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Wipes (yikes)

(54 Posts)
Grannyknot Sun 05-Apr-15 23:06:49

My husband rather drily remarked the other day that we're doing our bit by carrying shoppers instead of using plastic carrier bags, but on the other hand we (me) use wipes without a second thought. I did a quick tally. I have wipes for the kitchen, for floors, for my hands, for my face, for my specs, for my screens blush ...

They're just so convenient. But I guess they do not biodegrade. Now I feel guilty! Am I an over-user of wipes?

granjura Mon 06-Apr-15 21:49:17

Must say I hate the thought of cleaning the loo with a cloth- even if hot washed often. I use loo paper to wipe off the vinegar I spray on it- and flush it down the loo.

Katek Mon 06-Apr-15 17:21:12

I don't use many wipes but do keep a packet of baby wipes in the house. I use them for make up removal mainly but they are useful for other things. DH has those little spec wipes and leaves a trail of the little packets and used wipes behind hm!!

rubysong Mon 06-Apr-15 17:03:26

Regarding cloths for bathroom use my mantra is ' pink for the sink and blue for the loo' this avoids cross contamination. Now I need a colour to rhyme with floor. They can all go in a hot wash now and again.

petallus Mon 06-Apr-15 16:26:57

Mishap at least you knew you were really germ free grin

annodomini Mon 06-Apr-15 15:38:04

I take a little packet of hand wipes on train journeys because the hand washing and drying facilities in the loos are fairly feeble. I put the wipe in the rubbish bin - not down the pan.

loopylou Mon 06-Apr-15 14:54:17

Apart from having a packet of hand wipes in the car I don't use them, mainly because may years ago I blocked the cesspit and learnt my lesson after flushing nappy liners down the loo!
Can still picture the mess when the pipes used by the man who came to empty the cesspit blew apart and festooned the entire back garden with nappy liners and worse!

granjura Mon 06-Apr-15 14:35:42

Wipes are a disaster for drains, especially when they combine with fat- creating these massive and destructive (and very expensive to clear) FATBERGS - so they must never ever be flushed down the toilet. And I suppose they do not degrade quickly in landfill either.

Here, all bin refuse is incinerated, so it is not so bad. Not being smug- but apart from those to clean my glasses, I never use any. I do a very hot wash with mops, cloths, facecloths, teatowels, towels, etc, once a week- and that is easy enough.

annodomini Mon 06-Apr-15 12:14:04

If they bag and bin the nappies, surely they can put the wipes in the same bag. AshTree, thanks for the tip about the 'quilted' loo paper. The pack I have upstairs will be my last.

AshTree Mon 06-Apr-15 11:57:39

I use baby wipes for taking off make-up, also for damp-dusting - so good on the TV, computer and so on, where a duster is useless. I also use lens wipes for our specs - the same as you, phoenix, the Lidl's brand which are so good!
I never put any of these down the loo - and since our drains became blocked a few months ago, we now never use 'quilted' loo paper, because the fellow who did the unblocking said that, along with wet wipes, quilted loo paper is one of the worst offenders for blocking drains.
I don't understand why anyone would put disposable nappies down the toilet. Most mums I know bag them and bin them.

Nelliemoser Mon 06-Apr-15 11:33:31

When DD was a baby I had two in nappies and my next door neighbour had one. We started to notice water and sewage rising through the manhole covers and around the back door steps.

We called out the drainage men. They did a good job and sprayed antiseptics around once they had cleared up. Fortunately they made no mention of Nappy liners which I strongly suspect were the cause.

My son however was so impressed by the "big lorry with the light on top going on off on off!" that at 2.5yrs he finally started talking in earnest.

Anne58 Mon 06-Apr-15 11:29:01

Confession time - I do use :Lidl's own brand glasses wipes (for spectacles, not drink containers) but once used they go in the bin, not down the loo.

hildajenniJ Mon 06-Apr-15 11:27:59

As above, no wipes in our house. I also am a believer in hot water and soap. To cut down the risk of infection eg catching colds after handling children's toys etc. all you need to do is wash your hands thoroughly.

annodomini Mon 06-Apr-15 10:28:54

When sewage flooded my patio, we discovered that the trouble was caused by my neighbour's son and his partner putting wipes and ...ahem... condoms down the loo.

Mishap Mon 06-Apr-15 10:25:18

I may have posted this before but I once accidentally wiped by bum with a Dettol wipe at my daughters - the toilet roll had run out and the wipes were on the cistern - and I had not yet put my glasses on that morning. I leaped into the shower pretty sharpish!

Soutra Mon 06-Apr-15 10:22:06

I absolutely agree about antibiotic resistance ( but vaguely remember being shot down in flames when I suggested something similar a long time ag!) NOT I hasten to add, by present company. Wipes are an expensive way to go, plus, the damn things dry out if you don't stick the top on the packet properly! However I have to own up to buying them (De**ol bleach-free) for the high chair etc when DGC have visited tbublush

tanith Mon 06-Apr-15 10:20:39

I only have wipes in my car to clean hands if I'm out and about, don't use them in house.
I have different cloths/sponges for different jobs, bathroom, floors, kitchen surfaces for instance. Just hot water with flash in it, use bleach once a day to wipe down the kitchen/bathroom surfaces/sink/taps.

NfkDumpling Mon 06-Apr-15 10:19:50

I don't use them as a cloth is much cheaper - but I do have some baby wipes as they seem to take out every stain known to man. A bit worrying as to what they do to a baby's skin!

Charleygirl Mon 06-Apr-15 10:19:45

I agree phoenix disposable nappies are also a major problem. At times I have renamed this mews as nappy valley because we have had to have the sewers cleared out with some frequency. The last was before Christmas and it took around 3 days to clear, that time it was mainly mounds of fat.

ffinnochio Mon 06-Apr-15 10:14:30

Never use them. Hot soapy water and clean cloths do the job perfectly well.
I also use the cheapest white vinegar I can find and use that for cleaning. Both work very well.

Anne58 Mon 06-Apr-15 10:01:29

They cause problems in the sewers. Wipes and fat are the main causes of blockages.

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 06-Apr-15 09:52:26

They are easier to use than, say, a floor cloth, because you don't have to keep rinsing them out and wringing them.

Does anyone else, though, find they leave floors feeling "tacky". I usually have to go over the kitchen floor again with the floor cloth and hot water! hmm

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 06-Apr-15 09:48:18

I would think wipes biodegrade if they go into landfill. It's the one that are flushed down the lav that wash up on beaches.

Charleygirl Mon 06-Apr-15 09:37:38

Nelliemoser you hit the nail on the head re antibiotic resistance.Wipes should only be used sparingly-such as if in hospital when hot water is not readily available if one is incapacitated.

You ladies could save yourselves a fortune by using hot soapy water instead of wipes for everything.

rubysong Mon 06-Apr-15 04:52:50

No wipes on our house, plenty of cloths and hot soapy water for cleaning. I do sometimes take them for travelling or picnics.

Tegan Mon 06-Apr-15 00:06:22

Got to admit to something here with regards to kitchen roll; I do use it but I also keep a roll of loo paper in the kitchen as well. The reason being that I realised that I often use kitchen roll to do things such as wipe the excess fat from a frying pan that's for washing etc. So I was using a whole sheet of kitchen roll for something that I could have used a smaller amount of. My daughter gets through loads of wipes, even though the boys are getting older as they'll often use a wipe to clean their hands when they could easily just go and wash them. I do use wipes to clean the loo etc and I carry hand wipes in my handbag albeit not using them a great deal [still have the pack I took on holiday with me in October]. I don't use them for cleansing my face etc as I find them a bit abrasive [especially the ones for cleaning off eye make up].