Planning for the drought?

[kathyd]

Thelma, have a look at this for pumping your bath water out to the garden: I've had mine for 3 years now, it's brilliant

This looks brilliant TS - do you leave a hosepipe permanently running from your bathroom window to your garden / water butt outside?

[Two_Sheds]

i'll be looking into diverting shower water into water butts ..

You can't store grey (used) water, because it's got soap, shampoo, dirt etc in it: bacteria will thrive

do you leave a hosepipe permanently running from your bathroom window to your garden ?

Yes I do. It's a very long hose, attached to the siphon pump (you can fit any length hose you like).
One end is in the garden, the other end is hung off a hook on the bathroom windowsill (I tied a ribbon round the hose for this).
You can see the hose hanging out of the window, but the house isn't that pretty anyway, so I don't much care. It's no uglier than a satellite dish, imo.

[Farmer_Gyles]

You can't store grey (used) water, because it's got soap, shampoo, dirt etc in it: bacteria will thrive

thanks TS .... the water should be ok to use straight away tho???

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, of course. When it's fresh, the bacteria haven't had time to get going

[Thelma Sanders]

I wonder if it could be stored for a while if you added some Citrox...........
http://www.organiccatalogue.com/p596...duct_info.html

(It's what I use to clean the greenhouses )

[kathyd]

thanks TS .... the water should be ok to use straight away tho???

If we start using bathwater, it might make us think harder about what products we use in the bath so we're using more natural ones instead of chemically ones. Lavender oil's nice and soothing to soak in and Mrs Gyles might appreciate the pleasant pong. And there are plenty of 'pure' soaps around, albeit at a price sometimes. Not sure about shampoo though. I already try to use environmentally / bio products for cleaning because we have a septic tank which is a bit fussy about what you stick in it.

[VirginVegGrower]

Less chemicals in your products in France is easier than in UK. How about using rosemary or lavender sprigs, tied in a bunch under your bath tap? Could be a natural pest deterrent. Or dead sea salts in moderation - isn't seaweed salty/iodine rich?
You may be on to something here...

[Speed Gardener]

Back in the glorious summer of 1976 we were told to use grey water for watering, in fact the "experts" said it would work better than plain old water because the soap in it would aid wetting so it would get to the roots more effectively.
My dad diverted the bathroom outlet pipe ovet the conservatory roof and into the old water tank that caught the runoff, and we dipped watering cans into that. It worked a treat, althought it used to take a while to water the lawn!

[Two_Sheds]

there are plenty of 'pure' soaps ... Not sure about shampoo

I use Ecover washing up liquid for my bath, my hair, the guinea pigs, and occasionally the dishes

[kathyd]

Less chemicals in your products in France is easier than in UK. How about using rosemary or lavender sprigs, tied in a bunch under your bath tap? Could be a natural pest deterrent. Or dead sea salts in moderation - isn't seaweed salty/iodine rich?
You may be on to something here...

Hi VVG - I don't think we've got any more products with less chemicals here than in the UK to be honest - as TS says, you've got Ecover, and all the supermarkets do their own brand 'eco friendly' ranges now. Lavender oils and other essential oils are actually cheaper and easier to find in the UK, and 'pure' soaps are available from supermarkets, Body Shop and no doubt lots of other places including the internet. I like the idea of hanging fresh herbs under the running water though, must try that one . Must admit I hadn't considered using my Ecover equivalent for washing my hair! Although it could be gentler than the nasty Elvive I've got at the moment which seems to strip my hair and makes it feel like straw... I've got lots of books on making your own natural products somewhere which I picked up from charity shops before leaving the UK - must dig them out and see what they have to suggest!

[Two_Sheds]

Go to a health food shop (or Holland & Barrett) and you'll see lots of natural products. Yes, they're dearer, but that because they're made with natural things not unnecessary chemicals. They often last longer too: I've had my mineral deodorant stick for years! It's kept at least 40 spray deo bottles out of landfill

[Scousemooncat]

quick question....although there is a "hosepipe" ban - on our allotment there are the taps and tanks (to catch/store excess or overflow)...the allotment rules say "no hose pipes" can be used at anytime from these to water the plots, but you can use them to fill water butts...

I am guessing that with the ban, that the taps will be in use, but only for watering cans rather than hosepipes of any kind?...

Does that sound about right - or do you think all the water would be off?!

S!

[Kaiya]

Might depend on the allotment but I'm assuming that because rent presumably pays for the water rates, that means they can't just cut you off because it's an allotment. However they do cut us off over winter to stop the pipes bursting. Gosh I hope they don't turn the tap off... clay soil that bakes solid, and only a 1/4 allotment so no room for any building to catch rainwater off... I'm not a big waterer but need something!

[Thelma Sanders]

On our site, I've been told, they just take off the brass tap adaptor thingy (a technical term, you understand) so you can't attach a hose, but the water stays on for filling cans

[Two_Sheds]

I am guessing that with the ban, that the taps will be in use

Yes they will. A hosepipe ban is a hosepipe ban, not a water ban Using cans makes you stop and think about how much water you're using ~ it's much less tempting to waste water if you're having to lug it around on tired arms