Your Septic Tank Wasn’t Built for Microplastics… and Neither Was Your Well Water
The Hidden Source of Contaminated Well Water and Costly Septic Repairs
Your Laundry Clogs Your Septic Tank & Pollutes Your Well Water with Microplastics
Laundry is the largest source of microplastics pollution. Just like lint made of clothing fibers is produced in the dryer, the washing machine cycle causes a similar shed of lint (clumps of clothing fibers) and microplastics (tiny plastic fibers) from our clothes... with nothing to catch it.
Microplastics from Laundry
Without a filter to catch the particles leaving the washing machine, lint, microplastics, hair, and other particulate flow straight into the septic tank with the wastewater, where the mixture can clog pre-filters and require frequent pumping. The microplastics, due to their very small size, slip through and reach the drain field.
Into Your Septic System
Microplastics and some lint clumps enter the drain field with the wastewater. As the water and particles flow through the drain field, lint clumps can clog the soil pores, which can cause costly repairs and sewage backup into your home. The microplastics then leach into the soil through the drain field’s soil pores.
Out Through Septic Drain Field
As the microplastics leach through the soil, they make their way through the ground, approaching your well water. As they descend, they can begin to break down into smaller and smaller pieces, which can be uncatchable by home water filters. Once they reach your well water, they affect water quality and can pose health risks.
Into Your Well Water
Plastic Fibers From Clothing are Being Found in Well Water
“It’s alarming…What we’re finding is fibers. And plastic pipes don’t shed fibers, they shed pieces of plastic, but not fibers. Fibers are coming from clothes.”
High Health Risks and High Costs… Thanks to Your Laundry
Protect Your Health and Your Home With CLEANR
CLEANR’s microplastics filter connects to any washing machine to remove over 90% of microplastics, lint, and other particulate before they can cause problems in your septic tank and drinking water.
Proven to Stop the #1 Source of Microplastics Before They Leave Your Washing Machine
Works on any washing machine make or model
See & measure your impactwith the CLEANR App
15 minute self-install,no tools required
Less than 30 seconds ofmaintenance per week
How Installing a CLEANR Filter Helps You
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure with septic systems”
Talk to a CLEANR Team Member to See How CLEANR Can Work for You
FAQs
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No. Septic tanks are designed to settle out heavy solids, but microplastic fibers from laundry are lightweight and stay suspended. They often pass into the drain field, where soil microbes can’t get rid of them. Over time, they break down smaller and smaller until they reach the well water.
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Yes. Effluent from septic systems flows into surrounding soil and eventually into groundwater. Since most private wells draw from the same aquifer, tiny fibers can travel through soil pores, breaking down even smaller and ending up in drinking water, carrying chemicals and bacteria with them.
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Install a washing machine microfiber filter. It captures the majority of fibers, lint, and other particulates before they leave your home and enter your septic system. Pair this with simple laundry habits (wash full loads, use cold water, and choose liquid detergent) for a big reduction in fiber release.
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Yes, in a positive way. A quality filter can reduce the frequency of maintenance needed and prevent microplastics from entering the soil. By trapping fibers, lint, and other particulates before they reach the tank, you reduce buildup that stresses the drain field.
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When fibers accumulate in the drain field soil, they can block natural filtering pores. This prevents effluent from absorbing properly, leading to odors, soggy patches, or even backups inside the home. Left unchecked, it can shorten your drain field’s life and require a $5k–$20k replacement.
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Because the washer is the source. Catching fibers before they enter your septic prevents them from breaking into even smaller particles that slip through soil, reach groundwater, and are often too small for tap filters to remove, while also reducing clogs, odors, and pump-outs. Tap filters are great as a last line of defense for what you drink, but they don’t protect your septic or the environment.
Read More About Microplastics In Your Septic Tank
Microplastics Are Clogging Septic Systems and Draining Wallets
There’s one thing your tank was never built to handle... microplastics. Here’s why septic tanks cannot handle plastic and what you can do about it.
NMC research finds microplastics in well water, earthworms
Emerging Contaminants and Your Onsite Wastewater Treatment System
Septic Systems Keep Microfibers Out of the Environment, Right?
How plastics and nylons from laundry water can clog a seepage pit