DIY Camper Waste Tank Cleaner

by DeeDee

We love our camper and we love camping, but sometimes it can become a bit spendy with the upkeep of it all. We ran out of the chemicals you need to freshen the waste tank, so I went looking on Pinterest for a more household friendly solution.

diy camper waste tank cleaner, bathroom ideas, cleaning tips

Borax Detergent and Calgon Water Softener was the best solution I found. This combination is way cheaper and last way longer than those little bottles of blue chemicals. Win!

For our recipe you will need:

1/2 cup Borax Detergent

1/4 cup Calgon Water Softener

1 bag of ice

After cleaning out your waste tank the best you can, you will add the recipe above directly into the toilet in the same order listed. The Borax helps control the odors and cleans the tank, the Calgon makes the water softer and more slippery which helps waste from sticking to the bottom of the tank. The bag of ice trick is a process my Daddy taught us and it acts as a "scrubber" to loosen waste from tank. We normally add this mixture to the toilet on our way home from a camping trip so the ice can do its job as the camper jiggles and jumps down the highway.

The combination of these three items will save your nose and your camper's atmosphere from the stinkies!

Visit our blog for more camper tips and tricks!

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6 of 11 comments

Leasa parker on May 21, 2017

So, do I understand that you use this instead of chemicals? Instead of putting chemicals in at the start of toilet use, you just put this in at the end of each trip after dumping and it works the next camping trip?

1 Reply
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- DeeDee on May 22, 2017
  
  Hi there! Yes, this is correct. At the end of your camping trip you will want to make sure that you get your system completely cleaned out before adding your treatment for the trip home. I don't recommend this way of treating if you live full time in your camper though.
  
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- Lynda on Jul 10, 2018
  
  So for fulltimers the chemical way is the best?
  
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- Jim Knoch on Jan 07, 2019
  
  I use a similar process, except 1 cup of cheap liquid laundry detergent to 1/2 cup of calgon and I put it in the empty black & grey tanks along with a gallon of water while still at home before the trip. The ice has been shown to be a waste of time as it doesn't slosh around enough to scrape the tank very well. I never add any other chemicals and this keeps all the sensors working and I have no odors from either tank. This is a variation of the"GEO Method". Jim
  
  2
James Stephenson on Jun 23, 2017

Thanks, we just bought our first travel trailer and will be taking it out next week. We will try this.

5 Reply
- DeeDee on Jun 24, 2017
  Oh how exciting! Have fun and enjoy yourselves!
  
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