SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) – When people reach for disinfectant wipes to protect themselves from the coronavirus, we are reminded to throw them in the trash and not to flush them down the toilet.

These wipes and other toilet paper substitutes can lead to an increase in clogged plumbing in San Jose.

Those still hard to find, disinfectant wipes that kill cold and flu viruses are now widely used for wiping door handles, countertops, TV remotes, and other touch sensitive surfaces.

They shouldn’t be flushed in the toilet, but it still happens, says Colin Heyne of the City of San Jose.

“We’re seeing an increase in service requests, mostly for cleaning people. That is the underground sewer access in their homes. Fortunately, we are not seeing an increase in sewer drains,” Heyne said.

While disinfectant wipes are great at killing most bacteria and viruses, they don’t break down as easily as toilet paper.

In large quantities, they can plug pipes, secure sewers, and cause major problems for sewage treatment plants, says Jennie Loft of Environmental Health.

“It won’t flush, it won’t go through the system, it won’t dissolve properly like toilet paper, it will get stuck in your pipes. We have devices that shield the cloths and any solid materials that get through the system. Therefore we would like to ask residents not to put this material in the toilet at all, ”said Loft.

In relation to this lack of toilet paper in recent weeks, there has also been an increase in clogged pipes and cleaning with materials even more problematic than wipes.

“We’re also seeing more non-flushable items like cloth, T-shirts and cotton fabrics. When people run out of toilet paper, we want to make sure they use something else,” Heyne said.

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SAN RAFAEL (KPIX 5) – In the midst of the fear of the coronavirus, sterilizing cleaning wipes fly off the shelves. Unfortunately, many of these wipes end up in sewer systems.

Many people keep using these wipes more and more to avoid the coronavirus problems. Workers in plumbing and sewage districts in the Bay Area want this to stop because the wipes are clogging the pipes.

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Wes Fredenburg operates one of the vac trucks for the San Rafael Sanitation District. Its job is to clear sewer pipes. He’s been fighting cloths for the past few days.

“They get caught in the pipes and cause deposits, blockages and overflows. Or they can get caught in a pump and stop the pump, ”said Fredenburg.

He showed a KPIX 5 example of how rags and towels can clog and completely block a pump. Not very hygienic for sanitary towels.

“You just don’t break down. It’s like flushing rags in the toilet, ”said Fredenburg.

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To demonstrate the usefulness of KPIX cameras, a bowl of water was set up. After inserting equal parts of toilet paper and equal parts of wiping and stirring, the TP quickly begins to collapse. Meanwhile, the wipe remains intact in one piece.

“It’s a pretty big issue for sewage authorities,” said Jason Dow, general manager of the Central Marin Sanitation Agency.

He says a problem with the wipes is the labeling. Some brands actually say they are “flushable”.

“There are laws that require wipe manufacturers to use the correct labeling. If the wipe contains synthetic material like plastic or regenerated cellulose, you will no longer be able to label it as “flushable”, ”Dow said.

The bottom line is that regardless of what the label says, these wipes should be thrown in the trash rather than the toilet.

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“Help us out. Keep your towels off our pipes!” Said Fredenburg.

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