When I stumbled upon an article (on this very site!) a few years back revealing the shocking truth that tampons shouldn’t be flushed, I tucked that info away in the “meh, whatever” section of my mind. It’s not that I doubted the advice; I simply couldn’t comprehend it. After all, I had been flushing tampons for 25 years without any issues. Surely, those horror stories about clogged pipes and hefty plumbing bills were just for old houses, right?
For a few months after I learned this rather life-altering information, I felt a twinge of guilt every time I changed a tampon. I kept flushing them, but now with crossed fingers and a silent prayer that the toilet wouldn’t revolt. What was the alternative? Toss it in the trash? No, thank you!
Public bathrooms had signs warning against flushing tampons, but surely they were referring to the applicators, right? I never flushed those. But that bloody piece you pull out—surely that could be flushed! Fast forward a few years, and I’ve now placed “don’t flush tampons” firmly in the “Lessons Learned the Hard Way” category along with the realization that a shower curtain rod can’t hold the weight of a teenager. #TrueStory
A few weeks ago, I noticed an unpleasant odor wafting from one of our bathrooms—like rotten eggs. That’s peculiar, I thought. Then my son mentioned the bathtub was completely clogged. The toilet soon followed suit, refusing to flush no matter how much I plunged.
“Looks like we need a plumber,” I told my husband. You can guess how this tale unfolds…$800 later, and after receiving a stern “stop flushing feminine products” lecture from the plumber, the issue was resolved. He mentioned not once, not twice, but three times that he had removed “a lot of feminine products”—his wording reminiscent of a high school health teacher in the ‘80s.
Now, having recovered from the financial shock, my reaction is: WTAF?! Tampons caused this? I still can’t wrap my head around it. I’ve flushed tampons for over 30 years without any issues. While I’d like to think I’ve learned my lesson and will never flush another tampon, old habits die hard. Part of me still believes that the problem originated from the two paper towels my son tossed, which I was too lazy to retrieve. It just happened to coincide with my period, right? RIGHT?!
But let’s assume flushed tampons were indeed the culprit behind this expensive plumbing fiasco—what on earth are we supposed to do with them? Are we really meant to toss that bloody cotton ball in the garbage? Life just got significantly more complicated. My period is approaching, and I’m starting to panic. How can I break a 30-year habit of flushing tampons? Will I be taking out the trash multiple times a day? Should I switch to a menstrual cup? It all seems overwhelming, reminiscent of that time I had a tampon string hanging out of my swimsuit during a high school swim meet. Talk about embarrassing!
Menopause is starting to look pretty appealing right about now.
If you’re looking for more insights on this topic, check out this post that dives deeper into the challenges of home insemination. Additionally, Make a Mom offers expert advice on fertility journeys. For an excellent resource on pregnancy and home insemination, visit the Genetics and IVF Institute.
Probable Search Queries:
- Ways to dispose of tampons
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Summary:
Flushing tampons can lead to significant plumbing issues, as revealed by a personal experience. Despite years of the practice without incident, the author faced a costly plumbing bill due to this habit. The article discusses the challenges of changing long-standing behaviors and explores alternatives for tampon disposal.
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