The Great Use Less Water Hunt

carolbee

further to Nuttynettys post regarding the kit to take the bath water away, we didnt buy a kit, just made it up ourselves with the help of a guy in the plumbing shop, cost about £12. If anyone wants further details of what we used feel free to PM me

Bloater_2

When I run the hot tap for washing-up, etc. I collect the cold water in 2 large plastic jugs which I tip into a bucket outside the kitchen door. This is then used to water garden plants, fill bird baths, wash the car, etc. Approximately 1 gallon of cold water is collected each time.

JBEILBY

In our house we usually have to run the hot water tap in the kitchen for about 30 seconds til the hot water comes through. We now put a bucket in the sink to catch this cold water until it turns warm and use this on the garden.

mjbeckett

Hi Folks

I have been reading posts on this forum for quite some time now and have garnished a wealth of tips and information. So thanks to all of you. In fact I was so impressed by the Freecycle organisation that I read about in these forums I have set up my own Freecycle group for Gosport where I live.

This is my first post so please don't chastise me if it's a bit of a thickie question.

Please could someone clarify something for me. From reading this post it says that soapy water can be used to water your garden. Is this correct? If so does this apply to washing machine/dishwasher water as well?

Thanks in advance. Mark

gromituk

The best place to clarify this is by googling for it, I think. There are many sites out there with gardening experts who are well aware of the water shortage and will have given good advice already.

olly300

save-a-lot wrote:

When summer hits and the temperature in the house is good I will quickly wash my hair and then soap up a sponge, I then turn the water down to a dribble whilst I soap up with a quick blast at the end to get all the soap off. This saves water and makes sure there is still enough hot water to last the day out.

Actually that's the sort of method people in hot countries use.

That also explains why if you go to some countries they have a shower which consists of a shower attachment, but no where to hold the shower up why you stand under it.

Penelope_Penguin

mjbeckett wrote:

Hi Folks
Please could someone clarify something for me. From reading this post it says that soapy water can be used to water your garden. Is this correct? If so does this apply to washing machine/dishwasher water as well?

Thanks in advance. Mark

Hi MJ, and welcome! Yes, I use soapy dish water on my garden - especially good to throw over a plant infested with greenfly. I use water that I've peeled or washed veg in to dampen the compost heap, and chuck in the peelings too. Would avoid valuable plants, and especially seedlings, and young plants.

Washing machine and dishwasher water a bit more problematical due to harsher detergents used. Anyone else have any experience of this?

Keep posting! Penny. x

katieowl_2

No not water with detergents in. The stuff out of dishwasher would almost certainly kill the plants. Not too sure if you used an eco friendly washing powder in a washing machine though, probably still too strong.

Ordinary soap won't hurt plants, in fact you can spray with soap to get rid of greefly. So really just plain bath water....bubbles and radox banned in this house, only ordinary soap, no shower gels etc.

(I love freecycle too!)

Regards

Kate

ROBDOLPHIN66

I have wondered that myself.
It might not matter in the short term, but presumably in the long term detergents etc will build up in your soil (and kill your plants?)

petergeeky

Hi, water savers (or would-be ones!)

The best way to save water for outside use (watering the garden, washing cars etc) is to get a LARGE storage tank to collect rainwater, which is COMPLETELY FREE! Its ok re-using bathwater etc but if you're on a meter you still pay the sewage charge even though it doesn't go down the drain.

You can buy large tanks from companies advertising on Ebay, they're called IBC tanks - these hold 1000 litres (5-10 times the average water butt from the DIY sheds) and cost about £50 plus delivery. They typically come on a built-in steel pallet, and can be stacked if you have the room, but be careful - full of water they weigh over a tonne, so the base on which you stand them needs to be firm and level. The tanks typically have a tap built in, and have often been used to transport orange juice etc, so shouldn't contaminate anything. Black ones are better than the clear ones, as the water doesn't go green.

I live in Manchester (I know - it always rains here!) but my tank fills from one side of my 2-car garage roof and I've never run short of water for the garden and car washing. In drier areas, you may need to take water of the main roof of the house.

I have heard of people who have also set up one of these tanks to feed a downstairs loo (tank needs to be high enough to create a gravity feed) - but you need to know what you're doing and you'll need separate pipework. NEVER connect to mains water pipework-this would contravene Water Authority safety laws.

Cheers.
Peter.