Tip o’ the Day: Reuse that Water
Your garden doesn't have to suffer just because of water restrictions or drought problems. Collecting water that would otherwise go down the drain will make you and your plants happy.
- GO reader Georgie Mallett, who lives on the coast of Southern Georgia, washes her dishes (with eco-friendly dish soap) in a plastic dish pan, then waters her organic garden with it when finished.
- You can also keep a container in the shower to catch water while you're sudsing up (be sure to use enviro-friendly soap and shampoo).
- If you run the water and wait for it to get hot (or cold) don't let it go down the drain; instead, fill up a bucket or other containers.
- GO's Jimmy Hogan puts a bucket under the AC to catch the condensation drippings
- Collect rain water in a rain barrel. Connect hoses or pipes to rain barrels for easy garden watering. Rig two barrels together to catch the overflow.
What do you to make your water go farther? Let us know with a comment below.
Thanks to Georgie Mallett of St. Simons Island, Georgia for today's tip! Georgie wins two months of wind power from Renewable Choice Energy for the tip suggestion.
Got a tip for Amy and Rebecca? Suggest it here.
Tags: Conservation, Daily Tips, drought, Gardening, Home and Garden, plants, reuse, water
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May 29th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Here in NSW, Australia we’re in the middle of drought, including enforced water restrictions and people are becoming more and more water-wise.
My partner and I have the bucket in the shower to collect spare water, which we then pour into our washing machine each day - ready for the next wash. We collect a good 9 litres per day between the two of us - and we have short showers.
I also have a bucket in the sink, where I collect all the water from washing vegies, boiling foods and so on - and that goes over the garden.
May 30th, 2007 at 12:28 am
Thank you for this tip! This is definitly an area I feel I can improve on. I am definitly going to try these tips!
May 30th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
I have 2 tips what I do with water.
First, my kids never finish their water bottles at school. They usually bring them home. I take the left over water and water my plants all over the house, then recycle the bottle.
Second, we keep a pool cover on my pool for energy purposes and safety for my kids. When it rains, I take the pump to get the water off the cover and attach a drip hose to it and water the surround water beds. anna http://www.green-talk.com
May 30th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Great tips, thanks!
To add to Kathryn’s comments about short showers…
You might want to look into “navy showers” (i.e. as used on naval vessels). It’s where you get the water running and get yourself wet, turn the water off, lather up and scrub yourself, then turn it back on again to rinse off.
Just like sensible people turn off the tap while brushing teeth…
June 9th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
What great tips! I will have to try the bucket in the shower to wash my laundry. I have a small washing machine and that tip seems like a perfect way for me to reuse water.