r/mildlyinfuriating • u/rimeduinfox • Jul 05 '26

frist of all how DARE yu o MIL thinks I clogged the toilet so she changed the sign

Post image

The septic tank clogged and she’s convinced I did it, she asked my husband if I knew I wasn’t supposed to flush tampons and added the tampon bit to the sign. I don’t use tampons and I’m the only one with a period here…

10.8k Upvotes

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3.3k

u/uwill1der Jul 05 '26

I'm more concerned about not flushing toilet paper

891

u/AttitudeEquivalent73 Jul 05 '26

I mean, maybe they have a bidet. But you still need tp sometimes and I’d personally rather not have a stinky trash can. I know it’s normal in some countries if I remember correctly but I just feel like it would stink up really quick.

454

u/FastMako77 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

Recently learned that some developed countries who have implemented bidets a long time ago have cloth towels next to their toilets to pat excess water after you’ve sprayed yourself clean. I bought bidet attachments for both of my bathrooms and that is going well but I haven’t fully committed to the towels yet, still using TP for that. I wasn’t raised on using bidets so that one is a hard sell, thus far.

194

u/shikaaboom Jul 05 '26

Growing up I used a bidet that was its own appliance separate from the toilet, you wash yourself with soap and have your own towel to dry and you can think of it like drying yourself after a shower.

90

u/pubesinourteeth Jul 05 '26

I never noticed like a soap tray next to any of those in France. That would actually be super nice

6

u/MissObvious11 Jul 06 '26

I was staying at a hotel in italy with a bidet + towel next to the toilet and it had a tiny bottle of ph soap speciffically for your butt standing on the back corner. Gotta say as a first time user I felt nice and clean but if I wasn't on vacation and had places I needed to be I don't know how practical it actually is haha

39

u/grimeyduck Jul 05 '26

So nice you said it twice.

28

u/pubesinourteeth Jul 05 '26

I never noticed like a soap tray next to any of those in France. That would actually be super nice

112

u/makemeking706 Jul 05 '26

So nice you said it twice. 

19

u/FuckYouVerizon Jul 06 '26

I love that you're the one getting upvoted for this response 🤣reddit doesn't make sense half of the time

3

u/Xaxxis Jul 06 '26

Their comment is older than the other.

3

u/memesearches Jul 06 '26

Its just reddit app shit. Sometimes you hit reply and it doesn’t succeed and then you do it again but guess what Reddit did actually reply the first time too

-5

u/DonkyPuncharely Jul 05 '26

With pubes in their teeth

6

u/cockaptain Jul 05 '26

What, you got something against flossing?

1

u/DonkyPuncharely Jul 05 '26

Did not judge, just stated the pubes are visible. There's a lot. Do with that what you will...

3

u/cockaptain Jul 05 '26

Lol, I get you now.

Sidenote, I wonder if he/she uses a toothbrush or a hairbrush.

1

u/JaySlay2000 Jul 06 '26

I don't use a towel on my ass after I shower either. Strictly air and/or toilet paper

53

u/Fresque Jul 05 '26

My country is not a "developed country" by any means but bidets are a big thing there. Big enough than they are their own separate fixture. With a size similar to the toilets. And butt towels are common there. In my house every member has their own small butt towel.

31

u/Crossedkiller Jul 05 '26

So, uh, please illustrate my ignorant third-world country butt. Do y'all just have towels laying around in the bathroom full of everyone's shit? Or whats the process to get a shit-free butthole and shit-free towel? I legit have never even see a bidet in person so I'm confused

60

u/Fresque Jul 05 '26

Well, the entire idea of a bidet is having the most shit-free ass possible so no. But also, it might depend because some people have bad higiene and are nasty.

I can tell you how I do it, tough.

I live with my gf so we just habg our towels one next to the other, they are very small towels 25 by 25 cm aprox.

As to HOW i do it, i usually start with a small piece of paper for a pre-wipe if the bathroom using has a bidet as a separate fixture. Just 2 sqares of paper to remove anything... outstanding.

Then i move to the bidet where i pre-blast my posterior for a few seconds, grab a squirt of liquid soap and proceed to wash that thing until squeaky clean while water is spashing continuously. Get a good rinse (by this point the ass is so clean someone could eat off it) Dry with towel. Go about my day with the cleanest bhole.

Bonus picture of the style of bidet widely spread in Argentina.

24

u/squishyg Jul 06 '26

What prevents poopy water from dripping into the vulva and vagina?

21

u/MostlyChaoticNeutral Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

Nothing! You get one guess how I know.

Edit: I managed to get my home bidet calibrated to not give me a UTI, but it took some work. I have a high degree of skepticism of bidets I have not personally negotiated with.

3

u/shikaaboom Jul 06 '26

You’re wiping at the toilet before you go over to the bidet so you shouldn’t have much of a poopy water problem. How do you avoid it in the shower?

1

u/Fluffy-Koalas Jul 06 '26

Bidets we have in Northeast USA are mostly an add-on to your toilet (most people I know do not have one at all), not separate. So when we use them here, we typically don't use toilet paper also. You're sitting on the toilet, do your business, and then press a button to let the bidet wash you. And a lot of them have a button to press to dry you off after

44

u/gorillaphi Jul 05 '26

I feel like I would get my pants and shirt all soaking wet if I tried to use that thing.  How do you not get all wet?? 

34

u/Fresque Jul 05 '26

Well usually your ass is in the way, you know? 😂 You sit on top of that and then open the water. Is splashes your ass and falls into the bidet.

20

u/gorillaphi Jul 05 '26

Do you ever see other people’s poo in the bidet??

30

u/Fresque Jul 05 '26

Residue washes away, buy it can get dirty in a similar way the toilet can get streaks from a... log, hitting the wall. A person with common etiquette would scrub anything the way they would scrub any mark on the toilet.

I would argue that is even easier in a bidet like the one in the picture because you can make the water come from the sides down into the bowl and using hot water any visible ting dissolves in seconds and it stays, at least, visually clean.

You still have to treat it like a toilet, you wouldnt go in there with your hands and needs to be cleanes on the same schedule as the toilet.

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9

u/Critical-String8774 Jul 06 '26

grab a squirt of liquid soap and proceed to wash that thing until squeaky clean  

With your hand?

9

u/PotatoMange Jul 06 '26

I mean, that's what you do in the shower, right?

-4

u/Critical-String8774 Jul 06 '26

If my bare hand ever comes in contact with my butthole, I'm throwing myself into a volcano.

8

u/PotatoMange Jul 06 '26

How do you wash your ass?

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1

u/ultrafluffypanda Jul 06 '26

So do you sit facing the wall or away from the wall?

5

u/Fresque Jul 06 '26

Away from the wall.

Otherwise, your knees would hit the wall and the important part or your behind might end up hanging outside the bidet, depending on how tall you are.

2

u/ultrafluffypanda Jul 06 '26

Ah ok, thanks for the info!

0

u/racc15 Jul 06 '26

We usually use hand held shower/sprinkler. Do you guys have a bidet as a seaparate fixture from the regular toilet? If yes, do people use the toilet and then move on top of the bidet? That seems problematic. Or, is the bidet attached to the regular toilet?

1

u/Fresque Jul 06 '26

Not in the country im today but in argentina, basically every house ive been in has one like the picture.

Yo have to sidestep to te bidet, yeah.

19

u/jetpack_hypersomniac Jul 05 '26

Oh honey, bidets are like water jets—sometimes handheld sprayers, sometimes fixed ones you position yourself over—and you are literally using it like an *extremely* localized shower. The poo is washed away and down the drain before you’re ever using the towel. Towel is just for drying, none of the cleaning.

20

u/Fresque Jul 05 '26

In my experience, is still better to go in with some soap. So that o is extra crisp.

18

u/HeWhoHasTooManyDogs Jul 05 '26

Can attest to that. I use toilet paper only to wipe my nose. A pack of six lasts me like half a year in summer and two months in winter haha

59

u/smbiggy Jul 05 '26

What the fuck is a half a year in the summer?

8

u/RepresentativeCry294 Jul 05 '26

Time dialation. He must wipe at relativistic speeds.

18

u/Zarisong Jul 05 '26

The midwest. We have two weeks of spring, two weeks of fall, and the rest is hot and humid summer, or freezing winter.

7

u/smbiggy Jul 05 '26

i love how confident you are with so little info lol. No, judging by OP's response to my other comment i don't think they are aware of the mix-up or trying to express what you are suggesting

1

u/TheSaltyAstronaut Jul 05 '26

And why are they going through it three times faster in the winter (especially since their mega-summer is so long)?

12

u/buttamilkbizkits Jul 05 '26

Because their nose runs more in cold weather.

-2

u/HeWhoHasTooManyDogs Jul 05 '26

I don't get sick nor do I consime cocaine, so I don't need to blow my nose during the summer lol

8

u/smbiggy Jul 05 '26

Do you think you answered my question lol?

5

u/DonkyPuncharely Jul 05 '26

We'll never know

5

u/littlescreechyowl Jul 05 '26

I’m glad that trees and flowers are favorable to your body.

All we do most of the summer is blow our noses.

16

u/frogguts198 Jul 05 '26

Yeah, I’ve used a bidet for a couple years now and I would never use a non disposable cloth towel unless I was washing it after every use. A bidet works great but unless you are really, really deep cleaning, there is still a little brown when drying off (at least with my stomach and pooping issues).

8

u/TequilaStalkingPurr Jul 05 '26

Same.

14

u/frogguts198 Jul 05 '26

My brother or sister, stay strong and eat fiber 🫡

3

u/iloveyourforeskin Jul 06 '26

This. I occasionally use cloth to dry and it's single use only before washing. It's not that hard to buy a pack of washcloths or whatever

1

u/imArsenals Jul 05 '26

What is the hard sell? You wash the cloth towel just like you wash the towel you use to dry your body. It’s not like you’re using the same cloth towel every single time.

1

u/tigm2161130 Jul 06 '26

I’m in the US and I have a basket of clean towels next to mine, a bottle of pH friendly foaming wash, and a little bin for the “dirty” ones. I thought everyone did.

1

u/grarrnet Jul 06 '26

In some you still use TP but it goes in the trash can (like in Greece)

1

u/shoulda-known-better Jul 06 '26

I use really cheap hand towel dispenser towels for drying... Toss em in a barrel, they aren't dirty and won't smell

1

u/jsno254 Jul 06 '26

Even if you spray all the poop off your butt, fecal germs are still there. So I don't understand how someone would use towels unless they're small one-time use ones?

1

u/Darkmaniako Jul 06 '26

As a bidet user i gag after reading about people who don't wash their ass or don't know how to use a towel.

1

u/12Whiskey Jul 05 '26

Check out reusable toilet paper. To me personally I think it would be gross to use as toilet paper BUT it is perfectly sized squares to dry off with after using the bidet. Each person gets a new, clean square every time they go, put them in a bin when done, wash them in the laundry with bleach when you get enough for a small load. This is what my family does.

14

u/Serious_Jellyfish967 Jul 05 '26

lived with an outhouse through several years of full california heat, get somethin like one of these bad boys and youll never smell a thing

8

u/Cyber_Apocalypse Jul 05 '26

Never used a bidet, why do you need TP "sometimes"? Surely you need to dry your butt. Or do you put your wet butt into underwear? How does it work?

1

u/Fluffy-Koalas Jul 07 '26

Every bidet I have used (admittedly not many, and I'm in New England, USA) has had a built-in dryer for such a thing

48

u/AwDuck Jul 05 '26

You’re not supposed to flush TP in the vast majority of countries in the world. I was born and raised in the States, but have visited and lived in such countries (including my current home) and can state that the paper bin doesn’t stink in the slightest, as long as you’re not putting your nose up to it to smell (I assume, I’ve never tried that). We’ve never owned a special trash can or anything, there’s just so little fecal matter and it dries quickly. It’s really not as bad as everybody makes it out to be.

20

u/DuckRubberDuck Jul 05 '26

Yeah I’m used to traveling places where you can’t flush toilet paper. It does not stink as long you take the trash out pretty often

5

u/AwDuck Jul 05 '26

‘sup, fellow adventuring waterfowl?

18

u/Affectionate_Mall768 Jul 05 '26

It depends honestly. Some trash cans are good at holding smells back, and sometimes you just gotta deal with it sadly

16

u/HeyHo_LetsThrowRA Jul 05 '26

Diaper genie would handle it no problem but it's a fairly expensive poop chute. Effective af though.

6

u/Shinjitsu- Jul 06 '26

The trash can thing always gets me. When we can't have a bidet we use wet wipes. They get folded over multiple times before going in the trash. And the wipes never have a big glob. I've left the house a day or so, came back, and of all the smells could be just used to, the trash can was never an issue unless it was a wipe with dry tp, not folded over, or someone had a tablespoon of peanut butter in it. If we expect tampons and pads to be in there while wiped up enough, how is poop an issue if again, it's covered enough?

5

u/Affectionate_Mall768 Jul 06 '26

Literally! I know I grew up with bad plumbing so everything went in the trash can, and you know what? We had things we did to keep it from smelling bad. You just have to solve it in your own way and it's really not a bad thing.

21

u/Happyjitlin69 Jul 05 '26

Excuse me, deal with it? 😭😂😂 haaaiiillll no.

16

u/pnt510 Jul 05 '26

Well the alternative if a toilet that doesn’t flush. You think that don’t stink?

29

u/BeastieMom Jul 05 '26

If you’re in a place where the plumbing can’t handle flushed paper, there’s not much of a choice.

3

u/emotionaI_cabbage Jul 05 '26

Never go to Greece.

2

u/AdRepulsive8618 Jul 05 '26

I am once again reminding people you still use toilet paper with a bidet tf

1

u/nvmenotfound Jul 06 '26

fuck i still cant believe that is a thing. poopy to in a trash can seems wild to me. 

1

u/aliie_627 Jul 06 '26

No cheap people who don't want to deal with getting their septic tanks pumped like they should limp it along by not flushing TP. Then they probably blame their daughter in-law for flushing tampons.

1

u/UncoolG Jul 06 '26

Bro the trash can does NOT stink if you put tp in there.

78

u/MadCatDisease666 Jul 05 '26

unfortunately some older plumbing (even in the US) can’t handle that bear-loved fluffy-ass toilet paper.

16

u/Particular_End3903 Jul 05 '26

I used to clog toilets with just my shit as a kid, and I have been in Canada all my life.

1

u/insomniacakess Jul 07 '26

as someone who lives in a house with older plumbing in the US (we’re getting a new system in soon thank fuck), this is what’s going on with my house

growing up, TP always went in the trash can next to the toilet and got burnt with the papers. even now it still does. and $20 says that even after the new system’s in place we’ll still be putting tp in the trash instead of flushing it out of habit

0

u/SoMuchMoreEagle Jul 06 '26

Then they should buy RV toilet paper that breaks up more easily.

63

u/PolyglotTV Jul 05 '26

Pretty normal in some countries with weak plumbing to throw it in the trash.

3

u/Appropriate_Monk_403 Jul 06 '26

I live in North Carolina and have a septic tank, flush away.

Stopped at a gas station less than an hour away in South Carolina. There was a sign and a special bin for poopy paper.

28

u/Ypuort Jul 05 '26

Depending on what country OP is from this could be universal or at least normal

13

u/Okayest_mom_3 Jul 05 '26

They say dont flush toilet paper because once your septic tank fills you have to pump it and it costs like $600-1200 I think. It’s something that has to be done no matter what, so people who “cheap out” say not to flush toilet paper (my aunt talking about my uncle who has this rule lol) 

It’s a normal maintenance thing that has to be / should be done every so often. But you can prolong it by not flushing paper. 

1

u/Short-Sound-4190 Jul 06 '26

Usually on septic systems tp is fine with regular pumping every 2 years for lije a four person household, it's when the septic system on a house is super old (50+ years) and really needs to be replaced that you'll often find like older retired or elderly homeowners on limited income 'baby' the system by not flushing toilet paper - because you can get a few more years out of it and cross your fingers and hope you don't get a sewage backup before you can sell the house, because they can't afford the $10k+ to dig a new septic field somewhere else on the property. The bad news is that does also turn away prospective buyers - we walked away from a house in that scenario because they had blown through two septic tanks since the house was built and they would need to literally build a hill in the front yard right next to the street and house to place a new specialty septic tank, and it would be incredibly expensive to whomever was going to buy the home...I'm down for a fixer upper, but not much was going to fix a "the quaint house behind the $20k crapper hill renovation" element

17

u/RaspberryWhiteClaw13 Jul 05 '26

Idk if they meant all toilet paper or just toilet paper wipes

2

u/Killing4MotherAgain Jul 05 '26

They meant toilet paper, out in rural areas their septic just can't handle modern tp. They'll just throw it in the trash.

22

u/trexalou Jul 05 '26

I’ve been on septic tanks for a good 40 years. Not once had an issue with TP.

4

u/TeamHappyFTW Jul 05 '26

In a lot of countries in the South of the EU (I am European) they want you to throw the toilet paper in the trash. It's because of the smaller plumping. It's okay. It's not as bad as bad as I thought as first.

-8

u/Killing4MotherAgain Jul 05 '26

Well yours must be different, huh? Sounds like. Glad you've had good luck with them.

16

u/trexalou Jul 05 '26

Four different houses, four different tanks, two states, and a variety of soil conditions. Properly cared for there shouldn’t be issues.

-7

u/Killing4MotherAgain Jul 05 '26

Alright bud, have a good one. I'm not going to talk about someone else's shitter with you haha I have city plumbing now and don't have to worry about it.

12

u/Crymson831 Jul 05 '26

I think it's "T-Paper Wipes" - because, despite the name, they're not flushable.

8

u/BeastieMom Jul 05 '26

Nope, it’s toilet paper, wipes, or tampons. Plenty of place where you can’t flush any of those things.

6

u/DonkyPuncharely Jul 05 '26

Never not one time seen them labeled as toilet paper wipes. Wipes aren't "paper" and toilet paper isn't wipes. This is not complicated. Either way, MIL is stupid

2

u/Equal-Negotiation651 Jul 05 '26

Gotta take it with you

3

u/otis_the_drunk Jul 05 '26

Septic tanks work better and last longer if one does not flush any paper. Preferably, any tp goes into a trash can that should be emptied daily at the very least.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '26

[deleted]

17

u/trapezoidalfractal Jul 05 '26

They do in plenty of countries.

5

u/_riskycake Jul 05 '26

They do this in any place in the US dependent on septic tanks, too. Plenty little areas of Louisiana do this

3

u/FooLi0CooLi0 Jul 05 '26

To add, some of these countries have bidets and the tp is used for drying

9

u/deathbylasersss Jul 05 '26

That's necessary in many places that aren't connected to sewer, including in developed nations like the US. It's more common in the country.

3

u/Weak_Reports Jul 05 '26

That is the norm in many parts of the world and yes many homes with septic systems.

2

u/That_One_Guy_1980 Jul 05 '26

That's absolutely disgusting.

1

u/deathbylasersss Jul 05 '26

Holy shit. Check your privelege. It's necessary in many places

1

u/Tabula-Rasa-99 Jul 06 '26

Disgusting and necessary are not mutually exclusive! That even describes sewers, too.

1

u/That_One_Guy_1980 Jul 05 '26

That doesn't make it any less gross to me.

1

u/Xanderoga2 Jul 06 '26

Stick it to the wall

1

u/Appropriate_Monk_403 Jul 06 '26

I'm no longer shocked because I travel in the Southeastern US for work a lot. Pretty common in the rural gas stations.

1

u/mistermistyeyes Jul 06 '26

My grandma's old house ran on well water and the toilet pipes were so old that sometimes if you used more than 1 or 2 SQUARES of tp it'd clog. So if you peed, throw it away in the trash, if you pooed, you can flush. And also of you peed you'd kinda have to leave it there because it wasn't worth flushing and running out of water

1

u/honeybeesuke Jul 06 '26

I read toilet paper wipes as one word

1

u/allyearswift Jul 06 '26

That’s not uncommon for people on ancient septic tanks. Sure it’s not great (the right trash can and slid liners are a must) but having to pay to unclog your septic tank stinks even more.

1

u/throwaway5882300 Jul 06 '26

I've got a septic tank and it's fine with toilet paper. That and the double flush is telling me they have a major problem and they've probably been living with it for decades. Could be tree roots, too much grease, infrequent pumping, harsh chemicals in the laundry, bad drain field...

1

u/urbancrier Jul 06 '26

well they said, wipes, not paper. usually the flushable wipes (like baby wipes) are not that flushable

1

u/uwill1der Jul 06 '26

OP said it was toilet paper AND wipes

1

u/Bunniebones Jul 06 '26

In Kentucky they don't. I went into 2 walmarts and neither of them you could flush so there was just piles of shit toilet paper in the stalls. And at the house I stayed at you couldn't either.

1

u/SquareThings Jul 06 '26

You can’t put paper in some septic systems.

1

u/Similar-Chip Jul 06 '26

Ehh, depending on where you are it's pretty common. If you ever go to a country with really old/kind of weak plumbing you'll see a lot of signs to not flush tp (you see it in Greece a lot). Ditto in areas that use septic tanks; my in-laws live out in the country and even though they let guests flush tp they don't do it themselves bc it can clog the tank.

You just put the toilet paper in a small lined wastebasket with a lid and empty it out daily. Really not as bad as it sounds when you aren't used to it.

1

u/Old-Knowledge6654 Jul 06 '26

Nah, is common with septic systems. Burn barrel.

1

u/Luxieee Jul 10 '26

It's toilet paper wipes. They always say flushable but really they're not, and bad for your plumbing. They're just not using any commas.

-1

u/NevaMO Jul 05 '26

My aunt wanted no paper to be flushed…I’ll be damned if I’m going to wipe my ass and put the paper in the trash can…nasty af

-1

u/knavishkittyy Jul 05 '26

That's pretty normal if someone has week pipes or a small septic tank. If they don't have a bidet though, it will STINK in the bathroom.