What do you do while waiting for the shower to warm up? Maybe you brush your teeth or give the countertop a quick wipe, but there’s a better way to use those precious few minutes. The next time you step into the shower to turn on the tap, bring a 5-gallon bucket with you. While…
Water While You Wait
If you have a garden or houseplants to water, you might have a gold mine running straight down the drain every morning. Most people spend a minute or two letting the shower run until it’s warm enough to step in. Even if you have a low-flow showerhead, that adds up to gallons of water — and money — wasted. To put things into perspective, a standard U.S. showerhead has a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute. Waiting just three minutes for the water to warm up means sending more than 7 gallons of potable water straight down the drain.
So, why not collect it and feed it to your foliage? This simple, money-saving hack requires almost no extra effort: Just place a bucket under the faucet while the water warms up, move it aside when you’re ready to rinse, and use the collected water to hydrate your houseplants or garden.
Other Ways To Use Potable Water
If you have only a few pots to water, you may end up collecting more water than your plants need — and that’s not a bad problem to have. There are plenty of other uses for a bucket of clean, potable water, especially if you live in an area with water restrictions. Use it to fill mop buckets, replenish humidifiers, or soak dirty dishes. You can even use it to flush toilets, hand-wash laundry, or rinse off muddy garden tools. You’ll be surprised how many uses you find once you have a bucket on hand.
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What About Greywater?
The water captured from your shower as it heats up is treated, potable water that’s safe for drinking, bathing, and cooking. Greywater, on the other hand, is gently used water from bathrooms, kitchens, and laundries that can be recycled to hydrate gardens and lawns. To collect it, simply keep your bucket in the shower while you use your toiletries, or scoop out some used bathwater before pulling the drain stopper. You can also collect water from handwashing in the sink or go a step further by diverting the drain hose from your washing machine to a drainpipe that leads to your garden.
Greywater is only recommended for nonedible plants, so limit its use to grass, flowers, hedges, trees, and salt-tolerant houseplants. Ensure your bath products are plant-based and safe for greywater collection; look for labels such as “biocompatible” or “boron-free.” You don’t want to water your plants with harsh chemicals or heavy surfactants, so remember to switch to plant-based soaps, laundry detergents, and shampoos before attempting this hack.
Safety Tip: Greywater must be used within 24 hours to prevent bacteria from rapidly multiplying. If allowed to sit, it can become unsafe for handling and potentially damaging to your soil’s health.
