Quick Fix

When we moved into this house, I was surprised to find the washer and dryer outside on the back porch. I had never lived anywhere with this type of setup. At first I hated it. I didn't like having to lug all the dirty clothes outside and back again. I hated doing laundry at night in the dark. Eventually I began to like the arrangement. The heat of the dryer doesn't make the house hot in the summer. The noise of both the washer and dryer are muffled out the back door. And now I can reuse the laundry water in my yard.

I have wanted a greywater setup for the yard for over a year. I just couldn't figure out how to run the pipes for the water. I didn't want a hose or pipe running across the porch, and I couldn't figure out how to get it out to the fruit trees in the yard. The other day I noticed KC had run her laundry output hose into a rain barrel.  Perfect!! We had a rain barrel that wasn't being used, so I quickly copied the arrangement.

I was amazed at how much water I collected. I was also a bit appalled. As a desert dweller I am mindful of water, so reusing our laundry rinse water is perfect for me. I use NaturOli Soap Nuts right now for most loads. I do occasionally add a half capful of vaska Laundry Detergent if the load is overly dirty. I have a hose attached to the bottom of the rain barrel spigot. I rotate the water throughout the yard among the fruit trees. So far I have collected enough water for all the fruit trees in our yard, and I have saved quite a bit of water from going down the drain.