtain rod isn’t sturdy enough to hold a teenager’s weight.

Recently, we noticed an unpleasant odor in one of our bathrooms, akin to rotten eggs. My son mentioned that the bathtub wouldn’t drain, and soon enough, the toilet refused to flush. After a futile plunging session, I reluctantly suggested we call a plumber.

You can guess how this ended up — an $800 plumbing bill and a stern lecture about “not flushing feminine products.” The plumber mentioned that he had pulled out a large number of feminine products (and yes, he kept using that term like a high school health teacher from the ‘80s).

After processing the steep bill, I was shocked. Could tampons really be the culprits? I had flushed them for over 30 years without a hitch. While I’d like to say I’ve learned my lesson, old habits die hard. Part of me still believes that the issue stemmed from the two paper towels my son accidentally dropped in the toilet. It was just a coincidence that it happened during my period, right?

But let’s assume the tampons were indeed to blame. What are we expected to do with them? Are we truly supposed to toss these used items in the trash? Life just became a lot more complicated.

With my period approaching, I’m feeling anxious. How do I break this 30-year habit of flushing tampons? Am I really going to be taking out the trash multiple times a day? Should I switch to a menstrual cup? Everything sounds overwhelming, reminiscent of that time at a swim meet when a tampon string was visible from my swimsuit. What a nightmare!

As I contemplate the future, menopause doesn’t seem like such a bad option after all.

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Summary

Flushing tampons can lead to costly plumbing issues, something I learned the hard way after an expensive repair bill. Despite years of doing so without issues, the advice to avoid flushing has now stuck with me. With my period approaching, I must find alternatives to this long-standing habit — a challenge that feels daunting.