If you have a septic tank, then you know that you don’t want to pour drain cleaner or anything else that kills bacteria into your tank when you have a septic emergency. Doing so can cause your septic tank to become less efficient, or even fail.

What to do in case of a Septic Emergency

This means when you have a drain clogged by hair or grime, you need other alternatives. One of them is something you likely already have in your kitchen: Baking soda. Baking soda loosens up the grime or hair. Then you follow up with vinegar. This causes a chemical reaction which knocks the clog loose. Yes, there should be some foaming from the culprit drain afterward. Finish off with hot water to make everything go away. The combination will not kill bacteria. Also, it does not have a bad smell and will actually clean up any bad smells.

So, baking soda is great for shower, bathroom, and floor drains where the clog is likely to be dirt, grime, hair and a bit of soap residue. However, it should never be used on kitchen drains. Baking soda is not effective for cleaning away fat, oil or grease. It simply doesn’t work – you just have fat clog coated in baking soda. For clogged kitchen drains try hot water on its own. If this isn’t effective, then consider a bacterial additive to encourage bacteria to eat the blockage. Again, you should still avoid using drain cleaner or detergent.

If all else fails, you should call a professional. If your septic emergency is not responding to these basic measures, then contact EarthCare to find out about our professional drain cleaning services.