What cleaning products can I use with a septic tank?

Choosing the right cleaning product for your septic tank is important for maintaining its bacterial balance.

Septic tanks use bacteria to naturally break down the waste inside.

Using unsuitable cleaning products can kill that same bacteria living inside and cause a whole host of unpleasant problems, including groundwater pollution and a clogged tank.

Once you know what’s safe and what isn’t, there are many different types of suitable cleaning products for a septic tank.

Septic-safe household cleaning products

While your septic tank can handle low levels of some chemicals, it’s important to take care with what you’re putting inside and only use cleaning products that contain chemicals occasionally.

Some key indicators that a cleaning product should be safe to use with your septic tank include:

• It is a mild detergent
• It is a water-based product
• The product is phosphate-free
• The product is labelled as ‘septic-safe’
• The product is biodegradable
• It is labelled as environmentally-friendly

Here’s a quick guide to the best cleaning products to use with a septic tank.

Washing powder suitable for septic tanks

It’s always safest to choose a liquid laundry detergent over a powdered one. Sometimes, additives in washing powder don’t break down properly and, over time, they can clog your system. The safest liquid laundry detergents to choose are eco-friendly brands like Ecover, Bio D, Ecozone, and those marked as septic-safe.

Can I use bleach with a septic tank?

Bleach is used to kill bacteria, so it’s important to take care when using bleach in your septic tank. As a rule, standard household bleach should be fine for use with a septic tank as it is diluted and not strong enough to kill your tank’s bacteria. However, it’s best to avoid extra strong bleach.

Drain blockage remover suitable for septic tanks

If your septic tank has a blocked pipe, it’s best to try to unblock it using boiling water and without chemicals first. However, for stubborn blockages, a liquid drain cleaner is safe on the odd occasion but should not be used regularly. Foam or solid drain cleaners should be avoided because they can cause serious problems for your septic tank.

Is Toilet Duck safe for septic tanks?

According to its manufacturer, the Duck brand of toilet cleaner is indeed safe for use with septic tanks.

There are however several toilet cleaners that are milder and so gentler on your septic tank, particularly chemical-free and eco-friendly cleaners like Ecover, Ecozone and Bio D.

Here at OMDI, our team have more than 20 years’ experience in designing, installing and maintaining both commercial and domestic septic tanks.

For further help and advice with which cleaning products are safe for use with your septic tank and how to look after your tank, give our team of experts a call on 01977 800418.