Those who are most successful in their frugal living efforts look for ways to save money in any and every area of their households. Money saving tips that include re-purposing and reusing the resources, like water, that you pay for and use daily are amazing and often very successful.
Ways to reduce water consumption in your house can range from very simple money saving tips, like taking shorter showers or washing vegetables in a small bowl of water instead of under the running faucet, to do it yourself projects that require a little more effort but can help to conserve water significantly.
The following video shows how a simple do it yourself project that re-purposes the grey water from your washing machine is a very effective way to conserve water. Imagine if you could reuse all of the water that was already used to wash your clothes, soap and all, instead of just letting it go down the drain.
Reusing grey water has grown in popularity because it’s a great way to reduce water use and save money. There are a lot of ways in which you can reuse your grey water, such as watering your plants, washing your patios, sidewalks and siding, or flushing your toilets, and there are also a number of options for how you can go about collecting your grey water so that it can be re-purposed. At Thrift Culture Now, we of course love the do it yourself options and this video, courtesy of Andrew Fletcher, is one of a number of videos on You Tube that will show you just how easy it is to make and use your own grey water pump for your washing machine.
There are some important things to take note of, however, specifically with regards to using the grey water to water plants and to ensure that you’re using grey water in the safest way possible for your family and pets:
While the phosphates and nitrogen in many laundry detergents may be very beneficial to some plants, it’s recommended that you look up which plants in particular enjoy added nitrogen and phosphates because some do not. Another option is that you use one of the ‘garden-safe’ laundry detergents that are now available and that are much more agreeable to all plants. Also, grey water isn’t potable and it’s not recommended that you water vegetables with this water, unless it’s been treated.
When you’re using grey water to water plants, water the plants directly at their base and it’s recommended that if you have a hose attachment on your grey water pump, that you only use this hose to fill watering cans or buckets instead of spraying large quantities of the grey water around your yard.
Like any do it yourself project for frugal living, do a little research and see what’s the best and most cost effective way for you to build your own grey water pump. You would be amazed by how much money you can save by learning how to save water around your house. Money saving tips abound. Find them and start using them.
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