What toiletries can you use if you have a cess pit?

[Newgranny1]

We're moving to a 1902 house with a cess pit. Have bought eco friendly cleaning & washing up products but what about shampoos, shower gel/ bath products. Can I use normal brands?

My in laws have one (not in the UK though) and everyone just uses normal stuff.

I think toiletries are fine, just don't use too much bleach etc in the toilet.

I grew up in a house with one and my folks still live there. We didn't use anything out of the ordinary.

We have one. We use the same as people with mains drainage. Only thing that can't go down is sanitary products. We avoid very greasy stuff too. Bleach is fine. Drain cleaner is fine.

It's really only bleach you need to worry about, small amounts would be ok but large amounts would kill the bugs and stop the treatment working. Obviously there is less dilution in a cess pit than a mains sewer. You might want ( from an environmental aspect) to use phosphate free detergents and be watchful what gets flushed down the toilet, poo, wee and tissue only. Using sulphate and phosphate free shampoo would also help..

Sanitary products shouldn't go down mains drainage either

Thanks everyone- very helpful comments. Looks like I don't need to panic but I will go a bit greener with all cleaning products to preserve the bacteria in the septic tank. I've been told domestos & Oven Pride are ok (which surprised me) so I'll use those sparingly.

We have a septic tank. Similar considerations. Most things are actually ok. When it is emptied it is taken to the same place to be treated like mains sewerage, so just think of it that way. Some products can impede 'break down' of the 'matter' 😬 If you are concerned, most labels show whether the products are suitable or not. You can also get tablets that you drop in every month to help the breaking down.

We rented a cottage with a cess pit and were told it had to be Ecover-type products or we would ruin the whole system.

Assuming it is a septic tank - minimise bleach. There is some in dishwasher tabs, that's OK, but you don't Chuck it down drains. No one needs to do that anyway.

Clean toilets with a brush or scrubbing pad and a small amount of jif. No polluting blocks, fresheners or all that nonsense.

Washing liquid, not powder. Not as good for the machine but washing !machines are cheaper than septic tanks. No waste disposal - eco disaster anyway. No coffee grounds down sink.

The toilet takes body waste and bog roll, nothing else. Same as all UK toilets.

Domestos is bleach. Oven pride a really bad idea. However you can create a small dump point in the garden for stuff like that. Same as with paint, no more washing brushes in the sink.

I'd switch to non-silicone shampoo. I don't know about cesspits, but silicones are bad for hair, anyway, and I'd guess they'd create problems by not being degradable.

Google ENJO, I don't have a cess pit, but went chemical free about 7 months ago, including the toilet. A complete household makeover, huge in Australia, but a total secret in most of the uk.

Their spa range for the body is amazing, and although it pains me to say it , the best thing I've ever tried on my skin, even if it does look like a rather unprepossessing purple flannel.

So types of toilet duck are septic tank friendly and non chlorine bleach in small amounts .Look for the septic tank friendly symbol on cleaning products.Otherwise relax.If it doesn't smell when you check the hatches then it's working.