Using Grey Water

We are learning how to use and reuse our water carefully. We take a shower standing in a bucket to collect the water. Afterwards, this water is used to flush the toilet or mop the floors. Isaiah takes a short shower and then sits down in the bucket for a bath in the picture above. We have a collection of buckets in the shower. We also have a small bowl under the faucet in the bathroom sink to catch the water.

In the kitchen, we have a bucket under the sink to catch all of the dishwashing water. This water we use to water plants outside. We have some bougainvillea bushes and pistachio trees (they were already here). (Second picture)

And then there is the laundry water. We have a washing machine! Here is the process. Fist, we wash a load of white clothes. We stop the washing machine just before it drains the water. Then we take out the wet white clothes, put them in a bucket, and add a load of dark clothes to the same water. We then wash the dark clothes. After the wash cycle we let the water drain out into a large barrel. Then we spin the dark load and take it out. Next we put the white load back in and spin it. Then we rinse the white load, and stop the machine before the water drains out, so we can use the same rinse water to rinse the dark load. Finally, we spin out both loads, catching all of the grey water to use on our vegetable garden. (Third picture). Did you want to know THAT much about how we do laundry?

We have plans to install a drip irrigation system to water our vegetable garden. I will post a picture when we have that installed.
Whew!