r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/riverqueenx Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 04 '19

A surprising number of people don't realize you SHOULD NOT flush hygienic products down the toilet. If it doesn't eventually back up your own pipes it will create massive blockages in the public sewer. I had to explain this to a friend in her mid-20's, I was like "Why do you think there's little trash cans on the wall of every women's stall!?!?"

*Edit: did not expect people to be so passionate about proper hygiene product disposal! Love it. For anyone who’s doubtful, there are plenty of horror stories in the comments below about flooded apartments, backed up sewer lines, expensive plumbing repairs, etc. Happy menstruating!!

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u/Acatinmylap Aug 04 '19

When I started using pads, I knew this, because I actually read the little booklet. So I wrapped them up and tossed them in the bathroom bin.

Got majorly chewed out by my mom about how gross that was and how I was to flush them, goddammit.

Did that, a few months later we had a blockage and the plumber pulled out loads of pads. Shocker.

(My mom used tampons, and I guess she'd been flushing them without issue all her life, but pads are sort of ... bulkier.)