BellaOnline Forums Money Frugal Living Conserving Household Water

Thank you, Alice! I figure if I can do it here, most people should be able to do it elsewhere.

After all, running water is a brand new convenience when you consider how people have lived for thousands of years, and still do in developing countries.

Colorado has way too many rules. No using rainwater and no using greywater depending on your property situation. It doesn't seem right that Colorado owns the water that lands on your own roof.

Alice, no rainwater? I haven't heard of any regulations against using the free water that falls on your own darn roof. What's the story with that?

As for greywater, most city ordinances want to get in your grill about possible water and soil contamination. Most people just do a little bit of simple grey water diversion from a sink and/or washing machine, and let that run into a back yard area. On the down low. For apartments it's not really feasible, but for people in a house, diverting the laundry water is a piece of cake. Just let the outflow empty into some bushes or make a simple mulch basin.

The rainwater, jeez! That's insane? And how to do they monitor this? Are there fines? I really want to know their rationale!

Wow.

When I lived in Kenya, I would let it rain for about 5 to 10 minutes to wash the dust off my roof, then I would set out as many containers as I could to catch the rain water. I would use the rainwater for bathing and washing my clothes. The water I used for cooking and drinking came from a borehole (well) located in the village.

That is so cool, Jeanne. I love hearing your African Village stories. That is all so naturally low water use.

How did you take showers? Did you hang up buckets, or take sponge baths?

I took splash baths. I would heat up some water to boiling and mix in cold water to the temp i liked. I would bring the big plastic basin outside to my "bathing room" and take my bath. I used a cup to rinse myself off and rinse the shampoo out of my hair.

Oh and I would let the soap go back into the basin and the last thing I would do is step into the basin and scrub my feet really well.

I suspect I probably used around 2 and no more than three gallons per bath. I would normally bathe every other day in Kenya. Of course, now I shower every day. And as you know Jill I'm a really fast shower taker.

Yeah, you are quick in the shower!

Splash baths. I like that idea. I think i will try that this summer in the bathtub in the trailer. It will probably be a nice way to cool down! And I love the idea of washing your feet at the end. I hate dirty feet.

I love hearing about how things worked for you in your African village.

I talked this week to a friendly employee in the water office. She told me that my 200 gallons last month was excellent and that most individuals use 1500 gallons a month!

My guess is most people use that in the shower/clothes washer/dishwasher/swamp cooler? Oh and toilets. Lawns and gardens.

Water is very expensive here, so my techniques are literally saving me hundreds of dollars a year.

My goal is 100 gallons for this month, but i don't exactly know how much water some things use - like my washing machine, for example. I do reuse that water in my garden.

I think i need to make a water volume measurement next time I do a load. Or maybe start researching the internet to see various water use averages for appliances.

Holy sh....! According to several sources on the internet, the average top loading machine uses 40 gallons per load! And around 55 for slightly larger machines!

This link gives a chart of various household activities and the gallons usually used. It's enlightening. And a little bit scary.

Oh man. This link says that most people in the US use 200 gallons of water each DAY!

That is what I used last month and still think I can cut that in half. I feel like whoa.