Is homemade detergent safe for septic systems?
By Jeanne from Hackettstown, NJ
I use Dawn dish soap for regular dirt and Ivory liquid for fine/delicate stuff, we have a "mound" system and our clean out man says ours is always in great shape. Tons cheaper too!
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I made 5 gallons of the soap and it worked just fine, but my husband said because it was made of powders and bar soap it will clog our septic tank! Is he right? It is a gel now, and I dilute it before using it.
Call your local plumber and ask. I would think your husband is at least partially right on this...but I am not a plumber, so I suggest asking an expert.
They will want to know every ingredient you used as I find it so odd that antibacterial soaps are bad for septic systems, even if they are liquid...so I think it is more the make up of the items vs. that you will be using in a diluted form.
Post back so we can all learn! Thanks!
You have to be very careful what you put down a septic tank. I would not do it.
Yes, it is safe. Make sure that the water is hot enough to dissolve the powder and the soap. If they do not get dissolved they may clog the pipe on the way to the septic tank. This can build up over time until it completely blocks the pipe.
Antibiotic soaps are bad for the septic tank because it is full of organisms like yeast that eat the waste, these types of soap kill them off, meaning that you could have a waste buildup problem.
My husband and I have been making our own laundry soap for a couple years now, and we have never had a problem up until now. Now we are finding that something is clogging our septic system.
So my question is is there something in the borax or the fels naptha soap that's causing this? Do we need to alter our recipe for the soap? Any help would be appreciated.Your recipe is similar to this one www.theprairiehomestead.com/
Are you using thick toilet paper for flushable wipes or makeup remover wipes? Those things can clog up any plumbing system.
Hi
We are new to septic tanks and I want share what we recently learned. We had the home 3 years. The septic was inspected before we completed purchase and drained. It was due for 3 year drain 7/15/19 and we scheduled it for 7/1/19. The worker kept asking if we use grease, like Crisco. After telling him no for a 3rd time, I asked him to show me why he kept asking that question. There were multiple white masses being pumped from the plumbing lines. I could actually see the drain jerking from the blocks it was sucking out.
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Hi, I am planning to make laundry detergent at home using soap, borax and washing soda. I read somewhere that using soap flakes is not good for the septic pipes. Is that true?
