Keeping whites white when using non-bio washing detergent

[Needmyglamback]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some tried and tested tips. We are due to move in to a house that has a sewage treatment tank (similar to a septic tank) rather than being on the mains sewer. So....I'm told that we can't use regular cleaning products or biological Washing detergent as these will upset the good bacteria in the tank. I've bought a job lot of Method and Ecover cleaning products as they were on offer the other week however I'm a bit worried about clothes washing detergent as it needs to be non-bio. For those of you who only use non-bio how do you make sure you keep your whites sparkling white and keep the bugs in your septic tank happy too. What fabric conditioners do you use too? Hoping someone can help out there as I'm new to all this septic tank stuff. xx

I use Fairy Non-bio and wash whites separately at 60 degrees, line drying them whenever possible and using stain removers in advance if necessary. They stay white.

But Method isn't non-bio and only some Ecover are non-bio? I guess you can't use anything like Vanish either? Fairy and a hit wash would be my best answer.

I also do a whites wash at 60 using non bio and seems to be fine. Drying outdoors in the sun bleaches them to a degree too. Ecover have renewed their range of fabric softeners and they smell lovely (previous ones left no discernible fragrance) not sure if they’re safe for your new system though.

In terms of clothes staying white, a Non Bio will actually do a better job than bio, as (for powder versions) they contain a higher bleach content than bios to make up for lack of enzymes.

If not using a powder, you may struggle, as liquid detergents don’t contain bleach and you’d have to be careful of using stain removers like Vanish, Oxi clean etc as these contain enzymes (which is makes a bio detergent a bio). Essentially stain removers are almost just bio washing powders, just in higher concentrations.

However Napisan is a “non bio” stain remover, it’s just a high concentration oxygen bleach. So ultimately Vanish, minus enzymes.

Other option is, chlorine bleach in your whites wash, but this will depend on what type of white clothes you are washing and wether or not you can use this with your system (I don’t know all that much about septic tanks to be honest).

As long as it’s powder, you should be fine. For extra stain removal or whiteness, try Dri-Pak laundry boost. It’s completely degradable so it won’t upset the septic tank.

Bio-D products are a heck of a lot better than Ecover and Method. Cheaper too. But you’ll need to order online as they’re not easily found in shops