Believe it or not, winter is almost over! As spring steadily approaches, you may be getting ready to clear out your house and prepare for some much-needed sunshine and fresh air. Before you begin your spring cleaning, we at RFA wanted to lend a hand by providing some pointers about how to keep your home healthy and sanitary:

  • Don’t flush that cleaning wipe! As you may know, cleaning wipes may be great for attacking tough stains and quickly clearing messes, but not meant to breakdown in water. Because of their composition, non-flushable wipes will clog pipes, creating nasty clog monsters and fatbergs. This can lead to expensive plumbing repairs for you or your community sewer. To prevent this, take a look at the wipes packaging! If you see the “Do Not Flush” symbol, never flush those wipes down the toilet. Instead, you can toss them in the trash along with other waste!
  • Use safe cleaning practices on upholstery, carpeting, and walls. Those with small children are no stranger to crayon drawings on the wall, spilled juice on carpets, and food crumbs on the couch. Fear not! There are many ways to clean up these messes. You can use detergent wipes or stain remover pens on carpeting and upholstery to remove sticky stains. You can also use various stain remover sprays on these surfaces, and even on clothing! On walls, try using paper towels and cleaning spray. But, whatever you use, be sure you’re disposing of disposable cleaning materials properly to avoid another cloggy mess in the bathroom! Remember that paper towels should not be flushed.
  • In cleaning away dust bunnies, don’t invite the clog monster. Our homes can become dusty over time, especially as we move furniture around and clean up for spring. When cleaning, you may be inclined to swipe the dust away with a wipe and toss in the toilet. However, no matter how convenient it may seem, these helpful wipes never belong down the drain. The Clog Monster loves when households flush these wipes, so he can build an army of clogs to attack your pipes at any second. To prevent this, we recommend tossing dusting wipes in the trash as well as having a duster, vacuum, or reusable cleaning rag handy for a sustainable and safer way to keep your home dust-free.

As the days grow longer and weather gets warmer, we hope you are just as excited as we are for springtime. Just keep in mind these basic cleaning and flushing tips and tricks to help you have the healthiest, most sanitary spring yet. If you have any questions, feel free to message us!

About Responsible Flushing Alliance

The Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization dedicated to consumer education focused on what not to flush. RFA’s goal is to change consumer behavior to help reduce damage to our nation’s sewage systems caused by objects and materials not designed to be flushed.