Watering garden with sink water?

[ChanellG]

I've never considered using dish water but then again, my dishwasher does most if not all the work. I've been told that dish detergent can kill plants so I guess this is why I never thought to use the water like this. It is a clever idea.

Dish detergent is actually used to kill insects on plants. You only use a couple drops along with a drop or two of oil in a spray bottle of water, and since the soap in dishwater is significantly diluted, it shouldn't harm plants, especially if you water the soil and not necessarily pour the water onto the foliage.

 

[claudine]

I use a dishwasher, so I don't have any dishwater. But even if I had it, I wouldn't water my plants with it. I would worry that it may kill ladybugs, ants and other tiny insects. I really don't want to harm them.
In my opinion the best way to save some money is to collect rainwater.

 

[gata montes]

As I live in an area where during the summer months water restrictions are a common occurrence due to the drought conditions we experience every year - I often have to water my plants this way and have to say that none of my plants have ever suffered because of it.

To be honest I can't see any problem with it - so long as the water is not overly greasy and you use bio - degradable detergents and especially when considering as ChanellG has already mentioned - that dish detergent is actually used by many organic gardeners as a way of deterring insects.

Although I too would agree that collecting rainwater is a good way of helping to reduce water consumption - it is not necessarily an option for everyone - as there are some places - like where I live - that don't have any rainwater to collect for many months of the year - as it doesn't rain and even if you do manage to collect some over the rainy season - once the temperatures rise and it gets extremely hot - it normally evaporates so quickly you barely get the chance to use it.

 

[ChanellG]

Although I too would agree that collecting rainwater is a good way of helping to reduce water consumption - it is not necessarily an option for everyone - as there are some places - like where I live - that don't have any rainwater to collect for many months of the year - as it doesn't rain and even if you do manage to collect some over the rainy season - once the temperatures rise and it gets extremely hot - it normally evaporates so quickly you barely get the chance to use it.

Gata, I store my collected rain water in empty jugs saved from my drinking water. I place a couple storage bins out when it's going to rain, and in a really heavy downpour I can get several gallons of water which is enough to last for weeks at a time. I think the key is having a good system for storage of the water.

 

[happyflowerlady]

For many years, I lived in an old house that had no running water. We hauled our water home in large 55 gallon drums, and drinking water un gallon milk jugs. I had my wash machine outside above the garden, and when i rinsed the clothes, or emptied the wash machine, all of the used water drained down into my garden.
The detergent actually makes things grow better, and that is why it was banned from being put into streams, since it made the algae grow faster in the water.

 

[gata montes]

Gata, I store my collected rain water in empty jugs saved from my drinking water. I place a couple storage bins out when it's going to rain, and in a really heavy downpour I can get several gallons of water which is enough to last for weeks at a time. I think the key is having a good system for storage of the water.

Although I too would agree that the key for storing rain water is having a good storage system - it will only work if you have some rain water to collect

Which as I've already mentioned is not an option for everyone - as there are some places that don't have any rain at all for around 5 - 6 months of the year and however much rain water one may be able to save over the rainy months - regardless of the storage system the stores will soon be depleted - due not only to use but evaporation - because of continually high temperatures of around 48 C .

 

[ChanellG]

Although I too would agree that the key for storing rain water is having a good storage system - it will only work if you have some rain water to collect
... regardless of the storage system the stores will soon be depleted - due not only to use but evaporation - because of continually high temperatures of around 48 C .

There are times here where it seems to rain non-stop and then there are times where it won't rain for weeks. During the summer we tend to get these brief afternoon downpours that bring enough rain to be an inconvenience, but not enough to fill my rain bins even an inch. Sometimes it rains too much and the water I've collected sits for a while (I don't have enough storage to collect it all). The point is, you do what you can with what you have.

 

[ChanellG]

...The detergent actually makes things grow better, and that is why it was banned from being put into streams, since it made the algae grow faster in the water.

Detergent does not make things grow better. Once upon a time laundry detergent had a high amount of phosphorous in it. This caused plants in waterways to become overgrown and create problems. However, detergent is no longer made that way.

 

[LindaKay]

I hadn't thought about that. I wouldn't want it to kill the ladybugs. I love ladybugs and butterflies and caterpillars...

 

[burtpovski]

I don't really see why not. Sink water isn't much different from hose water. I mean, water is water, right? If you were to store water from the rain, wouldn't the water be the same as the water from your sink? I don't really see a problem with using sink water.

 

[ChanellG]

I don't really see why not. Sink water isn't much different from hose water. I mean, water is water, right? If you were to store water from the rain, wouldn't the water be the same as the water from your sink? I don't really see a problem with using sink water.

Water is not water. Rainwater is not; drinking water goes through a rather complicated process to make it fit - meaning safe - for drinking. What comes out of the tap - indoors or out - depends on where you live, where the water is sourced from, how the water is delivered, whether or not you filter it, etc. No, water is definitely not water.

 

[Chuck]

I would be leary of using any grey water unless you know that the phosphorus in laundry is minimal. In the sink if there is oil or liquid animal fat I would definitely not use it.