Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. Let's say your nose is running, so you run to the restroom for a tissue, and then realize that that familiar cardboard box is empty. What's a nasal drip sufferer to do? Unroll a bit
of toilet paper instead. Of course, we may use tissues and toilet paper interchangeably sometimes, but the truth is there are some important differences between the two, and knowing what they are could save you some hassle in the long run.
Toilet paper and facial tissue are both made up of paper pulp, and both are meant to be discarded after a single use, but most of their commonalities and there A. Facial tissue has a smoother surface than toilet paper, which makes it feel softer on the skin, and facial tissue is often imbued with lotions and scents designed to make the nose blowing experience more pleasant. While toilet tissue does not usually have those additions, it does have one important
feature that facial tissue does not. Toilet paper easily dissolves in water. It takes just one to four minutes toilet papers quick dissolve qualities are engineered to help it pass through pipes or septic systems and to be processed by municipals se are treatment plants. In contrast, facial tissue is usually infused with a chemical binder that helps the tissue retain its shape. It has wet strength so that it doesn't disintegrate when exposed to whatever you're blowing out of
your nose. While these properties come in handy for nose blowing, its ability to help tissue hold its shape is bad for pipes, septic systems, and water treatment plants. Facial tissues should not be flushed down a toilet because those tissues will not dissolve as readily as toilet paper, and because they can gum up the works. But it's not just facial tissues that wreak havoc once they're flushed down the
toilet and out of sight. Everything from flushable wipes to dental floss has the potential to cause expensive problems at household pipes or at water treatment plants if they go down the drain. An experiment conducted by the City of Spokane, Washington, found that flushed dental floss Q tips, tampons, pads, and cat litter not only did not dissolve, but wrapped around the propeller that was agitating them in the water during testing. In a real life scenario, this translates into sewer treatment
plant equipment breakdowns that can cost thousands of dollars. Spokane City workers also tested single ply, regular and plush toilet papers, facial tissue, and flushable wipes to see how well they dissolved in water. All of the toilet paper dissolved readily, with the plush toilet paper taking the longest to dissolve. The flushable wipes they remained completely intact despite being soaked
in water and spun by that propeller. So what's the verdict for flushing toilet paper or facial tissue or anything else. Only toilet paper should go down the drain. And finally, one last consideration, if you are reaching for some toilet paper to blow your nose, can ssider whether that roll of toilet paper is shielded from the germs and bits of waste that can airsol eyes every time that toilet
gets flushed. A tissue in a box, preferably not in the bathroom might be a safer bet in this case, and consider closing the toilet lit when you flush, Folks. Today's episode was written by Laurie L. Dove and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots of other non disposable topics, visit our home planet, how stuff
Works dot com, and for more podcasts. For my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.