The septic tank located underneath your property has a lot of work to do.
It flushes out all the waste from your home and filters it completely, so that clean water can be pumped out. As you might have imagined, the septic tank continues to gather years and years of sludge and scum inside it, which means that it needs thorough cleaning after every few years.
You might get a professional to do it for you, but you can also get it done yourself. The main thing is to find the best drain cleaners for septic tanks, and this article guides you on how to choose the right one.
Why is it Important to Choose Septic-Safe Cleaning Products?
All cleaning products contain chemicals, and some are more hazardous than others unless you find an eco-friendly or organic formula. While these solutions help in cleaning dirt, grime, grease, bacteria, and other particles from your toilets, kitchens, and other places, they are particularly harmful to the septic tank.
If you use regular products for your septic tank, they will eat away at the bacteria present inside it. The bacteria hold the sludge down inside the tank, and its absence might cause the waste to overflow.
Therefore, it is important for you to choose a septic-safe cleaning product to clean and pump out your septic tank properly. For the same reason, you should also consider using septic-safe toilet cleaners since they also end up in the septic tank when you flush the toilet.
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What Cleaning Products are Safe to Use Within a Septic Tank?
While looking for cleaning solutions and products for cleaning septic tanks, you should ideally go for eco-friendly or environmentally responsible cleaning products instead of regular bleaches, toilet cleaners, and other options.
It isn’t hard to find specific drain cleaners for septic tanks. All you need to do is to check the label on the products you find inside the supermarket. A closer look will help you understand which chemicals or substances are used within the product. Some products are specifically designed for septic tank cleaning, and you can buy them when you decide to clean your septic tank.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the toilet cleaning products you use also affect the septic tank since the solution eventually ends up in the septic tank. Moreover, if you use bleach or solutions with harmful chemicals to clean the toilet every day, you will need to switch to something more mild or organic so that it doesn’t ruin the septic tank.
Moreover, you will also have to be careful of the bathroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning, and other solutions you use around the house. All of the wastewater from the house is pumped into the septic tank, and this includes pipes from your toilet, bathroom, laundry room, shower, and kitchen.
Therefore, whenever you use chemical-based cleaning solutions that drain into your home’s plumbing system, the chemicals will reach your septic tank and clean the bacteria inside it. If the septic tank starts overflowing or pumping wastewater from the outlet, you will have to get it pumped every month, which can prove quite costly.
The best way to go about it is to use mild cleaning solutions, and you can also consider using homemade cleaning solutions. For instance, you can mix baking soda and vinegar inside a cup and use it to clean your toilet from the inside and outside. You can follow this with hot water to remove any residue.
What Cleaning Products Aren’t Safe to Use Within a Septic Tank?
Technically, all chemicals and chemical-based solutions are bad for your septic tank and the bacteria inside it. However, you can minimize the effects of chemicals by watching the composition of the products you buy.
Ideally, you should avoid any solutions containing ammonia, chlorine, chlorite, or any compounds. These compounds are highly abrasive and also harmful to human and pet health.
Another method to avoid causing any damage to your septic tank is to use cleaners in a small or minimal amount. It won’t cause any difference in the level of cleaning you are used to in your toilet or bathroom, but it would be favorable for your septic tank, as well as your health.
Nowadays, many companies that manufacture cleaning solutions are moving towards all-natural and organic formulas in an attempt to protect the environment. Moreover, people have started using special homemade cleaning solutions at home, which are completely free from any chemicals. Although you need to put in a little effort to prepare them, you can do a lot of good by doing this.
Conclusion
This concludes our article on how you can choose the best cleaner for septic tanks. Even if you find the correct solution, always remember that your septic tank needs thorough cleaning every one to three years. By doing this, you will also be able to save thousands of dollars.
