To avoid septic maintenance, you may want to eliminate habits that cause damage to your system. This includes discarding nonbiodegradable products in the toilet and using chemical supplies to clean plumbing fixtures. Understanding how cleaning products affect your septic unit can help you care for it. To prolong its life and ensure you avoid costly repairs, here’s a guide to what certain compounds do to septic units and how to minimize damage.

Why Are Cleaning Products Harmful to Tanks?

While cleaning products are useful for washing clothes or cleaning bathroom fixtures, they pose risks to septic systems. Septic tanks break down solid waste with the help of bacteria. These lifeforms are sensitive, and may be killed by some of the chemicals in cleaning supplies. If this happens, your unit won’t be able to process waste anymore, requiring septic maintenance.

Septic systems are also not built for filtering toxins, meaning that most of the chemicals present in these products will escape through the drain field and get absorbed into your soil. This can compromise your lawn, garden, and underground water supplies.

What Cleaners Should I Avoid?

Products that can be used by homeowners with septic systems will have a “septic-safe” label. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also allows people to browse products that don’t contain harmful chemicals.

When selecting all-purpose cleaners, avoid all products with chlorine and bleach, which kill bacteria. Most drain cleaners feature extra-potent chemicals to remove clogs, so never use these products. You may also want to steer clear of oven cleaners, which often contain sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, a compound that eradicates bacteria.

If you believe your tank has sustained damage, call the septic maintenance experts at Sloan's Septic Tank Service in Oakley, MI, and the surrounding areas. Serving the community for over 80 years, they’ve always treated all customers like family. They can provide septic pumping, repairs, and even portable toilets for events. Learn more about how they can help your system online, or call (989) 845-6280 to schedule an inspection.