Soaping at home with a Septic Tank?

[danielle22033]

For some reason it concerns me! Is my soap/lye killing all that good bacterium that I need in my septic system? For the most part if I have to clean my equipment after making a cold process batch (which is pretty much always) I do always pour a good amount if vinegar into it and fill it up with water and let it sit for a few minutes.

Do you think any of this will effect my septic system? I do soap making on a business level so I do make a lot.

Thanks

 

[CaraCara]

Hi
I'm on well and septic and have not had a problem. If you are dumping a LOT of lye water down the drain then there might be cause for concern but if you are neutralizing it first then you're ok. We have been flushing a cup of yeast granules down the toilet every other month to keep up with the bacteria (which should be plentiful given the location). Not sure if this is a myth or if we're making bad beverages in the tank, lol, but it doesn't do any harm either.

 

[Slnsgirl]

I, too, have a septic tank and I am always thinking about what is going down the drain. After pouring the soap into my molds, I wipe every utensil and bowl out with a paper towel to remove all excess. Then when I am done washing I dump my "wash" water outside. I don't pour it down the sink. Maybe I'm just paranoid. =)

 

[lsg]

I usually fill my soap making container with water and wash it and the utensil until I get the soap paste off. I pour this out on our gravel driveway. Then I do a second wash using dish detergent and warm water. This goes down the drain. I have been making soap for years and it hasn't harmed our septic tank.

 

[Moody Glenn]

Hello! As long as you don't overload the system with way-too-much soap you will be fine. Try and clean as much leftover fresh soap with old or very cheap hand towels (they can be later washed at a city or town laundry business) and then reused. When cleaning out the fresh soap make sure you are wearing gloves since some lye is still active.

Actually, the worst thing for septic tanks and the entire system is too much salt (like that of water softening salt) and using too much of those toilet cleaning chemicals - told to me by the guy that installed my septic system. The chemicals and salt kills the "good flora" and the salt will corrode and weaken the septic tank structure until it collapses.

 

[PinkCupcake]

It can be bad for a septic system to get too much fat and oil in it. I wipe all my bowls and utensils as clean as I can with dish towels, and then set the dirty dishes aside (either in a covered tub or outside) until the next day. When I wash them, the residue is more soapy than just oily. I leave the dish towels for a few days before I wash them.

 

[soap_rat]

My house was listed as having city sewer, but surprise! it's septic. So I'd dumped plenty of bleach down the drain from time to time, plus my soapmaking washup water. When the septic guys emptied the tank I asked them the dos and don'ts. The said not to worry about small amounts of bleach or lye, that every day I'm sending more bacteria into the tank for its digestive process. (They were not septic experts, just guys who empty tanks. But no problems for 5 years!)

The comment above about fats is good advice, although the little reading I just did points more towards commercial kitchens on septic having issues rather than households. I'm assuming commercial kitchens wash out deep-fryers a lot.

 

[Pepsi Girl]

I usually fill my soap making container with water and wash it and the utensil until I get the soap paste off. I pour this out on our gravel driveway. Then I do a second wash using dish detergent and warm water. This goes down the drain. I have been make soap for years and it hasn't harmed our septic tank.

That's about what I do. Since I don't soap in my kitchen I always leave the mess in the sink with water and vinegar until the next day. I take that out to the "gravel driveway" and pour it out. Then I just clean up as normal, had the septic dumped early this year and the guy told my husband keep doing what your doing! So I say "Soap ON"!

PS been soaping in this septic for over 15 years since the last clean out

 

[jennikate]

I have never had any issues with my septic system.

 

[Sammi_552]

We have a septic system. My husband is in the wastewater industry and he about goes into convulsions every time I make soap. I'm very careful to wipe all the excess batter off everything. I have a plastic tub that fits in my kitchen sink. I toss it outside when I'm done cleaning up. Despite this, I still hear his lecture about soap killing all the good bacteria every single time. He's annoying! He loves his bugs.

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[Robert]

We have a septic system. My husband is in the wastewater industry and he about goes into convulsions every time I make soap. I'm very careful to wipe all the excess batter off everything. I have a plastic tub that fits in my kitchen sink. I toss it outside when I'm done cleaning up. Despite this, I still hear his lecture about soap killing all the good bacteria every single time. He's annoying! He loves his bugs.

How much would go down the drain if you cleaned up in the sink compared to when you do laundry? Is he upset that you hooked up a washing machine too?

 

[Sammi_552]

Our washing machine water doesn't go into the septic tank. He's anal I tell ya!

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[Robert]

Our washing machine water doesn't go into the septic tank. He's anal I tell ya!

Most things having to do with septic tanks are.

 

[lsg]

In some of areas of the country, people have what are called grey water systems. The water from dishwashers, showers and laundry goes into a grey water system. Any water that has not come into contact with feces can go through the grey water system. This is separate from the system with the septic tank. Grey water systems are great for areas of the country where the soil does not take water from the latteral fields at a good rate.