Is it environmentally safe to use cloth washer used water for my lawn?

Question

With the growing population in California, water will become a problem in the near future. With the present drought, it is likely that soon it will be banned to water the lawn everyday. I am considering to use the cloth washer used water for watering my lawn if that situation arises. Any feedback?

Answer 1

you can use sometimes use washing machine water on your garden or lawn

1. Detergents with "softening power" should not be used in your recycled water.  

2. The phosphates in detergents can be good for plant growth.  

3. If you are planning to use washing machine water to water your plants, limit the amount of bleach, and do not use detergents containing boron, which is toxic to plants.

Answer 2

Yes, it's called Gray Water. There are biological systems that will clean the water so it can be used to water gardens and lawns.

One thing you may want to do is to actually get rid of your lawn. Lawns guzzle so much water that it is wasteful. There are MANY wonderful ground covers out there that take very little water. There are also alternative grasses that can take the place of bluegrass lawns. They are native to North America, and are drought resistant.

A very good source of Xeriscape plants and grasses is High Country Gardens. It is a nursery in New Mexico that specializes in Xeric plants for the Western part of North America, because of the water shortage.

I would research the graywater recycling systems. They use ponds, plants, and bacteria to clean the water for safe usage on lawns and gardens.

Another thing you might consider is to collect rainwater. There are many different systems out there, from simple 55 gallon drums to underground cisterns with pumps to get the water out.  

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/

Edit:  You don't want to replace lawns with gravel or rocks. Those actually CONTRIBUTE to the Heat Island Effect.

By replacing your lawns with Xeriscaping, you actually HELP the environment by using less water AND lowering the Heat Island Effect.

Answer 3

Dish water, water from the washing machine, and water from a shower or bathtub (LOTS of water), are all considered gray water and should be ok, as long as bad stuff isn't in it (like bleach and other bad chemicals).  Some people even say that human urine is ok due to it's high nitrogen content, but most agree that human, cat, and dog p**p isn't ok.

Some people promote the concept of Xeriscaping, but some go so far as to recommend using rocks, stones, pavement, and concrete as a subsitute for plants.  I think plants are necessary for helping to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and cleaning the air we breathe, so I don't go that far.  Choosing plants that require less water is much more desirable.

Answer 4

yes way to help go green

Answer 5

Good idea.  A separate gray water system that does not include the toilet could be used to water all outside vegetation.  Garbage disposals should not be included, but they are not good for sewage treatment plants anyway.  Whats so hard about putting food scraps in the garbage or compost pile.

Answer 6

gray water used this way is a great help .... BUT.... you must be sure it's permitted in your state or area..... gray water is full of bacteria... some  that are harmful  to folks and environment.... for that reason, gray water cannot be held in barrels or other containers.... if it's used at all, it must be used straight from the source..... in NC, even tho we're in a drought situation and need it badly, it's not allowed here....

I don't know if the use of a cistern makes a difference or not... and the new idea of treating gray water hasn't made it here yet....

anyways... find out for sure before you do .... cuz if you come up with the only lawn on the block that's green, they'll be watching to find out why.....!!!......the fines aren't cheap....

Answer 7

Yes, As a matter of fact a lot of large hotel chains use their washing machine water for the grounds. This saves them thousands of dollars a year. And one of the "lawn tips" is if you want greener grass, water your lawn with the cheapest dish soap on the market, the ingrediants will turn your yard greener for about 3-4 days at a time.