The DA in the TPA

A recent meme floating around on social media platforms stated:  "I'm using lettuce for toilet paper.  Today was the tip of the iceberg, tomorrow romaines to be seen."  Yes, it's a bit gross, but funny none the less.  The recent pandemic in the toilet paper industry is a real mystery.  No  one seems to have the exact answer as to why the shelves, in stores across the nation, have been wiped (no pun intended) clean of all toilet paper and anything papery that may be considered a facsimile of said coveted white roll. Maybe there is some new craft idea, floating around the web, that is making coffee and end tables out of the mega packs of toilet paper.  My mother-in-law, God rest her soul, would have never been caught up in this toilet paper madness.  The stairwell in her house, that led to the second story, which was rarely used after her children left the nest, was so full of toilet paper that one could have easily been buried by a TP avalanche at any given time of the year.  Every time I inquired as to why she had so much of it, she would always reply, "It was on sale!"  Smart lady.

One of the items people like to swap for toilet paper are the wet wipes.  This incredible feat of mankind started out for use on babies but soon became popular with people of all ages.  They have also become unpopular with a certain sector of the public, the plumber.  Why?  Because people flush them down the toilet....BUT, it is printed right on the side of the package, 'flushable', so what seems to be the problem?

Playing the devil's advocate, yes, they are flushable.  So are fish, small hamsters, jewelry, Matchbox cars, other small toys, socks, disposable diapers and money.  Indeed, if it will swirl round and round and then go down, it's flushable.  What many do not understand is that just because it can no longer be seen in the bowl, does not mean its sailing happily down the sewer system.  What can happen, using this flushing logic, is that these things, that do not disintegrate quickly, if ever, get lodged in the sewer pipe and can then cause all that flushing madness to come back to haunt the flusher.  Nothing better than to see it again, in the bowl, or better yet, on the bathroom floor, making it's way to the next room....usually in the middle of the night. 

Let's give the plumbers a break.  Let's not play the Devil's Advocate in this Toilet Paper Apocalypse and use some common sense.  Not only will the plumbers be happy, so will the front lawn that didn't need to be dug up from the house to the street.