Can you use dishwasher Pods with a Septic System?
When buying cleaning products for your home, it's important to make sure they don't contain the harsh chemicals that can kill the good bacteria that live in your tank.The waste that goes into the tank from your toilets, kitchen sink, dishwasher, washing machine, shower, bath, and so on needs to be broken down by the bacteria in the system.
Here are the chemicals that you don't want to use.
There is a dilemma with the Septic Safe label.There is no official government rating, regulation or industry standard that clearly defines what is or isn't safe for a septic system, which is the main problem with the term "Septic-safe".Similar to words like natural, green, healthy, or eco-friendly, brands can use these terms in advertising, marketing, and packaging without having to prove it or meet specific standards.Compared to an industry term like "Organic" where the USDA has a very specific set of rules and certification process needed.
There are some eco-friendly cleaning products that are safe for septic tanks.
The Environmental Working Group tests household and cleaning supplies.The relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product is not the product itself.The rating is an A-F.
EcoCert® is an acronym for "environmentally friendly ingredients and production."Synthetic ingredients are limited to 5% and from a very restrictive list.
The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics has a Leaping Bunny Program.This is the gold standard in animal-friendly certification for personal care and household products companies.
We want to give you enough information to make an informed decision, so we will cut to the chase after you learn if Tide Pods are safe.
Only 10% of laundry cleaning products received an "A" rating from EWG.
Tide sells a version of "Free & Gentle" that doesn't contain dyes or perfumes, if you like the brand.Many of the ingredients used in this product are frowned upon by EWG standards, but that is a positive thing.
If you are looking for a better-rated laundry Pod, look at the Seventh Generation Laundry Pods, which have an A rating from EWG.
We try to minimize the harsh and toxic chemicals that we bring into our house, since we started writing about toilets, bathrooms, and cleaning.We want to reduce the number of harsh chemicals in our home.
The bigger and more important question is what kind of products we are spraying in the air and breathing in, and wiping across our kitchen and bathroom surfaces.How will these products affect our health?What potential hazardous chemical interactions could be caused by mixing harsh cleaning supplies together is another main concern.
There is a powerful chemical cleaner called choline bleach.If you want your sheets to be the same color as the day you bought them, it will be possible.You could end up with deadly chloroform and hydrochloric acid if you mix bleach with alcohol.If you mix the bleach with the vinegar, you could end up with toxic chlorine gas that could kill you, and you wouldn't be the first to think it's a good combo.Thousands of accidents like this happen in the US every year.
Why are these harsh chemicals in the house?I have never seen a house that was as clean as my grandmother's.She lived on a farm with children dragging in muddy boots in and out of the house and she made her own cleaning products from simple ingredients.She did this without things like bleach, Drano, oven cleaners or other harsh chemicals that required a mask or gloves because she was very hard working and gave it more elbow grease than many modern families are used to.She didn't have to worry about the risks of mixing them.
We have written about how you can make your own laundry detergent with a few simple ingredients.We understand that some people don't want to go back to the pioneer days and make their own cleaning supplies.We put together a list of our favorite brands for non-toxic, eco-friendly and plant-based cleaning supplies.You can see the list here.
There is a homemade soap that you can make using natural ingredients for a fraction of the cost of store-bought detergent.This recipe is easy to make.It can make up to 5 gallons of detergent.Depending on how big your family is, you can just use a small amount and it will last a long time.
The recipe uses 1 bar of soap, 1 cup of washing soda, and a small amount of borax.