T-L Photo/SHELLEY HANSON A PACKAGE of baby wipes warns users not to flush them down the toilet.

MARTINS FERRY — With the recent rush on toilet paper and other supplies, Ohio Valley residents may find themselves resorting to using non-typical products to clean up after using the toilet.

However, many of these products, including baby wipes, are not designed to be discarded in the toilet. In a recent social media posting, Martins Ferry Mayor John Davies warned residents to be careful, as such products can harm the waste system.

“Please do not put cleansing wipes and paper towels in the toilet; please put them in the trash. They are plugging up the drains,” Davies said on Facebook.

Some advise that even wipes marked “flushable” on their packaging also should not be flushed down the toilet. Government leaders have asked people not to buy more food and items, such as toilet paper, than they need for a week’s time.

However, as concerns about the spread of the coronavirus have increased during the past couple weeks, many have decided to stockpile items. Health officials have said the typical quarantine period for someone who contracts the virus and has mild symptoms is about 14 days.

Currently even states such as Ohio and West Virginia that have instituted mandatory stay-at-home orders have said that people still are allowed to leave their homes to buy food and medicine and to work jobs that are considered “essential services.”