TMI Question Regarding Tampons

[Anonymous]

9:22 - you are hilarious!
I could not agree with you more on every single point you made.

I will never be a tosser!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I use OB tampons which do not come with applicators or plastic wrapping that a used tampon can be placed into. I flush. I have always flushed. I will likely always flush. They are not expensive and they are flushable. I do not want a nasty blood soaked tampon sitting in my trash can for a few days nor am I interested in taking the trash out every couple of hours to get rid of the smell of rancid blood. Gross. Also, there is zero chance that even if I did use cheap tampax tampons that come with a flimsy paper wrapper that I would take a blood soaked inflated tampon and try (in futility) to jam it back inside that paper wraper which is going to tear from the wetness. Not only that but then your hands are covered in blood and when you come out of the restroom stall you're going to touch a faucet that other people have to touch in order to wash their hands. That's disgusting on so many levels! Come one people...seriously...flush your damn tampons! Anything else is just flat out disgusting. Also, I think all the anti-flushers on this thread are the same 1-2 people. There's no way there are so many people tossing bloody tampons into the trash.

I'm the poster that paid a $700 plumbing bill because the previous owner of my house flushed her damn tampons for years. I threw them into the trash before and certainly will continue to do so as I'm not interested in paying that bill again and the pipes in my house obviously have a history of having problems with tampons. Regardless, I really don't see the big deal. I have never smelled a dirty tampon and my DH, who has the most sensitive nose on the planet and is not afraid to speak up about hygienic issues, has never mentioned a smell. My mother threw away tampons all the years I was in her house and I never noticed a smell. My dad would have had a heart attack if he ever found out we were flushing tampons. If I'm in a public restroom I remove it with toilet paper in my hand so I don't touch it, wrap it in a little more toilet paper, throw it all away and wash my hands.

Flush, don't flush. I don't care. This is clearly one of those things where no one is going to change anyone's mind who has been doing something for years with no issues. I seriously doubt any flushers here are actually going to stop flushing because of my $700 plumbing bill.

[Anonymous]

To the Flushers-

It is amazing that you do not understand basic plumbing and the problem with flushing. That you have "flushed for 30 years" with no problem does not mean that countless others have had problems as a result of flushed tampons (I know several people, including my MIL). There is a reason the public restrooms ask you to not flush sanitary items down the toilet.

As for it being "grody" or "gross", it is no more/less gross than flushing. Whether thrown away or flushed, you still have to remove the dirty tampon, touching it. Further, and not to be too graphic, but if you grab the string with a piece of TP, wrap it well in the wrapper and additional TP, you do not see or smell the used tampon. At all. You don't just throw the used tampon on the top of the trash. And, frankly, you've prob been in public restrooms where tampons are in the trash and you don't know it.

I wish all of you flushers a clogged toilet so you will eat your words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:toss at home or in places with places to toss. flush when there's no place else to put it.

How do you combat the smell?

[Anonymous]

New poster, non-flusher here. I hate to undermine "my side", but I find that the tampons in the trash do stink. Our bathroom trash can has a lid, and we always use a plastic liner, so it's no big deal--but the trash itself does indeed smell foul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the Flushers-

It is amazing that you do not understand basic plumbing and the problem with flushing. That you have "flushed for 30 years" with no problem does not mean that countless others have had problems as a result of flushed tampons (I know several people, including my MIL). There is a reason the public restrooms ask you to not flush sanitary items down the toilet.

As for it being "grody" or "gross", it is no more/less gross than flushing. Whether thrown away or flushed, you still have to remove the dirty tampon, touching it. Further, and not to be too graphic, but if you grab the string with a piece of TP, wrap it well in the wrapper and additional TP, you do not see or smell the used tampon. At all. You don't just throw the used tampon on the top of the trash. And, frankly, you've prob been in public restrooms where tampons are in the trash and you don't know it.

I wish all of you flushers a clogged toilet so you will eat your words.

Wouldn't there be some public service announcement if it was such a huge problem for countless others?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If someone used my guest bathroom and put a used tampon in the trash and I saw it while cleaning the trash, I think I would BARF! I'm gagging just thinking about it. Never would I ever in a million years throw my tampon in someone else's trash!

Non-flusher here - I'd be thrilled if a guest put a tampon the trash, because I'd feel like they respected my plumbing. Of course, if it was wrapped in tp, I'd probably not even know what it was, since I don't inspect my trash, and I've never noticed any bad smells (I do empty out tampons every few days though, as opposed to when the trash is just "regular").

I really, truly, do not get why tossing is so much "grosser" than flushing. As long as the used tampon is wrapped up, it's no more gross to me than a really bloody used band-aid, or a poopy diaper.

[Anonymous]

From the FAQS section on the Tampax website:

Can I flush the entire thing?
Yes. The Tampax Cardboard tampon, wrapper AND applicator can be flushed in toilets connected to city sewer systems. Frequent flushing of tampons is not recommended for septic systems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OMG! Why do you think every single public restroom has a little trash can with a paper bag inside? Why do you think there are signs telling you to dispose of your hygienic products in there?

OMG!! I always thought those trash cans were for throwing out maxi pads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's no magic trick. You wrap them in the plastic of the next one and some TP around it, exactly like you do with the pads.

It's not disgusting, it doesn't smell, you save water and overall it's the proper way to dispose of it.

How does it save water? You're flushing anyway.

I think wrapping them in TP is more of a waste of resources because you're using extra TP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the Flushers-

It is amazing that you do not understand basic plumbing and the problem with flushing. That you have "flushed for 30 years" with no problem does not mean that countless others have had problems as a result of flushed tampons (I know several people, including my MIL). There is a reason the public restrooms ask you to not flush sanitary items down the toilet.

As for it being "grody" or "gross", it is no more/less gross than flushing. Whether thrown away or flushed, you still have to remove the dirty tampon, touching it. Further, and not to be too graphic, but if you grab the string with a piece of TP, wrap it well in the wrapper and additional TP, you do not see or smell the used tampon. At all. You don't just throw the used tampon on the top of the trash. And, frankly, you've prob been in public restrooms where tampons are in the trash and you don't know it.

I wish all of you flushers a clogged toilet so you will eat your words.

Wouldn't there be some public service announcement if it was such a huge problem for countless others?

To be honest, until reading this thread I had no idea so many people flushed tampons. Of course we have all seen the signs in public restrooms asking that you not flush sanitary products (would you consider that a PSA?) and I always thought that was directed at a very small minority of people who were selfish or didn't know any better, I mean duh- the receptacles are there for a reason. dcum never ceases to surprise and amaze me. plenty of products claim to be flushable but still cause major problems. a friend just spent a lot of cash on a plumber after those allegedly "flushable" toddler wipes clogged their lines.

[Anonymous]

Wrap in Tp and than trash. I grew up with septic systems. I use a covered can in my bathroom although the trash does stink a bit when the can lid is opened or you go to remove the trash. Uncovered trsh cans don't stink as much since stuff drys out but I could see where that's a problem with pets in the house.

[Anonymous]

To the pp who asked about dogs, and the following pp who ridiculed her for that - a dog will take stuff like that out of the trash. I had some house mates once and their jack russell would eat their used condoms out of the trash. A bloody tampon? That's like an extra special treat for a dog, are you kidding me?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the pp who asked about dogs, and the following pp who ridiculed her for that - a dog will take stuff like that out of the trash. I had some house mates once and their jack russell would eat their used condoms out of the trash. A bloody tampon? That's like an extra special treat for a dog, are you kidding me?

I know dogs can eat their own crap too. But for that to be the sole reason that you flush is, I'm sorry to say it, stupid. Shut the bathroom door. Put the trashcan in a cabinet, or get one with a top that a dog can't get into. Plus, there generally aren't dogs in public restrooms. I wasn't ridiculing anyone for saying that the dog might want the tampon, because I don't doubt that, but I'm sure we're all smart enough to figure out how to keep the tampons from the dogs in a way that doesn't involve flushing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's the string - NOT the tampon itself that causes issues. The tampon is the size of baby poop, which a toilet can handle.

But the string often gets caught on jagged edges of older pipes.

So there you have it.

Pop breaks down to smaller pieces much faster than a tampon.

I hope we won't have this conversation in the near future. This thread is reminiscent of global warming denial.