Any chemical that might dissolve wet wipes?

[Karlsenkystfiske]

Package says it will degrade in 12 weeks. Is there anything that might speed up the process? Asking for a friend

 

[ctva]

Sulphuric acid?

 

[Minerva]

Think you’re going to have to get your hands dirty!

There’s very good reason the water companies implore you not to flush them!

 

[Freebee]

in bulk they don't really dissolve , don't ask me how I know!

 

[Ian_Edwards]

My sister flushed one down a Tecmar electric toilet. It got wrapped around the impeller/macerator. I tried concentrated bleach, brick cleaner and various proprietary drain "unblockers", not all at the same time! And over a period of weeks.
Nothing I could find worked, I eventually gave in, and took the system apart, which involved un-bolting the complete toilet bowl and macerator assembly, lifting it out into the cockpit, then dismantling it, to find a very clean wet wipe wrapped tightly around the shaft of the macerator.
So from my experience, no they don't dissolve.

 

[Sandydog2]

The 12 weeks mentioned on the packaging is how long it takes for 90% to break up (not compost) in ideal, highly managed, conditions. This involves composting at 58C with other organic compost around it. They won't break up much at all in that time without these conditions. If they did, they would degrade in the packet.

 

[johnalison]

Piranha Solution?

 

[Stemar]

Piranha Solution?

Best used on people who flush the damned things

 

[Ian_Edwards]

My solution was and is, to tell my sister that if she put a wet wipe down the toilet again, she was unblocking the toilet!
It seems to have worked, so far.

 

[steveeasy]

Sorry but they are an unnecessary evil. Should be banned.

Steveeasy

 

[Momac]

My daughter and her husband stupidly flushed so called 'flushable' wet wipes down the house toilet . No chemical would shift the blockage . I believe the drain cleaning guy charged them £250.

 

[Neeves]

If you keep up to date with the media you will know that plastics and micro-plastics are pollutants. We also learn that micro plastics are found in our, or animals, bodies, rain water and most, or all, of our fish. It seems that even micro plastics survive for more than 12 weeks (though that 'timing' refers to wet wipes 'degrading' whatever that actually means.

Wet wipes are in fact plastics well made and packaged to confuse their background (fantastic marketing), a bit like your shirt or bed linen is part or wholly plastic (it would be unusual to be linen). Your shirt last for ever even if washed every time you use it - and washing machines and detergent are not that kind. You would rightly worry if your shirt lasted only 12 weeks and then 'degraded'.

Why would anyone think wet wipes have a finite life span

Wet wipes and similar products made on a paper machine are not made from wood pulp or even cotton or linen fibres but are made from polyester and polypropylene fibres aka plastic fibres.

 

[Freebee]

at one time there was an ad campaign on tv in uk showing wipes being used to clean wc and simply flushed after use, the general public here thought because of this it was OK to do

 

[Sandydog2]

Why would anyone think wet wipes have a finite life span

Because it says on the packet that they degrade in 12 weeks and people generally just see that and believe it without asking what it actually means. Many still say 'flushable' too.

Even the non plastic ones obviously don't degrade in the packet which was why I looked up what 'degrade' actually meant. There is a clearly defined standard to meet of 90% of the fibres being less than 2mm long after 12 weeks in the ideal conditions I mentioned earlier.

Real life conditions will be nothing like these. I've made the mistake before of putting 'compostable' bags in my compost bin. Every year when I use the compost I take them out the bottom and drop them in the top. They take about 4 years to break down and they are far thinner than wet wipes.

Marketing is extremely powerful. People generally have very little idea of what they are buying. Most have no idea what 'organic', 'free range', 'little red tractor' etc actually mean.

It saddens me to see shopping trolleys full of organic food in plastic packaging alongside such abominations as plug in 'air fresheners'.

 

[steveeasy]

I’m sure it was only last year a major company launched. Wet wipe that was attached to a handle to clean floors right when Global warming was a hot topic. Utter madness like we need disposable mops. Still people bought them. Thats how little progress has been made.

Steveeasy

 

[Freebee]

why not run a campaign to have plastic wipes banned???

 

[Sandydog2]

why not run a campaign to have plastic wipes banned???

Consultation launched to ban wet wipes containing plastic. The non plastic ones will still get flushed though so the blockages will continue.

 

[Freebee]

non plastic stands a chance of being dissolved after all semi water proof paper has been going down the bog since man discovered torn up Daily Mirror(other newspapers are available) did the job as well as san izal does................... and that's not saying much!!

 

[Sandydog2]

...

 

[Freebee]

i think we all know that