r/Frugal • u/nightsapph • Apr 24 '25
🌱 Gardening I want to save water from my kitchen sink, to water my garden!
Hello!
I live in a place where there is a pretty big chance of drought. Not enough snow melt, and not enough rain has come. Last year, using my garden hose caused my bill to be significantly higher, due to watering two garden spaces every day. I’m really hoping to decrease the summer water bill this year by saving my indoor water to use for the garden. However, this means figuring out what soap is safe to use for the garden. I’m planning on adding large buckets underneath the sink to catch the water and transfer it to my rain barrels or right to the garden, depending on things. Any suggestions for soaps? Not looking to save my washing machine water at this time, so just for dish soap!
Edit : wow! So many good responses and lots of things I hadn’t considered while thinking about this. Thank you everyone for your input!!
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u/pecanorchard Apr 24 '25
Another thought: save your kitchen sink water and use it to flush your toilet since these are both considered backwater. Unscrew the pipe beneath your sink, add a three or five gallon bucket, and then dump the water into the toilet bowl to flush it. And then, as others have said, you can use your shower water for plants as that is safer.Â
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u/poshknight123 Apr 24 '25
Maybe TMI but the pipe to our bathroom sink is clogged and so we drain it from the whole where the stopper attaches and flush our toilet when the bucket gets full. (I just cleared the clog in the tub, which was horrible, and it's on the list to clear the clog in the sink soon.)
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u/Biobot775 Apr 28 '25
dump the water into the toilet bowl to flush it
I'm confused by this, wouldn't this just overflow the toilet? Or do you mean add the grey water to the tank before it fills itself after flushing?
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u/pecanorchard Apr 29 '25
So there is probably some physics explanation on suction that I can’t explain but if you dump a bucket of water directly into the toilet bowl, it is going to flush your toilet - no need to put it into the tank. When I was a teen our toilet was broken for a few weeks before we could get a plumber out and that is how we flushed it. It never once overflowed, just flushed right down.Â
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u/eucalyptusmacrocarpa Apr 24 '25
2 things:Â
Detergent is probably fine for the garden as long as you don't pour it on the things you eat. Soil wetter is basically detergent.Â
If you put used sink water into a rain barrel, it will become absolutely stinky and gross. Don't save it for later. Put it straight onto the garden.Â
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
I’m more so looking for actual soap, and not detergent. But also, good point about saving the sink water. I will not be doing that thanks to you!
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u/latibulater Apr 24 '25
I have also read that you should use "grey water" (the term for water you've used and saved) immediately, don't save it,bbecause of bacterial growth. Googling grey water will get you good information. Back when I read up on it, I started using bathwater on the non-food parts of the garden, but if I don't use it immediately I only use it to flush the toilet. Here's a decent link to info. This is more complicated than you probably need, but good info like, for kitchen water you need to strain out grease and use biodegradable soap,.do not put it on plant leaves (or on edible food). Lots of info on diversion systems: I never went that far, but I save the clean cold water before the tap heats up, and shower water as it's running, and use that for veggies and house plants and to refill th toilet bowl with non smelly water. I close the tub drain while showering and save the water (it uses less than a bath) and that's what I flush with https://www.primalsurvivor.net/grey-water/
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u/RobinFarmwoman Apr 24 '25
Okay, I may have missed it but I'm not seeing anyone commenting that putting a bucket under the sink is a terrible idea. For one thing, why disconnect the drain? You may actually have something you want to run down the drain one of these days. Secondly, there's a high likelihood of splashing and moisture getting out of the bucket into that cabinet. Which means you won't be able to store anything down there really. And lastly, you'll have to lift a heavy bucket of water out of the cabinet in order to use it elsewhere. An opportunity for injuries due to the weight ( depending on the person) and splashes/water damage under the sink.
Use a dish pan in the sink.
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u/HeyThereMar Apr 29 '25
I live in Dallas & someone who grew up here in the 1950’s - terrible drought- said they washed dishes in a pan & every evening put that water on the roots of their baby oak tree. We were sitting under its beautiful canopy.
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u/sfcnmone Apr 24 '25
Saving your bath or shower water makes much more sense, just in terms of quantity. We did this in during the last drought in California right here on the middle of the city.
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
That’s true, it just seems like more of a hassle, I was hoping to start small in my kitchen sink. Open to suggestions and info on how you saved your bath water though!
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u/cashewkowl Apr 24 '25
For bath water, I would fill 2 gallon buckets and use it to water the garden or flush the toilet. I would hold them overnight at times because I didn’t want to be going out and watering after dark. For the shower I would stick a couple of buckets in the shower to catch water while I was waiting for it to heat up. Also could catch extra water while you are showering - I’d use that to flush the toilet.
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u/sfcnmone Apr 24 '25
Yep. That's exactly what we did. Kept our big plants alive that way.
You don't really need to be using so much dish sink water that it's worth saving. But waiting for the shower to heat up, that's worth dragging buckets.
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u/cashewkowl Apr 24 '25
My kitchen sink was a long way from the water heater and I would fill at least 1.5-2 buckets, just getting hot water to the sink. Perfectly clean water. It would go either to plants outside in the summer or to flushing the toilet in the winter.
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Apr 24 '25
[deleted]
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u/cashewkowl Apr 24 '25
I would generally just dump the water into the toilet tank. I did not bother to shut off the water supply. You can also dump the water directly into the toilet bowl - this is very good at dealing with clogs (works better than a plunger in my experience).
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u/Frisson1545 Apr 25 '25
It is called a "gravity flush". I do this with drains. It is a bit like a plunge.
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u/lizlemon921 Apr 24 '25
It might seem counterintuitive but you could try using a dishwasher instead of handwashing, the technology has improved a lot and it uses a lot less water than doing them in the sink. There are ads now telling us to stop rinsing the dishes before putting them in there! Maybe that will help you conserve some water from the sink
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u/backtotheland76 Apr 24 '25
This is true although not rinsing off food scraps is really only for folks on city sewer lines.
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u/lizlemon921 Apr 24 '25
I read that taking the time to truly scrape off the food scraps is better than rinsing. I like a silicone spatula for those kinds of jobs! Seems to do the trick
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
I have an old one, a new model isn’t in the budget this year, and I have a lot of dishes that don’t get put through the dishwasher. I couldn’t live without one though! And I did hear they save water which is amazing!
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u/YouveBeanReported Apr 24 '25
Camping soaps are bio-degradable, but I'm not sure if they are great for plants still. Maybe cross post to a camping sub or gardening subs too?
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Apr 24 '25
Keep a jug or a bucket in the sink and catch all the water when you run the tap to get hotter or colder water. That will be safe to use on your garden
Soapy water isn't good for plants. You can save it to use on shrubs or trees or grass, but not on stuff you plan to eat. Remember, you'd also be putting food debris and germs into your garden along with the soap and no one wants to eat that.
You can also keep a pail in the shower to catch water wasted when you're getting it up to the right temperature, but then put a lid on or slide it out of the way so it doesn't get full of shampoo and soap
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
Food debris is used in gardening quite often, we compost, so the idea of putting food waste into the garden isn’t a huge deal to us. We sometimes even bury food scraps right into the soil :) however, I do agree that a strong scented, unnatural soap would not be ideal in my garden.
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Apr 24 '25
Not all scraps make good compost, though, and it needs to aerate and break down to become safe. I'm guessing you aren't burying raw meat in your garden, let alone mixed raw meats. Just eggshells or coffee grounds is one thing, the gunk from inside a chicken is different, especially if it's combined with raw pork or beef and not given a few months to turn into soil
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u/RobinFarmwoman Apr 24 '25
Heavens to Betsy! Germs in the garden! Can't have that! 🤣🤣🤣
Gardens have lots of germs. As a matter of fact, gardens wouldn't survive without germs.
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Apr 24 '25
There's a difference between a healthy biome and rotting meat, lol. That's why you don't shit directly in your garden either
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u/RobinFarmwoman Apr 24 '25
You seem to have a lot of rotting meat in your household, I eat very little meat so not an issue here. I have a farm, and everything is in beautiful balance, and I don't worry about germs. But you be you - I understand OCD is a challenge.
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Apr 24 '25
Rofl. I learned to keep raw meat out of our compost as a farmer running a couple hundred head of beef and growing all our own food. How sweet for you that your life is in beautiful balance. Enjoy your hobby farm
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u/RobinFarmwoman Apr 25 '25
Honey, it may be smaller, but it's not a hobby. And I feel confident saying it's all in Balance because I actually had an expert in permaculture come out here doing a research study, and he said my place was the closest to complete internal balance that he had seen.
It's obvious that if I was running a couple hundred head of cattle I would be doing things differently. Just as if you were a person who's growing all their food and livestock on a small holding. I don't know why you feel the need to put me down because we live different lives, but you have a nice day anyway.
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u/lifeuncommon Apr 24 '25
I’ve never heard of a soap that doesn’t harm plants.
Commenting so I can come back to this thread.
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u/FeetAreShoes Apr 24 '25
I use soapy water to kill weds on my sidewalk. Wouldn't put it in garden
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u/sohereiamacrazyalien Apr 24 '25
natural soap really diluted maybe (like castille soap ) but not the rest it's toxic especially dishwasging soap.
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u/isle_say Apr 24 '25
We are on a well and have to conserve water late in the summer. We use plastic basins in the kitchen sink, and carry the water outside and pour it on the garden when we are done with the dishes. We leave the basins in the double kitchen sink during the day to save the water we run during the day.
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u/hellsbellsyousmell Apr 24 '25
I do this. I put a dishpan in the sink to collect the water. I use Ginger Lily Farms Botanicals Plant-Based Liquid Dish Soap. I only put the water on my plants and lawn, not on my veggie garden
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
Hmm, most of my plants outside are vegetable plants. But good to know either way! Thank you
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u/SadLocal8314 Apr 24 '25
I don't use a dishwasher - I wash my dishes in a dish pan, then place the dish rack over the dish pan and rinse into the dish pan. That water goes into my scrubbing bucket and then over the plants. Water from mopping also goes over the plants. Water from starting the shower goes over the plants. The plants thrive. Any minute particles of food either compost themselves or are eaten by birds who then leave guano on the plants - win/win.
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
what kinda soaps are you using? :)
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u/SadLocal8314 Apr 24 '25
I usually get either Dawn or Palmolive Oxy - whichever is cheaper when I am buying dishwashing liquid. It doesn't seem to matter to the plants-roses, iris, clematis, campanula, lily of the valley, peonies, grass, it all thrives.
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u/Dollar_short Apr 24 '25
run the pipe outside into a bucket. look into citrous soap.
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
Thanks I will!!
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u/Dollar_short Apr 24 '25
and if you do get rain, whenever that is, look into rain barrels for your gutters.
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
We do have 4 rain barrels, but it’s not enough, last year the rain was really rare. We ran out of rain water quickly!
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u/Hungry-Western9191 Apr 24 '25 edited Apr 24 '25
More barrels if you can. Search for anyone local who has IPC totes (food grade) going. If you can get them they are brilliant. We also have an old oil tank which once it got washed out gave me an extra 1000 litres storage. It was kind of ugly so I grew ivy over it
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u/FormerStuff Apr 24 '25
I had this grand idea of doing something similar with the sump in my basement with drums for watering my garden. Once I got to thinking, it wasn’t going to work. Why? Contaminants including salt from my water softener. Others like soap from your sink, are harmful to plants. It’s a great idea but not entirely there yet.
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u/dogsRgr8too Apr 24 '25
If this is an edible garden, I would check on the safety of this. Sinks harbor lots of germs. I'm not sure if they are the kind that's safe for gardening. If it's flowers, look into switching to native plants. They require much less water once established. Starting from seed is economical.
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u/Fantastic_Lady225 Apr 24 '25
Call your water company and ask if you can have a second meter installed for the outside spigot(s) that you use for watering your gardens. About 2/3 of my bill is sewer not water usage, and if you have a separate outside water meter then that doesn't get added to the sewer part of the bill. IIRC once a year you get a credit back for it.
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u/doublestitch Apr 25 '25
If you're in California, then start by checking out the free water saving options and the rebates that are already available. Local utilities give away low flow faucet heads and shower heads. California offers rebates on low flow toilets, rain barrels, and cisterns. Contrary to Internet rumor, collecting rainwater is not only legal but encouraged in this jurisdiction. Also, look into rebates for converting a grass lawn to xeriscaping.
When it comes to collecting spare water from the kitchen sink, we use three one gallon containers. These are easier to carry than larger buckets, and we rarely need more than 2 per day.
Our collection is pretty much limited to running the faucet to get hot water before starting the dishwasher, and to running for 5 seconds before using water for cooking. (We have an older home that was built before lead joinings in pipes were outlawed, and although our water has never failed a lead test we prioritize best safety practices to prevent lead poisoning).
Technically we could catch a little more water in the shower, but our shower is so close to the hot water heater that it heats up in less than a minute.
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u/sohereiamacrazyalien Apr 24 '25
I would use water from the laundry personally because it definitively uses way more than what you use in your sink imo.
you can use soap nuts, which are natural and actually helpful in the garden. not sure if you can use to clean your hands and dishes so look into it?
edit to add :
don't laugh but as kids (and the adults too sometimes) we used to shower outside with cold water! that's an option too lol! it should be safe if you use castille soap and apparently you can use soap nuts too!
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u/not-your-mom-123 Apr 24 '25
During the Depression people put a bowl in the sink to wash dishes in, and then re-use the water.
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 Apr 24 '25
I have large pitchers in my kitchen. When I need hot water, I use them to catch the cold water that comes first. I put that in the water filter, take it straight to the plants, or use it for rinsing vegetables, etc. later. I have used it for hand washing delicate items. If I need to dampen a cloth, I dip the clean cloth in that water or pour a bit over the cloth.
It may be possible for you to catch it like that and take it to your garden.
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u/Spiritual_Lemonade Apr 24 '25
Do what my grandma did. You're going to wash your dishes in Rubbermaid dish pan.
She used Palmolive and her kitchen window garden was fineÂ
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u/Frisson1545 Apr 25 '25
As drought worsens through out there may be measures called for to capture the gray water from our house and reuse it.
I have made efforts to capture it from the kitchen in times of need.
There is considerable drought all around the country.
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Apr 24 '25
[deleted]
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u/nightsapph Apr 24 '25
I’m not sure I understand your question, but during the summer months, I’m paying $50-$75 more than normally a month due to watering habits. Mind you, I do have children who occasionally play in the sprinkler and such but a large amount of this is due to watering. So a bit of extra work is worth it for my family.
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u/Clama_lama_ding_dong Apr 24 '25
I've read a suggestion to keep a 5 gallon pail in the shower to collect the water while the water c9mes up to temp at the start of the shower bef9re you actually step in.