If you have a bottle of Clorox wipes in your medicine cabinet, don’t panic.
It’s never fun to accidentally dispose of something that’s meant to be discarded. However, you can breathe easy.
I trashed one of these wipes because I thought it was a water cleanser. It was actually a powerful disinfectant.
So, what should you do if you flushed a clorox wipe accidentally? If you flushed a clorox wipe by accident, don’t panic!
Clorox wipes are made out of non-toxic materials, so they won’t hurt you or the environment. However, they smell awful and stain clothes, so it’s not a good idea to throw the wipes in the garbage or flush them.
Instead, you should pour the wipes into a sealable bag or container and throw them in the trash. However, if the wipes are stained and smell bad, you can pour them down the drain and run the cold water for a while.
Finally, make sure to wash your hands after handling the wipes.
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What Happens If I Accidentally Flushed Clorox Wipe?
Clorox wipes are very useful for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in your home, office, or car.
However, they can present a significant safety hazard if they accidentally get flushed down the toilet.
Clorox wipes contain strong chemicals that can cause damage to sewage systems and septic tanks.
Furthermore, flushing Clorox wipes can be hazardous to people and animals.
For example, Clorox wipes can clog the toilet and block the plumbing system.
This can cause sewage to back up into your home or building.
Toilet clogs are also hazardous because raw sewage can spill onto the floor.
Raw sewage contains disease-causing bacteria that can cause serious illness or infection.
Finally, flushing Clorox wipes can be hazardous to pets and other animals.
For example, the wipes can block the septic system, causing sewage to back up into your home.
Raw sewage contains dangerous bacteria that can cause serious illness or infection.
For this reason, it’s important to never flush Clorox wipes.
What Should You Do If You Flushed A Clorox Wipe By Accident?
Test For Clogging
Before searching for a remedy, it’s critical to check the toilet for clogging.
Most of the time, a clogged toilet is caused by toilet paper or a feminine hygiene product that’s stuck in the pipes.
This implies it will pass through your plumbing system without any problems.
Of course, this does not imply you flush toilet paper or other products down the toilet regularly.
However, you should begin by testing your toilet for clogging before you do anything else.
If the water does not flush through after a few seconds of flushing, your toilet is clogged and you should call a plumber to fix it immediately.
Keep this in mind as you begin searching for a remedy for accidental flushing of clorox wipe.
Make Use Of A Toilet Plunger
You should consider purchasing a plunger from your local hardware store before anything else.
The idea is to try a solution before calling a plumber to repair the problem.
Most wipes will get sucked into a plunger’s rubber cup when it’s pushed down into the toilet bowl.
They will not go down the drainpipe because the suction force of the plunger is too strong for them to overcome.
This is great for you since it allows you to use a plunger to clear the clog in your toilet pipes without risking damage to your plumbing systems.
Make Use Of A Drain Snake
Next, you’ll want to call in the professionals for help in unclogging the drainpipes in your toilets, bathtubs, sinks, and other drains in your home.
This will take the pressure off of your plumbing and drainpipes while they’re being repaired by the professionals.
The goal of using this remedy is to restore normal flow to your plumbing and drainpipes as soon as possible.
You should try to press the Clorox wipe through the drainpipes and into the sewer system as soon as possible.
The drain snake may assist in the process if your drainpipes are relatively clean.
Hire a Plumber
This is the last option that you should consider if none of the previous remedies work for your clogged pipes.
It is unlikely that you will need to call a plumber to unclog your pipes if one of the remedies listed above works properly.
The idea behind this remedy is to hire a plumber that specializes in cleaning the plumbing systems in your home.
They will have the instruments needed for the job and they will not cause damage to your home while they’re fixing the problem.
Will Flushing One Wipe Clog Toilet?
To begin with, even if you just flush one wipe down the toilet, it’s not a good idea to do so. A single wipe might not block your toilet, but it may cause minor blockage to your toilet pipes.
Before you know that it’s true, the clog may spread to your plumbing system and cause major plumbing problems for your home.
You should consider throwing the wipe in the trash if you don’t need a Clorox wipe to clean a toilet or surface in your home.
How Long Can Wipes Stay in Pipes?
Within 24 hours, a normal wipe will dissolve completely in the sewer water that’s flowing through your sewage system.
Unfortunately, wipes might stick together when they’re flushed down the toilet together at the same time.
If enough wipes stick together within your sewage system, they will block up the entire pipe system and prevent waste from flowing freely through your drainage systems.
Also Read: Toilet Not Used For Months
Final Words
If you mistakenly flushed a Clorox wipe down the toilet, you shouldn’t panic because it is possible to remove clogs from toilets using simple household products.
Whether you flushed a Clorox wipe or any other brand of wipes, you can fix the problem yourself as long as you don’t try to force anything down the toilet bowl.
If so, try using a toilet plunger or a toilet auger before you call a professional plumber for assistance.
If this does not work, use a chemical cleaning solution to clear the clog in your toilet or sink pipes before calling a professional plumber for assistance.
This will assist them in locating the problem quickly so you won’t have to wait around for hours for them to arrive to fix the problem for you.
The last step will entail hiring a qualified plumber to remove the clog from your drainage system if you still cannot clear it on your own.
They’ll understand how to go about removing the clog without damaging the other parts of your plumbing system in the process.
You won’t have to worry about this as long as you hire a reliable and reputable plumber to assist you.
Always begin with a toilet plunger first before you resort to using a chemical cleaning solution to clear a clogged drain.
