Water Conservation
So, if you live in the Southeast, you're painfully aware of the level 4 drought, which means no outside watering at all. So much for those plants...or should we give up on them yet? I've decided to start recycling shower water to keep my pansies alive, and it's working so far! I made 'buckets' out of three old gallon milk jugs, and I use them to collect runoff when I'm waiting for the water to heat up. I also use them to get water when I'm doing things like washing my hair or other things that don't require standing directly under the shower head. (Juston's not too fond of this new showering arrangement.) Georgia governor Sonny Perdue has declared October "take a shorter shower month," and keeping showers under four minutes is the best way to be water concious.
These jugs have been fantastic, because I also use them to scoop up Frankie's used bath water to water plants. I've been using Frankie's bath water for my container plants all summer and now I've expanded its use to planted bushes. At least we can have our grass go dormant this time of year and be reasonably sure that it'll grow back next Spring, rain pending.
A few other things I do to conserve water is to try to wipe my dishes with a sponge instead of rinsing them before putting them in the dishwasher, I've put an empty two-liter bottle, weighted down, inside of my toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush, and, well, we don't flush as often (just when necessary - you know what I mean.) I only do laundry/wash dishes when I have a full load, but I pretty much have always done that. I try to take whatever water is left in sippy cups and water glasses at the end of the day and use it to water container plants. My car lives without a car wash, but that's nothing new; I've always been lazy. What are you doing to conserve water? Please share any good ideas - I'm always looking for new ones!
7 comments:
Alright Mary, I feel guilty. We're pretty good at water usage, but now I'm going to make more of a conscious effort. I can't remember the last time Andrew got a bath, does that count?
What a great idea Mary. We (mainly Brooks but I have tried it a couple of times) have gone into military shower mode. That is when you turn off the water while you are lathering up your body and hair. We need to add the two litter bottle to the toilet though.
I'm shocked. I can't believe you came up with all of these creative ideas. You are like miss domestic diva.
That's right, I'm a domestic diva. Take THAT everyone. :P
And military shower mode - that's a great idea! I'll file that one in the ol' mental rolodex.
Man...I though we were exempt from saving water because we don't have a yard. =) I'll have to tell Craig about the 4-minute shower--he's the shower hog in our house. Good ideas Mary! Sorry, I have nothing new to offer.
Thanks for being such a good example to us all. After reading this I am going to make an effort to conserve water. My water usage so far is quite excessive.
You can also use the leftover bath/shower water to flush the toilet. Just get a bucket and fill it with water from the bath. Then just dump it into the bowl and watch it flush. If you want, you can add a little extra water after the flush to mimic what the toilet usually does.
The military shower is a great idea. I figure I am saving about 75-80% of the water when I shower that way. And then if you plug the drain and use the water to flush your toilet, you're saving even more.
I'm also trying to wear my clothes a little longer before I wash it just to cut down on laundry loads. Except underwear, of course.
Post a Comment