13 tips for saving water

Heather Geange, Green Ideas reader, Invercargill

“I have a bucket on my bench which is boiling water proof. When I’m draining the vegetables at tea time I drain the water into the bucket and when it is cool I water my containers or garden with the contents.”

Estelle Clifford, Green Ideas reader, Auckland

“A friend has a waterproof radio in the bathroom and sets a three song limit in the shower (there’s hubby, her, and three teens to get through in the mornings!)”

Sam Judd, Green Ideas contributor, Auckland

“One simple solution that will also save you on your water bill is to reticulate the water from your basin into the cistern on your toilet like in this video: www.tinyurl.com/lk3nwpg.”

Gina Dempster, Green Ideas contributor, Wanaka

“To reduce watering in the garden you can leave weeds in the ground as ground cover; just make sure there’s a clear circle around your plants so they don’t get too crowded. When it’s time for the weeds to go, you can pull them out and leave them on the surface as extra mulch. Don’t let the weeds go to seed though, or you’ll be pulling their offspring out for a long time.”

Ali Jacs, Green Ideas reader, Wellington

“I recommend turning off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth, and using low-flow shower heads.”

Rebecca Reider, Green Ideas contributor, Golden Bay

“Mulching around vege plants and thirsty fruit trees is one of the best ways to keep moisture in the soil. This keeps the plants’ toes happily wet and can greatly reduce the need for irrigation. I like to mulch my vege beds with a thick layer of the seagrass that washes up on some local beaches here in Golden Bay – I just give it a good rinse to get most of the salt off. Probably my most enjoyable summer water-saving technique, though, is jumping in the river or the sea in place of a shower!”

Greg Roughan, Green Ideas editor, Auckland

“We bought a length of hose and siphon the baby bath water out on to the broccoli patch after bath time. Getting the occasional mouthful of bathwater is a good incentive for using eco-friendly soaps!”

Liz Russell, Green Ideas reader, Auckland

“When we need hot water for dish washing we run the first one and a half litres of cold/lukewarm water that comes out of the hot tap into a plastic container and use this water on the pot plants and hanging baskets on our porch. The plants are looking really healthy!”

Susanne Brighouse, Green Ideas reader, Auckland

“Nearly all the vegetables I plant have an upturned plastic bottle with its bottom cut off buried beside them so that when watering it goes straight down to feed their roots and does not sit evaporating on the surface.”

Karen Winterson, Green Ideas reader, Whakatane

“We collect rainwater from the house roof into storage tanks then use it to water gardens, wash the car, clean windows etc. We have saved many litres of water over the years as well as money on our water rates.”

Sin Hooi Lee, Green Ideas reader, Auckland

“We use the water from hand-washing my toddler’s clothing to flush the toilet.”

Sarah Lancaster, Green Ideas contributor, Thames

“I wash the dishes in the largest pot or bowl that was used for cooking, rather than fill the sink up with a whole lot of water and bubbles you don’t really need. Cups and cutlery fit in just fine.”

Lesley Burns, Green Ideas reader, Dunedin

“We empty the teapot/coffee pot on the blueberries and strawberries – they really like it.”

Take the next Green Ideas small step

Do you make your own cleaning products? Whether it’s to save money, to be kinder to the environment – or a bit of both – we want to hear about your DIY cleaning tricks.

Share your tips and recipes by emailing [email protected] and we’ll print a selection of your letters in the next magazine.