Can tissues be flushed down the toilet?

We like to think of our soft, naturally-beige facial tissues as the unsung hero of our product line. 

We talk more about our toilet paper and our kitchen rolls, which do great work in toilets and kitchens up and down the country. But the beauty of tissues is that they go everywhere.

Whether it’s dabbing away tears, wiping off makeup, or bravely facing a mammoth nose-blowing session during hay fever season, tissues are there for the messy bits of life. They’re handy, hypoallergenic, and, in our case, completely bleach-free; so you can sail through colds and allergy season without the red nose.

It’s no wonder, then, that in the interests of staying hygienic and tidy, we might be tempted to flush a tissue or two. We regularly hear from customers wondering if it’s a good idea.

The answer is no. Facial tissues like Kleenex or our lovely bleach-free Naked Paper tissues look, on the surface, a lot like toilet paper. But they don’t behave like toilet paper. And your plumbing will absolutely know the difference.

Of course, it’s one thing for us to say “don’t flush tissues”– today we’re digging into why.

What happens if you flush a tissue

To understand the problem, we need to talk about what happens to toilet paper after you flush it.

The moment you pull the chain, drop the handle, or press the little silver button, you set off a tried-and-tested sequence of hydraulic engineering that will eventually dissolve the toilet paper. 

First, water, pressure, and gravity start to work on the paper in the toilet bowl itself, which will start to break down apart from the moment it hits the water. By the time it’s swirled down the U-bend, it’s already falling apart.

This helps it make the next leg of the journey – through the pipes, into the drains, and on through the sewers. As it travels it continues to dissolve until it eventually becomes part of a broken-down mixture called “sludge”.

Not the nicest-sounding stuff, but it has its uses. Sludge can be processed at water treatment plants and, in some cases, even turned into energy.

This whole journey depends on one thing: toilet paper breaks down quickly.

Tissues work very differently. Like kitchen roll, they’re made to hold their shape even when wet. So while the flush might carry a discarded tissue or two into the U-bend, there’s a good chance they’ll just sit there – potentially forming a clog.

Why aren’t tissues flushable?

So that’s what can go wrong. But why? What makes tissues able to withstand the pressure of the flush, while toilet paper falls apart?

It all comes down to how they’re made.

Toilet paper is engineered to be:

• Strong when dry, so it holds together during use
  

• Weak when wet, so it quickly falls apart once flushed
  

At Naked Paper, we put each batch of our toilet paper through “wet strength testing” to make sure it meets the mark – able to withstand about 74 newtons per metre when dry, and 0 when wet. 

That way, it’s soft and strong when you need it, and it vanishes cleanly when you’re done.

Our hypoallergenic, bleach-free tissues, on the other hand, are made with durability in mind. Think about how you use them – wiping off makeup, drying tears, dipping in and out of pockets. You need something that won’t fall apart in your hand.

One of our team members even uses our tissues to help secure her embroidery to her hoop frame; a soft but sturdy buffer that keeps everything gently in place.

The best proof of how strong they are – and how poorly suited they are for your pipes – is the washing machine test.

What happens when a tissue goes through the wash?

It happens to the best of us. Sooner or later you'll leave a tissue in the pocket of your jeans, and then – without thinking – chuck them in the washing machine.

What usually follows is unforgettable: opening the machine to find everything covered in tiny white specks. A quick online search for “What to do if a tissue goes through the wash” throws up a sea of articles, videos, and Reddit threads filled with tales of tissue disasters.

But with Naked Paper tissues, you don’t need to worry. Our soft, sturdy bamboo tissues can take the spin.

We wouldn’t recommend you do it on purpose, but if one sneaks in by accident, you’ll likely be just fine. As one lovely customer said in a review:

“If you tend to forget, like me, tissues in your jeans pockets and put them in the washing machine, they don't dissolve in a thousand tiny white pieces that get stuck everywhere! They stay in a little ball and don't ruin everything.”

We hear similar stories all the time on our Facebook page; people expecting chaos, but opening the drum to find their laundry blessedly tissue-dust-free.

It’s a little laundry miracle. But it does highlight the issue: what survives the washing machine isn’t going to break down in your drains.

The final verdict: can you flush tissues in an emergency?

Hopefully, we’ve covered all the angles here. No, you shouldn’t flush tissues. Not even if you’ve run out of toilet paper and it feels like a genuine emergency. It’s just not worth the risk of a blocked loo.

Tissues can be scrunched, handled, shoved into pockets and forgotten–yet still survive mostly intact. That’s great for your laundry. Not so great for your plumbing.

If running low on loo roll is a recurring theme in your household, you might want to try a subscription to our sustainable, bleach-free toilet paper. That way, it arrives when you need it without the siren song of the tissues box tempting you.

And if you haven’t tried our smooth, sturdy, allergy-friendly tissues yet, why not give them a spin?*

*Ideally not a spin in your washing machine. But if it happens, you’ll probably be alright.