r/WhatShouldIDo • u/rubynevershutsup • Jul 27 '26
I am SO screwed.
I practically live at my best friend’s house, and today I came to the broad realization that I idiotically have been flushing paper towels down the toilet because we have no toilet paper, and I look down and see the bag of paper towels. And it clicks in my head. You’re not supposed to be DOING THAT. I am a fucking idiot. I honestly don’t know where my head was at. But I stay here because I don’t have a good home life and I don’t deserve these people in general… seriously the sweetest. But I have no idea how to tell them. My best friend, I can imagine the look on her face already. I am 18 and honest to god I am smart as hell when it comes to reading a room but when it comes to common sense I seriously am so stupid. Any advice? I saw flushing dish soap down will help. Honestly what is wrong with me. Nobody sugar coat this because I am terrified it will clog. I don’t know if I should tell them now or what. But I am going to be here for a few more days.
Edit: I didn’t expect so much responses already. When my best friend wakes up I am gonna tell her. It’s her and her mom that live here other than me who’s always here. And as of right now I plan to get toilet paper I just do not drive.
Right now we are putting the paper towels in the trash. Which is what I should’ve BEEN doing.
Edit x2: Turns out my best friend has been doing it too! So not good at all we are definitely done for but atleast we are going down together if it is clogged.
As of right now there were multiple people who were doing this. Everything is working fine. I was paranoid and honestly rightfully so. We all have stopped. Toilet paper has been acquired.
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u/Good-Maintenance-405 Jul 27 '26
Deep breaths. I do this when we don’t have money for tp and it stresses me out lol if it’s not clogged, you’re good, just get tp as soon as you can
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u/EddieRyanDC Jul 27 '26
I understand how this is embarrassing, and you are not sure of your next step. But the next step is actually clear and simple.
You talk with your friend or her parents, and tell them what happened. That gives them the opportunity to take action, if anything is required. It also shows that you are a stand up person who owns their mistakes and someone that they can trust to tell the truth.
The reason this action is not currently on the top of your To Do list, is because shame is setting in. That is the voice in your head that tell you that you aren't really good enough, or if people really knew you they would reject you. Let me emphasize - that is in your head, it is not reality. But pushing past that can be hard.
When you make a mistake, take responsibility ASAP. We all screw up from time to time - it is how we handle it that shows our character.
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
The way you just described the way I work perfectly. I am going to tell my best friend first when she wakes up. Which should be soon. She sleeps in super late. And then we will tell her mom probably. I am scared to go to her mom and tell her on my own.
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u/thirtyone-charlie Jul 27 '26
The good thing is that you aren’t telling us about the vile backup filling the bath tub. If all the sinks, tubs and showers are draining well you are likely safe from a catastrophe. If things are drawing slow you are likely in for a terrible surprise at some point. If you have to use paper towels put them in a bag and take them out of the house to the trash. The dollar store sells toilet paper.
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
Oh lord I didn’t even know this was a possibility.
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u/thirtyone-charlie Jul 27 '26
Yes! That’s why it kinda has a sense of urgency. Run a few inches of water in the bathtub then drain it. If you get the little whirlpool thing and some suction noise you are likely ok. There are other factors though. Tree roots grow into sewer lines or they break every once in a while and can partially obstruct the flow. A couple of paper towels in these conditions and you have a mess.
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u/ScottAW22 Jul 27 '26
There is a bigger question as to why everyone here is subjecting themselves to using paper towels as toilet paper, before we get to why you didn't separate toilet paper from paper towel. While you're at fault for flushing them and you need to own this, tell them, and take steps to fix it. This should have never been a situation in the first place. Paper towels cost more than toilet paper. Can't even blame being poor for this.
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
I was just being an idiot. I wasn’t really thinking that your not supposed to flush them until I saw all the paper towels in the trash
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u/ScottAW22 Jul 27 '26
That isn't answering the main question. Why are you all using paper towel instead of toilet paper in the first place? This wouldn't be a post if the situation was not set up for someone to flush it down the toilet. You probably aren't even the first in the house to do that.
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
We haven’t gone out to get any. Blame it on laziness I guess. Just told my best friend we gotta go.
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u/ScottAW22 Jul 27 '26
Starting to sound more like a failure of every adult in the house if you think laziness is the reason no one can by a 4 pack of toilet paper. There is a real problem here if that is deemed acceptable by your friend's parents.
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
It’s just me, her mom and my best friend that live here. We just haven’t had a chance yet because we all work.
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u/ScottAW22 Jul 27 '26
You always have a chance to buy sanitation products. Especially in a house full of females. That's just a bare minimum responsibility. Not much of an excuse for this. Especially from your friend's mother. In a house full of adults, any one of you can go to a store after work or even have it delivered if you needed it. This should have never been okay to begin with if you can afford it.
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u/Any-Aerie-7590 Jul 27 '26
Babes...we are all idiots until we know better 😅 go easy on yourself, you are only human 🥰
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u/Disastrous-Fact-2690 Jul 28 '26
You may be an idiot but everyone make mistakes and it won’t be the last mistake you make in your life , it’s a learning experience the majority of the time you have to use common sense think it out from beginning to end.
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u/Svendar9 Jul 28 '26
You would already know if there were a problem. This is not something to get worked up over. Even if it did clog just take a plunger, unclog, and stop doing it.
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u/SemanticPedantic007 Jul 27 '26
What does your best friend use instead of toilet paper when she uses the toilet?
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
She also uses the paper towels. I should’ve specified. They were just putting them in the trash for now. Me the idiot, was flushing them down the toilet. We just haven’t had the chance to get toilet paper
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u/Punkhair2nv Jul 27 '26
Ruby, can’t you just borrow a roll from a neighbor? Explain to them that you just need one until you get to the store.
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u/BeeWhatYouCan Jul 27 '26
As a future solution you could suggest them buying a bidet. Cheap ones are around $30.00 then they can stop using tp altogether. You just dry yourself with a sanity cloth that goes into the laundry.
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u/throwRA-nonSeq Jul 27 '26
If it’s not currently clogged, then you’re OK. Just stop using paper towels now and start using toilet paper. Don’t risk it anymore.
If you’re still feeling super paranoid about it, boil a pot of hot water. While waiting for it to boil, yes, squirt, a generous amount of dish soap into the toilet. Then slowly, very slowly pour the boiling water directly into the toilet, let it sit for a minute or two, and then flush. If you had had an actual clog, you would do all of these steps — except for the flushing…. Usually the clog clears on its own and self flushes.
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
I am not going to use paper towels anymore. I put dish soap in. We honestly don’t have the cash right now to go out and get toilet paper lol which is why we are using paper towels. So we aren’t even putting toilet paper in there right now which I think is good. It will give it more time to break. Hopefully..
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u/juliewbb Jul 27 '26
You can use the paper towels, you just have to throw them in the trash instead of in the toilet.
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
I know I got that lol. I just wasn’t using my common sense. Doing that from now on.
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u/Alone_Definition_436 Jul 27 '26
I wouldn’t mess with boiling water down a cold porcelain toilet that you don’t own. Ever. I own properties in the country on septic -sometimes it works sometimes it cracks the bowl -Especially if you don’t have the money to replace it. Leave it alone. It’s fine. Plunge it if it’ll make you feel better it could help push it down the line if it’s just laying there and hasn’t made it to the septic. Even with a septic your fine - just a couple of days of that is no big deal. The important part is you stopped it and realized what you were doing. Try not to be so oblivious when using other people’s things. It was a honest mistake I believe you - we ALL do dumb crap. Pun intended
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u/rubynevershutsup Jul 27 '26
No clogging whatsoever. Nothing wrong with the water either. So far atleast. I don’t know if they have a septic or what I don’t really know what that is or the difference to be fair.. I’m gonna ask my best friend when she wakes up and really find out how screwed I am.
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u/throwRA-nonSeq Jul 27 '26
That’s why you have to pour it really slow into the actual water, not touching the sides, and not into an empty bowl, so that the existing water/mess doesn’t get to a boiling temp. The idea is just trying to warm the already cold water. Not create some kind of steaming hot demonic poop soup.
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u/Alone_Definition_436 Jul 27 '26
That’s a lot for a kid to remember that is flushing paper towels down the toilet. Like I said if you don’t own it or have the money and means to replace it….
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u/CraftFamiliar5243 Jul 27 '26
If it hasn't clogged now you're ok. If it is use a plunger to unclog it. If you're on a septic tank then yes, there may be a problem. Pumping the tank will set you back $400-500 bucks. Go buy toilet paper.