The Tide brand of cleaning products is a household name in the US and beyond.
It has been a part of the American culture for close to eight decades.
The products, manufactured by Procter and Gamble are varied, scented, effective, and affordable.
Whether you are looking for cleaning pods, laundry detergents, liquid soaps, special cleaning products, or products for sensitive skin, you will get them at Tide.
After 77 years in business, you can trust the brand to have some of the best formulae in the market.
Here’s the real question, though… “Is Tide safe for your septic tank?”
As an owner of a home with a septic system, the efficacy of a cleaning product comes second in your priority list.
What matters most is its safety for your wastewater system.
So, what’s the deal with Tide?
It All Depends On The Actual Formula
As mentioned above, Tide cleaning products are diverse.
They come in all shapes and sizes. The brand probably owns tens if not hundreds of different cleaning products.
Each has a formulation that makes it different from the rest. For instance, the Tide powder which includes bleach in it, is chemical laden.
Even without reading through the ingredients, you can tell that this is not the best product for your septic tank.
Bleach uses a formula that expertly removes stains from clothes but which ends up killing bacteria in the septic tank.
Without these microorganisms, your system will not be able to process waste.
Let’s take a look at some of the common Tide products and their safety for the septic tank.
1. Tide Hygienic Clean Heavy 10x Duty Powder Pods
This is a favorite laundry detergent in many homes. It is reverenced for its ability to whiten fabrics without having bleach in it. Also, the pods are large and thus great for big loads.
Sadly, this formula is not septic-safe. The reason is that it is a concentrated product with 10 times the cleaning actives its counterparts utilize.
The more the cleaning power, the higher the product’s risk to a septic tank.
2. Original Tide detergent
This refers to the orange-packed liquid Tide detergent that our grandmothers introduced us to.
It has been in use for decades and still provides an effective, clean laundry solution for modern families.
The detergent is essentially made from a surfactant with both water-friendly and anti-water molecules.
A surfactant decreases the surface tension in the product hence boosting its ability to spread and soak into fabrics. This way, dirt is effectively wicked away.
On the flip side, a cleaning product with chemical surfactants leads to the buildup of sludge in a septic tank as these kill good bacteria.
3. Tide Free products
Made for people with sensitive skin, the Tide Free range of cleaning products is devoid of perfumes and dyes.
They are tested by dermatologists to ensure they don’t irritate the skin.
The products include the Tide Free and Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent, Tide Free and Gentle Powder Laundry Detergent, and Tide PODS Free and Gentle Laundry Detergent.
Unfortunately, these, too, don’t pass the septic-safe test. They utilize surfactants (such as the C10-16 pareth, C10-16 alkyl dimethylamine oxide, and Sodium C10-16 alkylbenzenesulfonate) as their cleaning agents.
As said earlier, surfactants damage useful bacteria in a septic tank causing sludge to form fast within the tank.
4. Tide Purclean plant-based liquid laundry detergent
This product is another formulation made for people with sensitive skin.
It is 75% plant-based and free from chlorine, dyes, and other harmful chemicals.
Granted, it utilizes a few chemicals in its formulation such as alcohols, propylene glycol, and some cleaning agents.
However, these are in small concentrations compared to other Tide products.
It is therefore safe to assume that when used properly, this product is safe for your septic tank.
The Verdict
When asked whether Tide is safe for a septic tank, the Tide team claims that all their products don’t harm septic systems.
However, when you study the ingredients used in their formulations, you will discover that most aren’t safe after all.
They use a lot of chemicals that guarantee their effectiveness in cleaning but which can harm bacteria in septic tanks.
The only safe option is the Tide Purclean plant-based liquid laundry detergent as it is biodegradable and uses organic ingredients.