brown water collection for watering garden? Do it? Done it? How?

[bebemoohatessnot]

With there being so little rain lately this has really come to mind as my poor garden wilts slowly...
How often can you water your garden/plants with'brown' water? I.e. water from your dishes/bath?
Is chlorine still an issue?
If I use the water I'm using to rinse my recycling is this a problem? (it would have food bits but no soap -i've heard the soap breaks down the chlorine??)
Would you collect it in a bucket to use in the evening? (possibly smelly/gross) Or go out and dump it each time? (time consuming)

Any pointers? brilliant ideas to help me?

We keep a washing up bowl in the sink at all times and catch all water in there (used to handwash or rinse off or wash hands, etc.)

Throw it on the garden when it fills up, sometimes pour it into buckets (kept outside) and throw it onto garden later.

I don't worry about chlorine... we use Ecover wash liquid which breaks down faster than, say, Fairy.

Yeah we use Ecover too. Not as worried abt soap as the chlorine? in the water in the first place.

watching thread patiently as have been wondering the same thing now my water butt is almost empty

Me too - empty water butt and no sign of any rain!

You can buy a siphon/pump (solar powered) to use your bath water

I want one

My mum swears by washing up water, & the drain-off from her twin tub washing machine, for discouraging slugs!

Apparently it's ideal for watering leafy veg - you pour it round rather than on them, using a watering can with the rose removed.

We've used bath water before now. Used a hose out of the bathroom window and siphoned it out. We do use the washing up water if we haven't had rain recently, and also have rainwater barrels on the downpipes. I used the water out of the kids paddling pool today (was more bugs and leaves than water, and probably more than its fair share of ammonia!)

lol Lionstar

I'll see about the pump for the bathwater. Usually I walk the water down the stairs and out to the garden if I've got time. But it's a labour intensive task. (It usually means I get a cookie -or 2- in compensation )

I've been putting a bowl in the bottom of the sink, emptying it when it fills. And some of the plants are looking a little better for it. Though not enough of them are getting the watering attention they need I fear.