May sound gross, but I wash dishes and use the water on my potted plants.. or the nearby bottle-brushes. I try not to let the majority go down the drain. Also I use gallon jugs, 2 holes poked in the bottom, let the cap a little loose and the water will come out slowly.. that way the water goes only on the area you wish to water. rain barrels are great- I agree. but only when it rains.

I use newspaper under mulch for garden plants. It suppresses the weeds and keeps the ground cooler and less evaporation happens.

Once a week watering hasn't really hurt my garden plants but parts of the lawn are crunchy and brown because the irrigation isn't getting there. Some drier parts I've added wildflowers and natives which need much less water and look happy (rudbeckia, dune sunflower, gaillardia, milkweed).

Denise

If you are veggie growing, try self watering containers, they waste no water or fertilizer!

I have a large metal roof on my hangar and have been putting water in large garbage containers but will add something with substantial storage capacity in the future.

I am on a well and septic system so all my water is basically recyled. My lawn is not irrigated and does fairly well since it has never been irrigated and the root system has developed deeper than if it were trained on irrigation.

Water my citrus with low pressure 360 degree rotators and have started mulching under them with palmetto frons. This is the way ECHO does it.

bernie

May sound gross, but I wash dishes and use the water on my potted plants
Does not sound gross a bit! I have been using gray water for a while now - I have a big bowl sitting on one side of the sink. If I wash anything without soap, I do it over the bowl and catch all the water.
Once the bowl is full, I pour the water in the bucket from kitty litter (5 gal). And this way, I get at least 10 gal of gray water for my plants. I love to use it for roses and other heavy feeders.
I also get a bunch of volunteers (veggie plants) from using gray water. I am currently growing a few beautiful tomatoes that popped up in the rose garden, a few peppers, and have a bunch of eggplants :)
Like this pepper growing in the rose garden: was not planted :)

Or these two eggplants :)

I do use kitty litter in rose beds and in the bog. Pond plants grow well in kitty litter (non clumping, no fragrance added kind - the cheapest that is)

I have two water barrels we got from the county extension, and I have on big trashcan also dedicated to catching water in one spot, where run off it great during the rain

We mulch heavily and have two 75 gal rain barrels. We also eliminated all sod in our yard except for a small area in the front to keep the HOA happy. The rest of the yard in the back is mulched, so no watering.

For the gardens, we use micro irrigation and hand water with water from the rain barrels.

I was also thinking about all the water that gets wasted from using the washing machine. I was wondering if there was a way to catch the water from the rinse cycle, but I'm not sure if that would be safe to use in the garden or for the groundwater.

Hi Kathy
Thanks to your tip on rain barrels, we got two 75 gal at Gardeners Supply.
If they work for us, we are going to buy three more.
We didn't see you at Leu, too many people...:-)

Ariel
We are also trying to get rid of the grass in the back of the house a little at a time. Adding paths.
Unfortunately like gardengrl said, in the front we are limited to HOA rules.

Silvia

We are in the process of linking our rain barrels together so the over flow goes from one barrel to another and not onto the house foundation .

I have a long hose on one barrel and use that for plant bed watering . Soaker hoses in some beds make a big difference in cutting down on the amount of water used .

Our laundry water goes into a pipe that runs into a French drain and empties in the depths of the front lawn . All soaps and rinse water go here . The drain waters trees mostly since the lines of the drain are deep . The big advantage for us is that the washer water does not go into our septic tank which helps prolong the life of the tank and drain field and reduces the amount of times the tank must be pumped out .

I save water ( during very dry periods ) from the kitchen sink from all washing and use the buckets to water potted plants as well as flower and veggie beds . Soapy and gray water is very good for plants .

We mulch heavily using free wood chips from my favorite tree company . In some beds I have cardboard laid down first and cover that with thick layers of chips . I gather curb side bags of leaves and mulch beds with free oak leaves . Seems I never find enough ! I save the black bags if they are good and re-use them .

Our motto is also " If it's yellow- let it mellow . If it's brown - flush it down . " Sounds gross- but saves A LOT of water . Saves electricity for us too since we are on a well.

I even put the water from my de-humidifier into the tank of the toilet and use that water for flushing .

We have no irrigation system so I have never watered my St. Augustine lawn . Obviously , I do not live in an HOA . We do have lots of flower beds , pathways with stepping stones , paths carved out by four big dogs , 4 bird baths as our water features and plenty of garden junque .

By using a mulching mower , leaves and grass clippings are chopped and ground and left on the lawn thus mulching the lawn so it requires less water . I do not heavily fertilize . Too much nitrogen pollutes our water and causes excess growth . This lawn growth results in more water demand and more mowing .

I feel as though I could be doing more . Any ideas ?

Less ice in my vodka tonics!

Room temp red wine .
Save the cubes !

Soakers instead of sprinklers.
Native and/or drought tolerant plants.
One rain barrel soon to be four.
Water from the (outdoor) shower runs into the garden.
No carpet grass.
Monthly rain dance.

I know HOAs are hard to deal with (that's why we're not in one anymore) but has anyone tried changing the rules?

Here's all the stuff we do to conserve water:

1. "Navy" Showers - wet,turn water off, soap up, rinse.
2. Use smaller towels - much less water to wash them.
3. Use turban towels for long wet hair - less water to wash them.
4. Mulch garden.
5. Make "watering well" or "watering dam" around plants to insure water goes into root zone.
6. Save the water that is run waiting for the water to heat up.
7.Don't always flush urine.
8. Plants that need more water under the house eaves to get rain/dew run-off.
9. Xeriscape, use natives.

10. No grass - rock pathways.
11. Plant shade trees- gives plants relief from sun.
12. Cat's water leftover from day before given to plants everyday.
13. Wipe car down in morning when wet with dew - dirt comes off very easily, 1 gallon jug to rinse with.
14. Wipe down windows when wet with dew.
15. Irrigation system turned OFF - used too much water, delivered it inefficiently, had underground leaks.
16. Water some plants with left-over coffee and tea.
17. Plants that require more water planted together to maximize use of water.
18. NO SWIMMING POOL!
19. Don't use garbage disposal. We are going to have it removed.
20. Don't over-apply soaps, shampoos,and cleaners and use products that are easier to rinse off.

I like the ideas of using kitty litter, rain barrels, and wash water. Unfortunately, we can't let the washing machine water go to the plants here - I think it might be illegal.
Happy conserving,
Avalon

I do many of the afore mentioned: rain barrels (3), lots of mulch, drought resistant plants, limited flushing,micro irrigation for shurbs & flowers. I have a sprinkler system in the front that I run every 2 to 3 weeks but it waters landscape plants only-no turf...and the plants look GREAT!

Here's one I haven't seen; I have a lot of potted plants and when they dry out the water runs right through them. I use buckets or a trash can filled with water and soak the pots & then let the run off go back into the bucket. I don't have to water as often because they get watered more completely. Sometimes I as fertilizer to the water.

Our outdoor shower !
How could I forget ?
Found it on line at Target.com several years ago .
Solid teak and just love it .
Has lasted three years outdoors and still looks great .
Nothing like working in the yard or out in the pastures -
getting REALLY hot , sweaty and dirty and getting under the outdoor shower
for a cooling rinse . AHHHHHH !
The shower is surrounded by tall plants for privacy .
Talk about heaven !

Never flush! We humanure compost.
mulching with free wood chips and other people's bagged leaves.
micro and drip irrigation for the gardens (only water the veggies, the lawn-or the green stuff that we might occasionally mow that hasn't already been turned into garden and ornamentals are on their own.)
Lots of good compost and mulch to hold the moisture that would otherwise just flow away through the sand.

Aquaponics, a huge area of the garden has been converted to aquaponics which re-cycles all water that doesn't escape through transpiration or evaporation so far better on water savings than the dirt garden plus we eat the fish too.

I like the outdoor shower idea and plan on one though we haven't implemented it yet.

got one rain barrel going but without gutters it is only minimally effective though the buckets lined up under the drip line help when we do have rain.

One day I'll probably arrange the washing machine to drain out to the garden but at the moment distance from the washer to appropriate garden space just doesn't work.

We really could be better at re-using our dish water too.

At least in the outdoor kitchen space the water from the sink drain is channeled out into a trench in the garden to water greedy plants.

I feel for all those people in HOA developments that demand water hungry lawns and outlaw veggie gardens.

This post makes me reflect on the changes I've made in gardening since joining this forum.

When I moved to the home we're in now, I had a well dug and an irrigation system installed, hired a landscaper and paid a pesticide company to spray monthly, a lawn service to come weekly.

Since joining the forum, I started with a worm pot, graduated to composting, fired the pesticide and lawn companies, planted an incredible variety of plants gained from swaps, installed a rain barrel, desire a cistern, have started growing organically.

Thanks everybody. P.S. I wash my dishes in a dishpan and add cider vinegar to the dishwater. I water plants with the dishwater the next day, after it has cooled off overnight. And when I clean my fishtank (just a beta), the water goes on the plants.

A new rule is that any male that visits has to pee in the compost vs. using conventional indoor plumbing. (I provide a flashlight after sunset.)

Thanks for the good tips and education!

I have added to my water well a floating very well filtered
device that instead of drawing well water is drawing water from the brackish canal behind my house that would otherwise be lost to tide. Fresh water floats on top of the salt.

Way to go!

Are there any detergents to be avoided if the washing machine drains onto the ground?

just pondering...why is this thread non-controversial and the thread about conserving energy the opposite?

I like doing both. and thanks to all the posters with their good ideas. altho no one said the old favorite "Shower together" :-)

Denise

i don't eat meat.

which save waaay more water than anything else i could do. four hundred gallons of water for one pound of beef. (and that's the number the wall street journal came up with!)

i became a vegetarian for many, many reasons, but high up there was the realization that eating lower down on the food chain means wasting less. (ok, i'm not a strict vegetarian--i eat meat when it's served to me 'cause mom taught me to eat what's on the plate; and i eat fish that i catch.)

plus, i love fruits and veg!

Here is a link that might be useful: wall street journal on water and beef

Unbelievable. Check this out:

"St Johns River Water Mgmt District: Giving 177 million gallons to Niagara water bottler". See link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Water District Shuns Its Own Conservative Advice

I follow the "rules" set out by the JEA, but when I read about the 177 million gallons of water, it makes me mad. I follow the rules because it is right , not because I want to!

The 177 million gallons is infuriating.

I bought a Pure filter and no longer buy bottled water for home use. I only purchase if I am traveling (which is frequent due to my job).

I have micro-sprinklers/drip irrigation and they are all on timers.

I also collect water from my a/c condensation run-off....seriously..10-12 gallons per day! It's generally enough to keep my plants going until the rainy season.

Dump kitty water onto plants and other water from sink/etc.

Trying to figure out how to get more dish water to the yard from the kitchen.

Now there's one I forgot about - the AC condensation! I'm definitely gonna put a bucket under that drip line now.

I hate the *@%* ing water districts. What possible function do they serve?? S. Fla is the same way. What a joke. Our bottlers get their water for practically nothing.

I'm in Broward and don't plant drought tolerant anything because the day the kids get out of school the rains start.

Not flushing is just ew-ick. Ok if you're a guy but I don't want anything spritzing my fat behind.
I would put an empty kitty litter bucket in the shower to catch the cold water and use that. It's only a gal and 1/2 these days.

Hows that for controversy?
Discuss....

I used to shower with a friend,my wife. But I'm too fat,We do not fit in the shower any more. Wait,she's not fat, I am. What I do now is "navy" shower.
I urinate outdoors and save the flush.
Felix

As regards the water districts, isn't it a matter of supply and demand? If consumers would wise up and ditch the bottled water dependency (we DID live through car rides without bottles of water before), then municipalities would obviously not see any benefit from selling off their water supply.

I give the hairy eyeball to anyone I see at the store carting off their mother lode of plastic bottles, and so should we all. Buy a travel bottle-- buy one for your home, car, and office!-- pour in your own water, and you're good to go. Oh yes, and expect those you know to do the same. There is nothing swank or hip about the plastic water bottle trend, but as long as it's big business we can't only blame the municipalities for cashing in.

Did you know that bottled water isn't necessarily any better or different than tap water? This is a great article that tackles the bottled water problem:

Here is a link that might be useful: Bad to the Last Drop

Great post, we do many of the above at our house. And I am a rain barrel addict...

I like the AC condensation tip, I'm gonna try that, also the kitchen gray water tip, we'll see if I can implement that too.

Lisa B

A.C. condensation water is distilled water .
Great for irons or toilets but not ideal for plants .
Doesn't hurt them - just doesn't add much .
I use my dehumidifier water - also distilled water -
in the toilet tanks or iron .
Any way to save a flush or turn of the tap is all good .

You are correct, GMx2, the a/c run-off is not as nutrient enriched as rain water or other water sources.

I've been using the a/c condensation run-off for years for watering my plants and so far, it hasn't appeared to cause any negative impact on my plants.

It's a good temporary (and free!) alternative to a water source to help keep the plants alive until the regular rains start again.

I keep a 2-gal watering can under my drip line. I easily get 10-12 gallons per day (running a/c at 78 degrees). With water restrictions in Pinellas county so rigid right now, it's really come in handy as a stop-gap for me. Did I mention, it's FREE?!?! :)

REALLY IMPORTANT tip to anyone who uses this option - make sure that your drip line is not able to get clogged or the condensation run-off blocked at all. It can cause the water to backup into your system and flood your house and ruin your Central a/c system.

I have a good 6-inch gap between the drip line and the watering can to prevent this. The water simply drips into the watering can from that height and the drip line does NOT sit in the water run off.

"Water War -- Groveland Rallies Against Niagara Bottling" - see link to article below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Water War -- Groveland Rallies Against Niagara Bottling

Haven't seen my thing so I'll share:

We have two washers side by side. The rinse water from one is used in the other for a wash, pre-wash or pre-rinse.

I'm gonna put in a set of linked rain barrels this year.

Thank you Saintpfla for the A/C condensation tip. I just put a milk jug with the top cut off under mine and WOW in an hour it was full. I've gotta drink more milk! 1 of my 2 rain barrels is already empty so this will be a nice way to make it until more rain.
K

Yes, Water Management in Florida is a misnomer.

Coca Cola is allowed to drain North Central Florida's Santa Fe River for bottling. The commissioners are now considering adding three more bottling companies which will drain over a billion gallons of water a year from the river.

Please check out this link and act if you feel it is worthy. I am so sick of greedy people robbing this beautiful state.

http://www.oursantaferiver.org/

If you don't think this will affect you, think about it awhile longer.

Posted by thonotorose..."We have two washers side by side. The rinse water from one is used in the other for a wash, pre-wash or pre-rinse."
That is so cool.
You hit a pet peeve of mine...mfgs/suppliers who don't seem to realize standard washing machines haven't changed in (60?) years but people's needs have. These machines are so inflexible. They've added dials that promise many combinations, but on my 4-year old machine some never did work. And now the smallest fill setting seems to equal the medium setting. I spend a lot of time with my washes, trying to get the most bang for my load of water.

Labor saving tip: don't catch the condensation from the air conditioner, watch where it goes and plant there. I used to get enough for a bog garden, luckily most bog plants can adapt to a dryer situation.

Ack! I'm late catching up on this post...Willy, you're gonna LOVE those barrels. I'm always very happy with GS's customer service.

We did a hit and run at Leu...we were out in 30 min! Got some neat things.

Attach a pool drain hose (light blue) to the washer hose that drains into the utility sink. Use a couple circular metal braces that you tighten with a screwdriver so it's a good seal. Then run it where you want to water. Easy to put 2 pool drain hoses together - just put the end of the first one INSIDE the start of the next one so they overlap for about 3-5 feet.

"A plan to take water from the St. Johns River to supply growing Central Florida suburbs won approval from a state agency Monday despite pleas from scores of opponents." See link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: St. Johns water withdrawal permit approved

Our washer water goes underground to a french drain and runs out to what was once the driest section of the yard . The system has been there 50 years and still works fine . I use laundry detergent and bleach with no ill effects .
Since all laundry products are low or no phosphates now , I don't know why more people are not legally allowed to do this .
I often use vinegar in the final rinse to remove soap and it really helps . I also use baking soda to boost the bleach and it DOES make a difference . The drain water does not hurt my yard since it contains these diluted natural products .

Okay, I'll chime in a couple things even though some of mine have already been mentioned.

I can't deal with an unflushed toilet, just can't, it comes from working at my parents' hotel for spring breaks when I was young.... ***shudder***... so, I use the low volume kind, and meticulously check that they are operating in perfect condition at all times.

I use many drought tolerant native plants, hand watering for everything, no irrigation at all unless it is extreme need. I can get away with this because I have a small yard!

I only wash my car once in a blue moon, let the rain take care of the rest. I use a good wax and dust the car off with a soft fuzzy duster and clean the windows with a special "green" window cleaner.

I try to time my turfgrass fertilization and other granular fertilizer applications with imminent rain showers where possible, many times you can catch me bustling about my yard with my little hand-held spreader as a nice rain storm approaches my area.

I am an addict of the Weather Channel and all weather-related news on the internet!!! Timing is everything!

I have been trying to connect a hose or tubing to the 5 gal. plastic paint buckett that I use to collect the AC condensation. Can anyone give me directions? Thank you.
Vicky

We routed our laundry water into the Bamboo/Banana beds. Use dishpans to do dishes, empty the water into the potted patio plants.

When I change the dog's pools (2-3 times a day), I water nearby plants with it. None is wasted.

I'm setting up a Chapin's watering system for the veggie gardens, but am otherwise forced to drag a hose for 300' for the fruit trees. We never water the lawn.

The rainbarrels are great, but we have had no rain to refill them.

With chickens and dogs, micro-irrigation sytems will not work unless fenced in. They get dug up and destroyed. The chickens are much more destructive than the dogs. They even reach under my protective fences and rake out the mulch.

We used to flood out here regularly. So, after the hurricanes destroyed all of our pine forest, we brought in fill and made mounds for the fruit trees. Since then, it has been a drought! Go figure!

It is so frustrating to have it rain for hours in Stuart (where I work) then to get home and see it did not rain a drop here!

Oh, BTW, don't bother buying a high-efficiency washer. They work horribly, require very expensive liquid soap, and do not clean clothes well at all! We spent $800 for one, and are returning it. It only fills a little bit with water, even at the highest setting, so nothing gets cleaned properly.

Lisa

With a high-efficiency washer you just need to know a couple of tricks: Use a small amount of powdered, non-chlorine bleach containing enzymes -the cheap supermarket in store brand- it cleans and deodorizes clothes better than detergent, and only use a tiny bit of detergent (save $ and it's green). Your clothes won't need much water for a good rinse.

Miami, I only *wish* our new washer would clean with less expensive additives! I have both dry and liquid HE detergents, and neither works properly. The rinse cycle does not contain enough water to actually rinse anything well.

This machine compacts the clothing and leaves dirt embedded in the folds.

I can wash no more than 2 sheets *or* 2 small dog beds, *or* 2-4 lighweight shirts)at a time. That is nuts!

I'd rather use a regular washer and continue to reuse the grey water. Washing things 2-3 times in the HE machine is ridiculous!

I'm glad you have had good luck with yours. But, I need to do laundry daily, and have to keep beds clean for 11 dogs.

The Bamboo and Bananas really appreciate the water(G).

Lisa

Ok, Kristi, I'll take your challenge, but only because I love you.

Our water districts are now the model for what should have been done in Georgia years ago (and was done here years ago.) When Georgia faced a really catastrophic drought, their governor suggested everyone pray for rain (I'm not kidding) and sued Florida. And hundreds of businesses went out of business because they had to suddenly and drastically restrict water. They had to do that because they hadn't been managing their water at all and suddenly, they were facing a drinking water shortage, something we'll never face here, because we have water management.

Water management isn't perfect, and is often really imperfect _ like when they give away water to the bottlers. But we also let farmers use whatever water they have on their properties. You have to decide what property rights you want to protect.

If we could trust everyone to only water their lawns as much as their lawns actually needed, maybe we wouldn't need water management. But the sad truth is, most people will water every day, in the middle of the day, and then overfertlize, to compensate for all the nutrients they are washing into the street each day. And that wastes water and washes pollutants into our waterways. So restrictions protect us from the stupid people.

Laws against drunk driving and planting Brazilian peppers do the same. And the sad-sack reality is, if we want the stupid people to get with the program, we, the so-called enlightened ones, have to accept some restrictions.

I think we are headed to water management in the style of the midwest states, and we need to beware of that. They sell water rights there, fight extended lawsuits over who stole what water upriver, and generally build lots of acrimony.

Instead, I hope we can learn to use our water better. And the learning curve is steep.

South Florida residents use more water per capita than anyone else in the state _ west Broward is the worst waster statewide _ and that is largely because we irrigate our lawns too much and stupidly.

I know you're not doing that, Kristi, but lots of people are. I walk the dogs, at 5 p.m., before it's even close to dark out, and we have to detour to avoid sprinklers watering sidewalks. Come on! Those homeowners shouldn't be watering sidewalks, and they shouldn't be watering at 5 p.m. when it doesn't get dark before 8.

As for water savings, I'm proud of my brown crunchy yard. It's what it's supposed to be this time of year. I have rain barrels and we ration flushes, and the dirty dogs' water certainly goes on plants. But I'm sure I wash too much water down the drain. At least I'm not drawing extra to maintain a "green" lawn that is anything but truly green.

1. lay down newspaper or cardboard under mulch
2. use raked leaves for mulch (have also raked some pine needles from a neighbor)
3. plant low-water use plants only, use a soaker hose (only when watering is necessary to keep the plants alive in severe conditions)
4. use water from three rain barrels - get one through your local UF IFAS extension office: http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map/index.html
5. attach hoses to runoff at top of rain barrel to direct overflow to planting beds
6. using composted material in new plantings to help them retain moisture during while plants get established
7. dump water retained in glasses, bowls, etc in kitchen sink into plants outside, dump dog water on plants when refreshing bowl
8. I get gallons and gallons by leaving a container under the air conditioner condensation runoff
9. conserve water... shower with a friend!

Here is a link that might be useful: Find your county extension office for more tips

Water conservation can make you feel better and save you some money but in the long run it doesn't look like it makes any change in the way the state or district does business.

Here is a link that might be useful: Idiots in action

that to come out. I'm tired and that's no excuse. I don't mean to knock anyone who tries to conserve. My grass is crispy,too. I wish we(you, me and every agency) were just all working toward the same goal.

We don't have our rain barrels yet, but I'll install at least 4 when I do.

I save on flushes, and even use as little TP as I can get away with.

Turn off faucets when not needed (brushing teeth etc)

Installing a basin sink in the garage for the DH to use after working on cars and it will have a foot pedal to turn the water on... push to wet and leave it off til you need to rinse.

I am a preschool teacher and I teach my students to conserve as well.

We live on a spring fed lake (so lucky because the water level never drops) and have a pump so that we can use the water for our gardens if we want. Though we do not have an irrigation system for the lawn, I sometimes use it when its been dry.

Ammending soil so it retains moisture better than the original sand... lol. Mulching of course as well.

Using natives. I also turned one of my back beds into a beautiful succulent garden.

Our washer drain stopped working and it began to overflow out the roof vent, I began using only biodegradable non-toxic (Method Brand) detergents and cleaners. Now we have the water set to run out back, it waters on of my shade beds, which is raised so no matter how much I have to wash it still drains.

I try to re-wear things (especially jeans) before washing, so I waste less water that way.

We re-use bottles and have a Brita. I re-use everything I can before recycling it.

Shorter showers, washing my hair every other day. I also shower at night and don't use a hair dryer, my hair is dry in the morning when I wake up.

When I make pasta I don't add anything to the water and I set my collander over a bowl (mine fit perfectly) so I catch the water. I let it cool over night and use it in the potted plants in the morning. I save the fish water from my betta bowls the same way.

There's more I can do... and more I will do. An outdoor shower is int he works, and I think of new things all the time... its a process. But once you really make up your mind to make the changes it becomes a game, you want to top yourself constantly... in the end we all win.