1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. Let's say your nose 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: is running, so you run to the restroom for a tissue, 4 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: and then realize that that familiar cardboard box is empty. 5 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: What's a nasal drip sufferer to do? Unroll a bit 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: of toilet paper instead. Of course, we may use tissues 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: and toilet paper interchangeably sometimes, but the truth is there 8 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: are some important differences between the two, and knowing what 9 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: they are could save you some hassle in the long run. 10 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: Toilet paper and facial tissue are both made up of 11 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: paper pulp, and both are meant to be discarded after 12 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: a single use, but most of their commonalities and there A. 13 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,520 Speaker 1: Facial tissue has a smoother surface than toilet paper, which 14 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: makes it feel softer on the skin, and facial tissue 15 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: is often imbued with lotions and scents designed to make 16 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: the nose blowing experience more pleasant. While toilet tissue does 17 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 1: not usually have those additions, it does have one important 18 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: feature that facial tissue does not. Toilet paper easily dissolves 19 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: in water. It takes just one to four minutes toilet 20 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: papers quick dissolve qualities are engineered to help it pass 21 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: through pipes or septic systems and to be processed by 22 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: municipals se are treatment plants. In contrast, facial tissue is 23 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 1: usually infused with a chemical binder that helps the tissue 24 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: retain its shape. It has wet strength so that it 25 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: doesn't disintegrate when exposed to whatever you're blowing out of 26 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: your nose. While these properties come in handy for nose blowing, 27 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: its ability to help tissue hold its shape is bad 28 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: for pipes, septic systems, and water treatment plants. Facial tissues 29 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: should not be flushed down a toilet because those tissues 30 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: will not dissolve as readily as toilet paper, and because 31 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: they can gum up the works. But it's not just 32 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: facial tissues that wreak havoc once they're flushed down the 33 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: toilet and out of sight. Everything from flushable wipes to 34 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: dental floss has the potential to cause expensive problems at 35 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: household pipes or at water treatment plants if they go 36 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: down the drain. An experiment conducted by the City of Spokane, Washington, 37 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: found that flushed dental floss Q tips, tampons, pads, and 38 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: cat litter not only did not dissolve, but wrapped around 39 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: the propeller that was agitating them in the water during testing. 40 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: In a real life scenario, this translates into sewer treatment 41 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: plant equipment breakdowns that can cost thousands of dollars. Spokane 42 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: City workers also tested single ply, regular and plush toilet papers, 43 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: facial tissue, and flushable wipes to see how well they 44 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: dissolved in water. All of the toilet paper dissolved readily, 45 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: with the plush toilet paper taking the longest to dissolve. 46 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: The flushable wipes they remained completely intact despite being soaked 47 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 1: in water and spun by that propeller. So what's the 48 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: verdict for flushing toilet paper or facial tissue or anything else. 49 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: Only toilet paper should go down the drain. And finally, 50 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: one last consideration, if you are reaching for some toilet 51 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,079 Speaker 1: paper to blow your nose, can ssider whether that roll 52 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: of toilet paper is shielded from the germs and bits 53 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: of waste that can airsol eyes every time that toilet 54 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 1: gets flushed. A tissue in a box, preferably not in 55 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: the bathroom might be a safer bet in this case, 56 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: and consider closing the toilet lit when you flush, Folks. 57 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Laurie L. Dove and produced 58 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio's 59 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots of 60 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 1: other non disposable topics, visit our home planet, how stuff 61 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: Works dot com, and for more podcasts. For my heart Radio, 62 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 63 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.