using things twice

Moving to a place where the locals are praying for rain puts water usage into a different perspective.

There’s no town supply water here – it’s all rainwater collection from the guttering into tanks. We have two medium-sized ones and I’m interested in how much we use, as well as ways we can re-use it and reduce water wastage. Empty tanks with no rain means having water delivered at a very hefty price.

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Yesterday I had a quick, navy-style shower with the plug in the bath to see how much water I used. There was enough to fill the basin and jug pictured above and probably another two jugfuls that I didn’t save as I was having trouble scooping it all up. Still, that’s enough water to generously hydrate all the plants on our front deck.

I also washed the dishes in that same basin – just half full (but not with the same water!). The dish water was enough to water the herbs outside our back door.

Add the laundry water to our reusable collection and there’ll be enough for our little vege garden too.

It will definitely be worth us using water twice and investigating a more labour-saving solution longer term.

* We use environmentally friendly soaps, dish wash and laundry liquids, so it’s safe to pour all our grey water on the garden. It may even help eliminate some garden pests!