TMI question

kaitlynmichelle · March 2015

Oh the irony that while reading this my almost always insanely predictable period shows up 5 days early. Shit.

pinupbride6189 · March 2015

To answer the original question, I used to flush them when I was younger, because I was told to. I then learned the error of my ways and have been wrap-n-tossing them ever since. I rarely use them anymore, though, because since I got Mirena an panty liner usually does just fine.

"Embarassing" TMI story: My freshman year in high school we went on a band trip (yeah, yeah, yeah...) that involved a 16 hour charter bus trip. Of course, the day before we left, I got my period. At the first rest stop, they called all the girls off the bus and shame-lectured us about how the bus driver found a tampon while he was emptying the tank or something, and that that was awful and we shouldn't flush on a bus, etc. Granted, all of what they were saying was absolutely true. I knew that you were just supposed to put them in the garbage, but here's the thing. They'd screwed the garbage can shut. What was I supposed to do? Walk out with it wrapped in TP and toss it in one of the trash bags tied to the seats? A) That's nasty. I wouldn't want to sit next to someone's used tampon for 16 hours in a captive environment. B ) I, as a 14 year old girl, was not about to walk out of a bathroom with a bloody tampon, wrapped or not, in my hand, to a bus filled with high school boys. I'd have been tampon girl until I graduated. So no, that wasn't happening. After I owned being the problem causer and told them exactly why I did what I did, all the chaperons that were chewing us out had no idea what to say and seemed embarrassed, but after that there was a usable trash receptacle in the restroom.

Knottie98935522 · March 2015

I never knew either, but I hardly use them anyway (never liked them/ can count the number of times I have used them IN MY LIFETIME). I was told they were flushable, so that's what I always thought. I hardly see signs saying that you shouldn't, and I am in Manhattan! I think the 'flushable applicator' in some encourage many ladies to just flush the whole thing after use. Well, now I know.

theartistformerlyknownas · March 2015

Knottie98935522 said:
I never knew either, but I hardly use them anyway (never liked them/ can count the number of times I have used them IN MY LIFETIME). I was told they were flushable, so that's what I always thought. I hardly see signs saying that you shouldn't, and I am in Manhattan! I think the 'flushable applicator' in some encourage many ladies to just flush the whole thing after use. Well, now I know.

The Jezebel article pointed out that for something to be labeled as "flushable," all that's required is that it fit through the toilet. So by that reasoning, golf balls are flushable. Obviously nobody promotes the toilet as the prime way of disposing of old golf balls though! Plumbing peeps have been trying to get tampon companies to take that off the box forever, because it's so bad for the system and they don't biodegrade in the pipes like TP does, but Playtex et all likes for people to think it's just soooo easy to dispose of them down the pooper.

penguin44 · March 2015

I have always thrown them in the trash because my parents had old pipes. My aunt flushed one at their house and the basement flooded... Now I don't have to worry about it since I use the cup.

Bubblegum5586 · March 2015

I have always thrown them out as well. Grew up with a Septic tank and that was a part of my first period talk with my mom.

luckya23 · March 2015

Knottie98935522 said:
I never knew either, but I hardly use them anyway (never liked them/ can count the number of times I have used them IN MY LIFETIME). I was told they were flushable, so that's what I always thought. I hardly see signs saying that you shouldn't, and I am in Manhattan! I think the 'flushable applicator' in some encourage many ladies to just flush the whole thing after use. Well, now I know.

I noticed the first sign around here yesterday in dunkin donuts! Weird timing!

Kahlyla · March 2015

ElcaB said:
I used to when we lived in an apartment. I stopped once we bought our house, and now, every month, I long for the days of not being responsible for our own plumbing, wishing I could go back to flushing them.

I mean, I'm a landlord, in that I own a couple of houses that people rent out. We once rented to four female university students. One day we get a call, the basement's filling with raw sewage. I suppose you can see where I'm going with this. The initial estimate was $9000 dollars if they would have had to dig up the entire line out to the road. Luckily some manual and chemical drain-clearing fixed the problem. Please don't flush tampons, no matter who owns the plumbing!

JennyColada · March 2015

jenna8984 said:

JennyColada said:

hellosweetie1015 said:
...has anyone sneezed one loose just going about your life, and had to run to the restroom to change it?
Not I. I've jumped, danced (even done pole dancing, which made me flip upside down!), etc with them and never had an issue with them falling out.

Those suckers are pretty secure.
What sucks is when I was a teenager and a virgin, they never came out, they were in there so tight. Nowadays....they do come out very easily (like pushing for a poo or whatever).

I am DEFINITELY not a virgin, and haven't had this issue.

rcher912 · March 2015

I always used to, and the signs I saw in public restrooms "Please don't flush feminine products" - I always assumed they just meant pads.

Then at an old job, there was a plumbing issue due to people flushing things, and the sign changed to something more along the lines of:

NO SERIOUSLY. DO NOT FLUSH FEMININE PRODUCTS. THIS INCLUDES TAMPONS. ONLY TOILET PAPER SHOULD BE FLUSHED.

...it was quite...clear. Now I just toss them out with a TON of toilet paper in the garbage. Ick ick ick.

[Deleted User] · March 2015

[Deleted User] · March 2015

I did until we had an issue with sewer backup & had to have it snacked and part of the problem was tampons that didn't pass through the system (they got caught up on tree roots that made their ways into the pipes). Didn't want to deal with that again, so stopped flushing them. Luckily I hit menopause early so no longer an issue.

Inkdancer · March 2015

plainjane0415 said:

redoryx said:
I would just like to say I'm so glad I'm not the only one who still uses pads. My sister was shocked and laughed at me when it came up in convo a few months ago. My mom always bought pads when we were growing up and I just never bothered switching, even as an adult. I find pads WAY easier to use (although I'm the only one at work, I think. When mine came early I had to make a run to the store because everyone else had tampons. Now I keep a supply at my desk).
Same here! I rarely ever use tampons. I buy them, for times like when we go to the pool/beach/lake in the summer, but other than that I don't use them. Pads are just so much easier to use.

I don't use tampons at all. They are physically painful for me, even the tiny ones. No idea why.

TMI question

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