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Are Antibacterial wipes safe for the drains?

Are flushable wipes safe for the drains? What is FreshuTM?

Why wet wipes are wreaking havoc on sewers

A new trend spreading across the UK for using wet wipes in addition to, or even instead of, toilet paper has caused a heated debate, many blocked sewers and rising bills for the water companies. Market research shows that the UK wet wipe market is growing fast, at more than 15 per cent a year. One of the UK’s biggest water companies is spending over £12 million annually on clearing around 80,000 blockages a year on its 108,000km network with 2,000 calls per month reporting blockages caused by wipes.

As Simon Evans from Thames Water explains, toilet roll takes seconds to disintegrate if you put it in some water, hence it do not cause any harm to the sewers. He highlights that wet wipes do not break down quickly enough even if the packaging says that they are 'biodegradable' or 'flushable', hence they should never be put down drains. We don’t want to scare you, but ignoring this advice can come at a high cost! Blockages are more likely in suburban areas where pipes are narrowest - anything from 6 to 12inches in diameter – still, in urban areas all of the pipes that come from our homes to the main sewer pipes are of similar diameter, so you should not feel safe.

What’s the worst that can happen…?

As Simon Evans informs us, blockages can result in sewage backing up on to streets, into gardens, into parks. But it can get worst. There are around 1,000 cases a year where sewage is backing up into people's homes.

Is there a solution to this problem, where you can afford a shower-fresh cleaning after the loo without the risk of blocking the drains? And what is the FreshuTM campaign?

Yes, there is and it is called FreshuTM antibacterial foaming toilet tissue gel. This revolutionary product can be used to moisten the final sheets of toilet paper, giving you the same cleansing power as a wet wipe but with no awful and costly consequences. Still, Freshu’s benefits do not end here as FreshuTM is:

  • Antibacterial and kills 99.9% of germs
  • Moisturising with natural Aloe Vera
  • Soap-free, alcohol-free and fragrance-free
  • Dermatologically tested and hypoallergenic
  • Safe for use with the whole family

FreshuTM can also be used as a multi-purpose sanitiser to clean hands, toilet seats or surfaces. FreshuTM is available in two different pack sizes suitable for using in the home (150ml) or when out and about (50ml). FreshuTM is safe to flush, cost-effective – and easy to use for you and your family.

Rob Smith's from Thames Water, comments that thousands of wipes end up every day in sewage works where they are plucked out by special forked prongs and taken to landfill. According to Rob, if people knew what percentage of water bills went on blockages and disposing of these wipes when they get to sewage treatment works customers would make this small effort to bin the wipes and not flush them.