Can you use water from a tumble dryer on veg

Jim_Epps

We have moved in to a new house and the water board have very kindly installed a water meter. I don’t want to waste loads of water on the veg i'm growing, so can I use the water that comes out of the tumble dryer.
As the cloths have been washed and rinsed, will it have residue chemicals in it that will harm the veg?
We are planning to put a water butt in to collect rain water but are having trouble trying to work out where to put it, due to down pipes being right by the outwards opening garage door.
Any help will be most grateful

ta :wave:

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Should be distilled water, so fine. I chuck mine on my plants with no apparent problems.

Jim_Epps

cheers

will try it on the plants/ bushes i dont like but the OH likes to see if it kills them :rotfl:

forgotmyname

I use waste water but i avoid watering directly near the main plant. I pur it a couple of feet away and
the soil can do the filtering.

By the time the plant gets the moisture it should be pure.


Maybe i am mad though?

emiff6

Jim_Epps wrote: »

We are planning to put a water butt in to collect rain water but are having trouble trying to work out where to put it, due to down pipes being right by the outwards opening garage door.
Any help will be most grateful ta :wave:

Is there room inside the garage for the water butt? You could drill a hole through the wall for the pipe to connect to the drainpipe on the outside.

MrsTinks

Personally I don't use the tumbledryer water on veg or herbs... I pour it on the hanging baskets or potted plants don't like the idea of any chemicals being left in it to be honest

Sally_A

I might be missing the point...but do tumble dryers actually produce water?

I'm sure mine is just a heated drum with a vent rather than a drain attachment.

Anyhow, if they do....the time of year you need to water the plants, ie dry season, is the same time you can dry clothes on a line or an airer outside.

Cost of electric versus cost of water saved would not make it worth it.

Now, if I could somehow save the water that went through the washing machine, rinse and spin, I would. Unfortunately not possible here as drainage pipe too low, and it's on the path side of the house.

WestonDave

Condensing dryers do collect the water - used as in our house where you don't have a convenient place to put a vent out of a window or through the wall. Ours collects it in a drawer like container that you just empty down the sink.

However the point about drying outside when you need to water the plants is well made (unless the OP uses a water butt to collect the dryer water until its needed!)

If you have a shed put a gutter along the lowest edge and a downpipe and you can fill a water butt from that. Its surprising how much water a shed roof will yield.

dogstarheaven

sorry for hijacking this!

I don't use mine at all (not even last winter when I discovered air-drying - so much kinder to the environment and saves money too).. don't know if this helps, but you can use the fluff you get (how i used to love seeing how much was collected!!) and use it for bird nesting material. Usually, do this before the onset of Spring, then the birds will find it in time to build their nests. Hang it near your bird-feeder, or on a branch tied with bendy twigs...

boo80

dogstarheaven wrote: »

you can use the fluff you get (how i used to love seeing how much was collected!!) and use it for bird nesting material. Usually, do this before the onset of Spring, then the birds will find it in time to build their nests. Hang it near your bird-feeder, or on a branch tied with bendy twigs...

LOVE this idea! I hope I remember it come next spring!

If I need to use my tumble drier (which isn't too often at this time of year, but it's on now as I can't hang the nappies out now and need them in the morning!), I empty the water into the watering can, then use it next time I water the garden. I'm sure it must be ok because the plants and grass near the washing line are ok, and the same water drips on them from the clothes on the line...

hostie

I was wondering the same thing about my bath water with shampoo, soap, conditioner and essential oil essences in it.

I don´t grow eddibles but does anyone think any of these things would be harmful to my plants? I´d like to be organic... not sure where this fits in!