Using Grey Water—A Terrific Way
To Reduce Gardening Costs

Any water used in the home, except water from toilets, is called grey water (also spelled as greywater, graywater and gray water).

We all use considerable amounts of water each day to cook, clean, and perform all types of household duties.

That water is forever lost to us if it leaves via a sewer system (while also costing us tax money to purify it).

Even if we use septic systems, much of that water can't be used, unless we grow shallow-rooted plants (non-edible ones) on the leach bed.

Much of the water that leaves our homes is clean enough, and definitely safe enough, to be put to use again. That includes water we use when we do a load of laundry, take a shower, or prepare a meal. All of this water is grey water.

As a bonus, much of the "dirt" in this water can be used as nutrients by soil organisms. So not only do we not waste water, we reduce the need for organic fertilizers and soil amendments.

Collecting Grey Water

If you're building a new house or addition, you can put in two sets of pipes, one for toilet black water and one for the water from the sinks, bathtubs, showers and washing machine in the house. (Note, however, that some municipalities may not allow this type of forward thinking.)

If you're living in a house without separate piping systems, or your town/city won't allow you to do this, then you'll need to be creative.

You may be able to retrofit the sinks, at least, to drain into a separate pipe that runs along the outside of your house to a cistern or other water storage device. (Be sure to drain the pipe during the winter months, and connect the sinks back to the sewer/septic before the first freeze. If the cistern is above ground, you'll probably need to drain it as well.)

If you can't retrofit, you still have options.

When showering, put a large bucket in there with you. You won't collect all the water that comes out of the shower head, but you'll collect enough to water some plants.

For sinks, take a plumber's wrench and remove the U-trap. What you'll be left with is a short piece of pipe running from the sink's drain. Place a large bucket directly beneath this pipe.

When the bucket's full, take it outside and water your plants with it. Or scoop it out and pour onto houseplants.

For the bathtub, you'll need to scoop out the water with a bucket and carry it through the house.

Why Use Grey Water?

There are several reasons why using grey water makes sense for everyone, especially gardeners.

If you live in an area where a septic system (tank and leach bed) won't work well, it's best to limit the amount of water going into that system. Conservation and using grey water will extend the life of your septic system.

Why use potable (drinkable) water in your gardens? That's a waste of your utilities money (and a waste of your tax money as well).

Grey water can take the place of fresh water. If you live in an arid area, where water is pumped in from a great distance, reusing a large portion of your water could save you a lot of money.

Also, if your water is treated, grey water will have fewer chemicals (e.g., chlorine) in it. Most treatment chemicals will leave standing water after a short while. This means that you'll be putting water that's less toxic on your plants.

If you live in an arid area, there may be restrictions on watering your lawn and gardens. You can use grey water to get around the garden restrictions (unfortunately, it's not practical for watering your lawns).

Using grey water in your gardens purifies that water. Eventually it will make it to a stream, river or lake, probably cleaner than when it came into your house as potable water. And you'll have saved your municipality some water treatment costs (which will, ultimately, reduce—or at least slow the increase—of your tax bill).

That purified water also recharges groundwater systems (aquifers, for example).

If you and your family know that you'll be watering garden plants and trees, you'll be less likely to pour toxic chemicals down the drain. It may also convince you to buy fewer toxic chemicals.

Every day we wash our hands and faces at the sink, and our entire bodies in the tub or shower. We also wash food wastes from dishes in the kitchen. All those nutrients will make valuable contributions to the health of your soils and plants. Why send them to the water treatment plant?

Is grey water reuse safe? Yes! And it's also the smart thing to do, regardless of where we live.

If this page was valuable for you, please share your new knowledge. Click Like...