Did you know that mistakes with how you do your laundry could potentially lead to damage to your septic system? It’s true—while normal washing machine use will not hurt your septic system at all, there are some common mistakes people make that could make it necessary for you to seek emergency septic maintenance in Modesto, CA.
With this in mind, here are a few laundry-related tips to help you keep your septic system running as smoothly as possible.
- Try to spread out your laundry loads: By spreading your loads of laundry out over multiple days, you’ll reduce the strain you are putting on your drain field and septic system. Excessive use of water can put your drain field into overdrive, which isn’t good for its long-term health. In addition, large amounts of water from multiple loads of laundry could be particularly damaging if there have recently been heavy rains or snow melts in your area, as the soil will extend past its saturation capacity. A washing machine uses, on average, 40 gallons of water per load. This adds up quickly if you’re doing a lot of loads of laundry.
- Use liquid laundry detergent: Liquid detergents are much better for the health of your septic system. Powdered detergents use various types of fillers that can damage your drain field or septic system. Clay, for example, is commonly used in these powdered detergents, and can clog up the soil, damaging its absorption ability.
- Avoid using too much detergent or bleach: Using normal amounts of bleach and detergent is fine for your septic system. Use too much, though, and you risk doing some severe damage to them. Your septic system contains a certain amount of good bacteria that exist to break down solids in the tank. These bacteria could be considered the system’s lifeblood. If you use too much bleach or detergent, you will eliminate those bacteria and make it more likely that the system will clog, as the bacteria that typically break down those solids are gone.
- Install a lint filter: Putting a lint filter onto your washing machine’s water discharging line helps you to catch lint, which prevents it from seeping into the septic system. If too much lint gets into the system, it will bind solids and cause them to resist breaking down. Lint is one of the most common causes of septic system backups, and it can be caught by using a lint filter that is easy to install on your washing machine and will only cost you a few bucks. That’s more than worth the benefit it will provide you over the long term.
- Clean especially dirty clothes before running in the machine: It’s okay to wash clothes that have a normal amount of dirt on them. However, if you have clothes that get extremely muddy, you should brush or hose them off outside before you put them into the washing machine to avoid having large amounts of dirt flowing into the septic system. This will help you avoid clogs.
For more information about septic maintenance in Modesto, CA, contact our team today.