Chlorine in Septic systems?

Dec 06, 2003 3 Replies

What is an acceptable amount of chlorine that can safely be added to a septic system each month? Or should I avoid it altogether? I noticed that when I stop using chlorine for in the wash for a couple of months, the washing machine and clothes start to pick up a musty odor. I've read and heard that small amounts of chlorox and bathroom cleaners will not do any harm. Any opinions?


Perhaps you are not drying them long enough? I can't recall ever using chlorine in my clothes. The only time I notice a musty odor is if they were not completely dry when they came out of the drier.

Only an opinion, but this sounds reasonable.

My mom used to flush a glass of yeast down the toilet once a month. She used high phosphate detergent and bleach, chlorine all of the time. Trying to keep the whites white on a farm was a full time job. We never had any problems with the septic in the 12 years I was there.

As for the musty smell in the wash, I am stumped. Does your water smell bad out of the faucet?

No. The water out of the tap is fine. It use to have a sulfur smell until I installed a water softener which eliminated the odor.

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