Homes contain a huge number of consumer products for every possible purpose. We have cleaners for toilets, sinks, floors, windows, furniture, and carpet. We have microfiber cloths, antibacterial wipes, and paper towels for wiping surfaces. This is not to mention laundry soaps, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, and the many other products that we use on a daily basis in our homes.
There is no possible way for a person to research each of these products individually, so we tend to trust the packaging when it tells us it’s, “eco-friendly”, “green”, or “Septic Safe”. Unfortunately we rarely get to see the science used to test these products or know what standards products must meet, if any, to be labelled in this fashion. This column will explore the impacts of a variety of products on Private Sewage (Septic) Systems.

Vol. 2: Antibacterial Products, Tolerable or Trouble?

Grocery store shelves are lined with products claiming to kill germs and protect our families. These antibacterial and antimicrobial products may seem like a good idea, but what are they doing to our septic systems?
The primary component of our septic systems, the septic tank, functions in a very simple fashion. We flush waste into it, and bacteria within the tank breaks that waste down into sludge, effluent, and scum. The bacteria end up in the tank in two ways. Some of the bacteria arrive in the tank with the waste. Other strains grow within the septic tank environment.
The purpose of using antibacterial products is to kill bacteria. Unfortunately for our septic tanks, these germ killing compounds do not stop killing bacteria once they clean our hands and households. The same chemicals that kill the germs in our living environment are washed into our septic tank, potentially harming the bacteria that are working for us within the tank.

There has not been enough research completed yet to determine how detrimental antibacterial products may be to septic systems, however, it has been shown that tanks with low active rates of bacteria have to be cleaned more often as the waste is not broken down as rapidly. In addition to tank troubles, passing effluent to the final treatment component without sufficient bacterial content may also cause issues further down the treatment train.

Some suggestions to assist with proper system function are below:
 Consider the label: products that are labelled “danger”, will kill bacteria; if they are marked “warning”, limited use should not be an issue; products marked “caution” should have minimal impact on your system.
 Do not use ‘every flush’ toilet bowl cleaners
 Reduce use of drain cleaners by minimizing the amount of hair, grease, and food particles that go down the drain
 Reduce use of cleaners by doing more scrubbing with less cleanser
 Use the minimum amount of soap, detergent and bleach necessary to do the job. Frequent use of detergents with bleach additives are considered excessive amounts of bleach.
 Use minimal amounts of mild cleaners, as needed only.

Ensure that you advise your clients of the potential risks of overusing antibacterial products. There are many products available on the market for keeping your family and house clean. Choose products that are safe for your septic system.