Jump to content
Wirtschaftsbetrieb Mainz AÖR
In Mainz! For Mainz! Business enterprise Mainz!

Dry vs. wet: The experiment

A piece of toilet paper is stirred in a glass of water.
A piece of toilet paper is stirred in a glass of water.

Wet wipes, moist toilet paper, and kitchen roll should not be thrown into the toilet. This is because they dissolve very slowly in water—if at all. This alone makes them the natural enemy of sewage pumps and sewers. You can easily test
for yourself just how big the difference in water solubility actually is. Put a sheet of toilet paper in a glass of water and stir it with a spoon. After two minutes at the latest, there should not be much of the sheet left. Now do the same with a wet wipe or a sheet of kitchen roll...

Stir after 1 minute: The toilet paper has almost dissolved.
Stir after 1 minute: The toilet paper has almost dissolved.
Stir after 1 minute: The wet wipe is still completely intact.
Stir after 1 minute: The wet wipe is still completely intact.

Explanations and notes

Picture credits

Quick search