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Related: Culture Forums, Support Forumsflushing a used up bar of soap down the toilet
Hubby and I disagree about this. I say that when the bar of soap is thinned out to a certain size you can safely flush it down the toilet. Hubby says no. Neither of us is a plumber.
What is the answer?
CousinIT
(9,245 posts)NO bar soap
NO dish soap
NO paper towels
NO facial tissue
NO disposable wipes (no matter what the labels say)
NO diapers
NO cat or pet litter (no matter what the labels say)
NO newspaper
NOTHING goes in the toilet except what's SUPPOSED to go there (water, poo, pee and toilet tissue). And some bleach or cleaner on a regular basis to clean it.
But that's just me. Plumbers are EXPENSIVE. I like to avoid them if at all possible. But I'm one of those nerdy people who remove the hose and cover my outdoor hose spigots in Winter too, so there's that.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)I kinda thought the soap would just dissolve and what's the difference if it is still a bar but you wash with it so the soap goes down anyway. So that was my rationale...
tenaciousdem
(104 posts)Seriously, poo, pee, and tp are the only things that should be going into your toilet.
Anything else will eventually stack up and then back up.
😁
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)always complains about the folks flushing down a disposible diaper.
What about wet wipes?
sl8
(13,781 posts)Yes, they will flush.
No, they don't break down (not quickly enough, anyway).
Yes, they cause septic/sewer problems.
CousinIT
(9,245 posts)Too risky and they're too thick and don't break down. Toilet isn't a trash can.
cyclonefence
(4,483 posts)waste water and risk damage to the plumbing when it's so easy to toss it into the trash can?
Or buy (or make) a little mesh bag to hang in the shower and put little slivers of soap in it, thus creating an excellent exfoliator?
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)CousinIT
(9,245 posts)lastlib
(23,239 posts)Haven't had a sliver of soap to discard in a couple decades.
Aristus
(66,380 posts)n/t
exboyfil
(17,863 posts)Someone keeps flushing paper towels down the toilet. We have had to shut half the bathroom several times because of it. We have signs on every stall in ten different languages telling people to not do this.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,106 posts)the metal inserts that hospitals have to keep wipes from getting into the lines. I can't remember what they are called, but they are installed in every hospital toilet.
FBaggins
(26,743 posts)When a bar of soap is "used up"... it's gone.
LuckyCharms
(17,441 posts)Don't ask me how I know. Bad childhood memory.
safeinOhio
(32,685 posts)I asked how often I should have it cleaned out. He said if it's just you, once every 10 years if at all. Then he said I shared with one female, every 5 years and if more than one, every two years or sooner.
genxlib
(5,528 posts)Just get the next bar wet and they will weld together with a little pressure.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)raccoon
(31,111 posts)Floyd R. Turbo
(26,547 posts)Kaleva
(36,307 posts)A small, thin bar of soap ought to be fine but I'd suggest just tossing it in the garbage.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,440 posts)My mom taught me at an early age to 'weld' that sliver of soap to the new bar by kneading them together. My mom was thrifty that way.
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)stupid not to use it (since I paid for it).
Lindsay
(3,276 posts)may be related.
I grew up with that one, too.
jpak
(41,758 posts)to make a new bar of soap.
:
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)I'm 3rd generation Texan. Born and raised in Dallas.
Your suggestion (and others before you on this thread) suggested the same idea. I don't know why I didn't think of that. It makes so much sense!
2naSalit
(86,636 posts)I'm guessing you don't have septic. Never flush soaps and such into a sewer system or septic system, especially solid soaps.
Freddie
(9,267 posts)Costs more but no soap scum in the shower or
dropping the slippery soap. Use liquid hand wash at the sink.
femmedem
(8,203 posts)hunter
(38,316 posts)It doesn't seem to rinse away.
That's why we use body wash.
I know people use water softeners but I hate dumping all that salt into the sewer.
Freddie
(9,267 posts)I feel cleaner with body wash plus its cleaner for the shower. We have to use distilled water in the coffee maker or it will clog up and ruin the coffee.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)I like the cocoanut scented body wash. I have same scent lotion for after the bath. Feels terrific!
Fla Dem
(23,677 posts)Last edited Wed Dec 4, 2019, 10:01 PM - Edit history (1)
Once its thin enough, just press it on a new bar and smooth out the edges so it forms a bond.
On Edit: I see many others have also suggested marrying the old thin bar with a new bar. Thought I was the only skin flint that did that. But seriously, why would you throw away soap that is still usable?
csziggy
(34,136 posts)For me to wash my hands with. When the next bar gets small, I "weld" it to the sliver of the previous bar. Sometimes the sliver gets away from me and goes down the drain. I figure if it is small enough to get down the pipe, it was sufficiently used.
panader0
(25,816 posts)I use Rid-X every coupla months. Believe me, you do NOT want to have
your septic tank worked on. I had to have mine cleaned once, and even though I
live in the boonies, I'm sure my neighbors knew. At least though, the tank is accessible. The
leach fields are not and digging them up is quite expensive. I use as little toilet
paper as I can. All the kids are long gone now, so that's four less poopers to
clog things up.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)panader0
(25,816 posts)that you could put your slivers in and they would become soft enough to
pump out.
MicaelS
(8,747 posts)Google "fatberg".
zanana1
(6,121 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)hallelujah, I have seen the light...
Tipperary
(6,930 posts)Genuinely curious. That being said, I also meld old slivers onto a new bar. Mom taught me that as a child.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)LeftInTX
(25,363 posts)Then you would have a solid in the trap. The solid can then trap toilet paper and poop, leading to a clog.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,492 posts)Bar soap isn't much different from all the other detergents we send down the drain but being a solid, the pieces may settle in the bottom of your large low-velocity sewer line and encourage buildups. Some soaps and all vegetable oils tend to build up in plumbing and attract paper fibers. Both will turn into waxy buildups if they sit in pipes for extended periods.
Better to just throw scrap bar soap in the garbage if you can't use it for a utility sink, lubricating drawer slides, etc.