WEBVTT - What's the Difference Between Toilet Paper and Facial Tissues?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. Let's say your nose

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<v Speaker 1>is running, so you run to the restroom for a tissue,

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<v Speaker 1>and then realize that that familiar cardboard box is empty.

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<v Speaker 1>What's a nasal drip sufferer to do? Unroll a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of toilet paper instead. Of course, we may use tissues

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<v Speaker 1>and toilet paper interchangeably sometimes, but the truth is there

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<v Speaker 1>are some important differences between the two, and knowing what

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<v Speaker 1>they are could save you some hassle in the long run.

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<v Speaker 1>Toilet paper and facial tissue are both made up of

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<v Speaker 1>paper pulp, and both are meant to be discarded after

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<v Speaker 1>a single use, but most of their commonalities and there A.

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<v Speaker 1>Facial tissue has a smoother surface than toilet paper, which

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<v Speaker 1>makes it feel softer on the skin, and facial tissue

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<v Speaker 1>is often imbued with lotions and scents designed to make

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<v Speaker 1>the nose blowing experience more pleasant. While toilet tissue does

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<v Speaker 1>not usually have those additions, it does have one important

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<v Speaker 1>feature that facial tissue does not. Toilet paper easily dissolves

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<v Speaker 1>in water. It takes just one to four minutes toilet

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<v Speaker 1>papers quick dissolve qualities are engineered to help it pass

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<v Speaker 1>through pipes or septic systems and to be processed by

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<v Speaker 1>municipals se are treatment plants. In contrast, facial tissue is

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<v Speaker 1>usually infused with a chemical binder that helps the tissue

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<v Speaker 1>retain its shape. It has wet strength so that it

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't disintegrate when exposed to whatever you're blowing out of

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<v Speaker 1>your nose. While these properties come in handy for nose blowing,

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<v Speaker 1>its ability to help tissue hold its shape is bad

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<v Speaker 1>for pipes, septic systems, and water treatment plants. Facial tissues

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<v Speaker 1>should not be flushed down a toilet because those tissues

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<v Speaker 1>will not dissolve as readily as toilet paper, and because

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<v Speaker 1>they can gum up the works. But it's not just

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<v Speaker 1>facial tissues that wreak havoc once they're flushed down the

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<v Speaker 1>toilet and out of sight. Everything from flushable wipes to

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<v Speaker 1>dental floss has the potential to cause expensive problems at

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<v Speaker 1>household pipes or at water treatment plants if they go

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<v Speaker 1>down the drain. An experiment conducted by the City of Spokane, Washington,

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<v Speaker 1>found that flushed dental floss Q tips, tampons, pads, and

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<v Speaker 1>cat litter not only did not dissolve, but wrapped around

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<v Speaker 1>the propeller that was agitating them in the water during testing.

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<v Speaker 1>In a real life scenario, this translates into sewer treatment

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<v Speaker 1>plant equipment breakdowns that can cost thousands of dollars. Spokane

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<v Speaker 1>City workers also tested single ply, regular and plush toilet papers,

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<v Speaker 1>facial tissue, and flushable wipes to see how well they

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<v Speaker 1>dissolved in water. All of the toilet paper dissolved readily,

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<v Speaker 1>with the plush toilet paper taking the longest to dissolve.

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<v Speaker 1>The flushable wipes they remained completely intact despite being soaked

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<v Speaker 1>in water and spun by that propeller. So what's the

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<v Speaker 1>verdict for flushing toilet paper or facial tissue or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Only toilet paper should go down the drain. And finally,

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<v Speaker 1>one last consideration, if you are reaching for some toilet

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<v Speaker 1>paper to blow your nose, can ssider whether that roll

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<v Speaker 1>of toilet paper is shielded from the germs and bits

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<v Speaker 1>of waste that can airsol eyes every time that toilet

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<v Speaker 1>gets flushed. A tissue in a box, preferably not in

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<v Speaker 1>the bathroom might be a safer bet in this case,

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<v Speaker 1>and consider closing the toilet lit when you flush, Folks.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Laurie L. Dove and produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio's

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<v Speaker 1>How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other non disposable topics, visit our home planet, how stuff

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<v Speaker 1>Works dot com, and for more podcasts. For my heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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