Your septic tank is what it eats. It holds the solid waste you flush away from your home, so you don’t want it to overflow into your house or yard. Rooter Express NC is here to maintain your system for you, but we need a little help. Can you use just any old laundry detergent when your home’s plumbing leads to a septic system? Not really.
The Danger
Many people take probiotics every day to ensure their digestive systems remain healthy. Your septic system also has probiotics in the form of bacteria that keep its digestive system healthy. As your wastewater and solids flow through the system, bacteria treat them to not only reduce the solid waste but also to prevent the liquid waste from becoming an environmental hazard. You can’t simply toss dirty toilet water in your yard. It’s against the law.
If you use laundry detergent that has bleach or other harsh chemicals in it, you run the risk of killing the bacteria in your septic system. This, in turn, creates an environmental hazard in your yard, as the drain or leach field will not be able to treat the water properly. Bleach, in particular, is deadly to septic system bacteria, so when you’re on a tank instead of the municipal sewer lines, you have to take this into account.
Septic-Safe Laundry Detergent
If you read the labels of the laundry detergents on the grocery store shelves, you’ll see which ones are labeled septic-safe. As a general rule, however, look for detergents that don’t have any filler ingredients or that fail to list the ingredients on their labels. Organic detergents are usually the best, as they list all ingredients and those ingredients are biodegradable. This means they won’t kill the bacteria in your septic system.
Another rule of thumb is to use liquid laundry soap instead of powdered. The liquid detergents don’t have as many fillers as powdered detergents do, and they definitely don’t have montmorillonite clay, which will clog your system quickly. Most dry detergents also contain sodium, which isn’t healthy for your system or the bacteria inside it. Sodium disrupts the balance. Think of it as buffalo wings in the tummy of an acid reflux sufferer.
When you use the right laundry detergent and other cleaning supplies for your septic system, you extend its life. Another way to get more miles out of your system is to have it serviced regularly. Call Rooter Express NC at 919-823-6319. We’ll send a technician out to inspect your system. We service Charlotte, Gastonia, Concord, and Monroe.
