Comments on: Extreme methods to save water

By: cathy

cathy — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:57:35 +0000

Agree that lawns are overrated (as well as water hogs) – but just make sure that the gravel allows rainwater to be absorbed & not runoff. When water is allowed to seep underground on site it is purified as it descends (otherwise it adds the water just runs off contributing to pollution).

but i love all the other tips! I already do most myself, but learned some new ones as well.

By: janet

janet — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:53:13 +0000

For kicks my DH and I decided to see how little H2O we could use month to month. The two most extreme things we do is capturing 4-5 gallons of water from each shower per day. This is used to irrigate the backyard plants.

The other thing is to hand wash dishes (yes, I am aware most people save H2O by using a dishwasher). For an entire sink of dishes I start with a cereal bowl full of soapy water and scrub each item. Once all are scrubbed, I fill a large pot with warm water and 1/2 cup of vinegar, I use this as a pre-rinse to dissolve the soap before rinsing under the faucet. All the water is captured and we use less than 2 gallons for the entire load and the dishes are squeeky clean. This water is also used in the backyard.

We have averaged 2- 3 units of water a month this summer!

By: Bobbi B

Bobbi B — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:28 +0000

Thanks so much for the link to the drought tolerant plants. Researching all of these plants will be a big, but worthwhile project. I am working on redesigning my lawn so it is more sustainable.

By: Gregrie

Gregrie — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:32:55 +0000

I save the water it takes befor it gets hot from my sink in plastic 1 gal milk containers. I use it for laundry and watering plants. Saves me about 25 gals a week. and it keeps some plastic from the landfills.