Taking a proactive approach to septic maintenance can help you avoid whole-house backups, drainfield overflows, and more. While regular tank pumping is a key part of this process, limiting what goes into your tank is equally important. Learn which items you should never flush down your toilets.
Wet Wipes
“Flushable” wipes are popular products that people use in place of toilet paper sprays and bidets. According to their manufacturers, these wipes are both plumbing and septic-safe. Unfortunately, despite these claims, personal care pipes can cause major problems. They’re slow-degrading and can take months or longer to break down. While you can certainly use these wipes, it’s best to keep them out of your septic system.
Feminine Hygiene Products
Feminine hygiene products also qualify as slow-degrading waste. If they don’t clog your toilets when flushed, they’ll quickly fill your septic tank. Both feminine hygiene products and “flushable” wipes accelerate the formation of sludge and slow down waste processing. Excess sludge and trapped, slow-degrading materials also disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in septic tanks and set the stage for drainfield clogs.
Paper Towels
Paper towels are built for durability. When flushed, paper towels tend to clump together. They can also attract and adhere to other waste, including wipes and feminine hygiene products. If they don’t clog your toilets, they can still clog your building sewer line or cause costly in-tank issues.
Cotton Swabs and Other General Hygiene Products
There’s a lengthy list of self-care products that you should always toss in the trash rather than flushing them. These include:
- Cotton swabs
- Dental floss
- Floss swords
- Cotton balls
- Pore strips
- Wax strips
Hazardous Chemicals
Septic tanks have a delicate balance of beneficial bacteria. These organisms facilitate the breakdown of solid waste, and they’re an integral part of a septic system’s waste management process. Flushing harsh chemicals can decrease the amount of beneficial bacteria in your tank.
Avoid flushing:
- Paint thinners
- Strong disinfectants
- Automotive fluids
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Drain cleaning chemicals
Keeping these things out of your wastewater is also essential for protecting local groundwater, nearby soil, and natural habitats.
Grease, Rendered Fats, and Cooking Oils
Never flush grease, rendered fats, or cooking oils down your toilets, and keep these things out of your drains as well. The best way to dispose of grease, oils, and rendered fats is by letting them cool and placing them in sealed, heat-safe containers. You can then place these containers in the trash. However, if you have lots of used cooking oil to get rid of, look for a local drop-off site instead.
Keep It Simple
Among the easiest ways to maintain a healthy, high-performing septic tank is by only flushing human waste and toilet paper. Anything else should get tossed in a waste basket. You should also stay on top of regular tank maintenance and plan in advance for age-related tank replacement. For expert septic maintenance and septic installation service in Muncie, IN, contact Happy & Clean Septic Rescue.
