Ways to make bath water go further during the hosepipe ban

[Sillyme1]

I always have a bath in the morning and am using my bath water to water plants, since there is a hose pipe ban. Any other ideas. Btw this is not a thread to have a go at me for using up water having a bath, but for ideas on making water go further

Leave the bath water for the next person? Only thing I can think of is watering the garden with it

The most obvious idea is to have a shower instead of a bath.

An average bath uses 80-100 litres of water. Which is a huge amount if you're having one every day.

You can use it to flush the toilet too.

I always thought it seemed odd to suggest that a shower uses so much less water than a bath becuase my shower uses the same tap as the bath, and it doesn't take long to fill the bath.

However, the flow must be different because for a period in June, I had no grouting and was unable to use the shower, so had a shallow bath daily. My gas usage (hot water only here) went through the roof!

So yes, if you're concerned about water usage, don't use the bath.

I would use the bath but perhaps keep it a little less full than you normally would?
You have a lot more control of the amount of water you put in a bathtub, not so with the shower!
I haven't had a bath in years but I often feel that my showers are longer than they should be.
Once that water's gone down the drain you can't do anything with it.
If you're okay taking water from the bath and watering your garden plants then at least that's putting the water to good use. When you've watered your plants you could also swish out a few light pieces of clothing? Shirts or tops to be pinned on the line? Not everyone does that but it is a thought I suppose.

Thames Water were doing home visits here, when we were all having smart meters installed. One of the pieces of advice was to try to keep your shower to 2 minutes.

The average shower uses 9-12 litres of water per minute, therefore even at the top end of that, in a 2 minute shower, you'd be using 24 litres. Significantly less than running a bath.

And yes, it's perfectly possible to have a 2 minute shower!

I am sure someone on here suggested putting a trug in the bottom of the shower to collect the water to use for watering plants so you could do that?

We have a gravity shower so put a bucket in the shower tray while the water warms up, washing up water goes on the plants as well

Yes, you could put a bowl under the shower head whilst the water heats up.
Someone I know also pauses their washing machine just before the final rinse, takes the grey waste pipe out and puts it into a large water canister and uses that on her garden pots. despite my misgivings, her garden is flourishing although I am not noticing any faint whiffs of Lenor. Also keeps an empty 2 litre milk carton next to the kitchen taps. There’s a delay on her hot water arriving so she conserves that, and also when you are tempted to let the cold water run until it’s colder, she collects that.
Needless to say, she is on a meter and a pension.

Actually this is a false economy. I put the plug in recently when DC had a shower. The bath would have overflowed long before DC was done, had I not turned off the shower. It really depends on the person and how long they are taking a shower for. If you are shaving, doing a scrub, doing long hair properly, cleaning ears thoroughly etc you could find you use more water in a shower. Conversely, we don’t generally fill the bath past about 1/3, so using much less water.

Then the housing associations need to put showers in instead of baths. I live in a top floor flat that is like a bloody sauna. Ive been having about three baths a day but will leave the water in and get in and out a couple of times (i also have bowel issues so need to do this because of that AND the sweating caused by this disgusting place) I DO refresh the water if im washing my hair though.
And if i posted on here that i wanted HA to fit a shower the SH haters would call me entitled so thems the breaks. Im not going to bed a sweaty mess just because i have to live here.

All that would take longer than 2 mins. Not sure the NHS would be advocating rushing in a slippery shower when they may have to deal with the aftermath.

It all reminds me of Covid where the general public had to do all we could but celebs etc got to do what they wanted. Any of them going to give up jet setting (which is contributing to climate change) while ppl are risking having a fall due to rushing a shower.

My friend whose dh is a plumber says that in summer her dh connects the bath plug pipe directly to the downpipe that does into the waterbutt. I think that's genius.

Oh wow that is really clever!

Not just the water element but the soap will act as a surfactant and stop the soil going hydrophobic.

I wonder who measures this "average".

I prefer a bath over a shower, but, for a quick daily wash type bath (as opposed to lying, relaxing, and day dreaming), I normally only put about 4" in. I refuse to believe that comes anywhere near the water used in the shower by other members of my family, none of whom restrict themselves to two minutes.

🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

Who has a 2 min shower?!

I’m in Scotland, so no ban here, but 2 minute shower? 6 minutes is my record. I’d not even have the shampoo rinsed in 2 mins.

Not bath related but I keep a bucket in the kitchen and pour any scraps of water into it from water bottles and kettle even from rinsing dishes. Also, when I open the tap and wait for hot water. It soon fills up and I use it to water my garden

Next those of us with long hair will be getting told to have it cut short.

Keep a bucket or jug by the sink and when you run water to get it hotter or colder do it into the container and then use the water for the garden.

If you want to save shower water, you can shower standing in something like a large wide plastic container. Tip I learnt on a wilderness trip.

Do you actually wash?

Of course I do!!!

It is possible to have a (non hair wash) bath in a mugful of water (you kind of skate around in the bath on the water - it's remarkably effective for fully wetting and cleaning you).

I save shower water in a 30l trug. It goes on the garden or to flush the loo mostly but I've also used it to clean the bathroom with or things like rinsing sand and mud from shoes (do in garden so the water then flows to the plants).