Doing chores and activities, using much less water
This Introductory text is the same as on my page called Doing chores and activities but without using water. If you have already visited that page then just go straight to the 'low-water' tips further down this page.
I created this web page when members of the public were being warned that the drought in Cape Town was so bad that the municipality would cut off the supply of water in most of the taps in the Cape Town area when the dam levels reached 13.5%. At the time, the dams had just 20% left and the levels were dropping rapidly. After the taps ran dry the members of the public would need to queue every day for a ration of 25 litres of water per person per day.
I searched the internet to find water-saving tips and ideas about how to do common household chores and activities that usually use water but do these activities and household chores in new ways so that VERY little water was needed. I could not find any water-saving tips or ideas that could help me carry out normal activities using VERY little water, so I decided to start a list of my own and put the list on my website to help other people. Remember, the objective here was to help a person stretch a daily allocation of just 25 litres of water so that he or she could still eat, drink, wash and clean, AND also flush the toilet.
Please note
When your allocation of water is only 25 litres a day, some standards have to slip. At this point, we are talking about what a person has to do to stay alive and stay healthy. My ways to save water will have an impact of some kind on the environment, both positive and negative. The negative impacts are difficult to avoid but I have tried to find ways that will not affect the environment too badly.
1. Cleaning the floor
Instead of washing the whole floor, consider sweeping or vacuuming the floor instead. (Obviously, this depends on how dirty the floor is.) If there is just a small spill on the floor that needs to be cleaned up, wipe up the spill with a paper towel then spray the small area with detergent. Wipe off the detergent with a 2nd piece of paper towel and spray the area well with clean water to 'rinse' it. Wipe off the water with a 3rd piece of paper towel. Throw the used paper towels in the bin.
2. Laundry
When taps are switched off, washing machines will not work and all laundry will need to be done by hand. You cannot avoid doing laundry but, if you can reduce the size of the laundry pile, you will use less water. Here are some ways to do this.
2.1 Only dirty items should be put in the laundry. If you have worn an item but it is not dirty, you can wear it again before you need to wash it.
2.2 Use a facecloth rather than a hand towel for drying your hands. A facecloth is smaller than a hand towel, is much easier to wash by hand, and needs less water to wash than a hand towel.
2.3 Use a hand towel rather than a bath towel to dry your body. A hand towel is smaller than a bath towel, is much easier to wash, and uses less water to wash than a bath towel.
2.4 Use paper towels instead of dishcloths for cleaning up spills so that you will have fewer or no dishcloths to wash in the laundry pile.
3. Washing the body
Even a two-minute 'stop-start' shower will use 5 to 10 litres of water depending on whether you wash your hair too or not. A wash in the basin however, uses about 2 to 3 litres. You will need a jug, a big bowl/basin, a facecloth, soap and a hand towel. Soap is not really needed to clean the skin unless you need to get off a stubborn stain on the body that won't come off with plain water and rubbing. (You may also want to use soap to clean your private parts.) Here are the steps to washing using a basin of water.
3.1 Fill a jug with hot water.
3.2 Put your facecloth in your hand and pour a little hot water on it. There is no need for soap.
3.3 Use the cloth to wash your face and then wring it out over the basin. (Remember, the grey water in the basin can be kept and reused later to flush the toilet.)
3.4 Remove your clothes from the waist up and then repeat the process of putting the facecloth in your hand, pouring clean water on it and then using it to clean your body. Start at the neck and work your way down. Rinse the cloth with a little water and wring it out over the basin whenever you feel it is necessary.
3.5 When you get to the waist, dry yourself with the hand towel and then put your clothes back on to keep yourself warm.
3.6 If you feel you need more clean water, refill the jug with hot water.
3.7 Remove the clothes from the waist down. Repeat the same process of wetting the facecloth and then washing the body from the waist down. Use soap where necessary. (Don't do the feet yet.)
3.8 Use the towel to dry your body and then put your clothes back on.
3.9 Sit down now so you can wash your feet and then dry them.
3.10 When you have finished, use fresh hot water and soap to wash off the facecloth.
3.11 Save the used water (now called grey water) in a bucket. It can be used later to flush the toilet.
I created this web page when members of the public were being warned that the drought in Cape Town was so bad that the municipality would cut off the supply of water in most of the taps in the Cape Town area when the dam levels reached 13.5%. At the time, the dams had just 20% left and the levels were dropping rapidly. After the taps ran dry the members of the public would need to queue every day for a ration of 25 litres of water per person per day.
I searched the internet to find water-saving tips and ideas about how to do common household chores and activities that usually use water but do these activities and household chores in new ways so that VERY little water was needed. I could not find any water-saving tips or ideas that could help me carry out normal activities using VERY little water, so I decided to start a list of my own and put the list on my website to help other people. Remember, the objective here was to help a person stretch a daily allocation of just 25 litres of water so that he or she could still eat, drink, wash and clean, AND also flush the toilet.
Please note
When your allocation of water is only 25 litres a day, some standards have to slip. At this point, we are talking about what a person has to do to stay alive and stay healthy. My ways to save water will have an impact of some kind on the environment, both positive and negative. The negative impacts are difficult to avoid but I have tried to find ways that will not affect the environment too badly.
1. Cleaning the floor
Instead of washing the whole floor, consider sweeping or vacuuming the floor instead. (Obviously, this depends on how dirty the floor is.) If there is just a small spill on the floor that needs to be cleaned up, wipe up the spill with a paper towel then spray the small area with detergent. Wipe off the detergent with a 2nd piece of paper towel and spray the area well with clean water to 'rinse' it. Wipe off the water with a 3rd piece of paper towel. Throw the used paper towels in the bin.
2. Laundry
When taps are switched off, washing machines will not work and all laundry will need to be done by hand. You cannot avoid doing laundry but, if you can reduce the size of the laundry pile, you will use less water. Here are some ways to do this.
2.1 Only dirty items should be put in the laundry. If you have worn an item but it is not dirty, you can wear it again before you need to wash it.
2.2 Use a facecloth rather than a hand towel for drying your hands. A facecloth is smaller than a hand towel, is much easier to wash by hand, and needs less water to wash than a hand towel.
2.3 Use a hand towel rather than a bath towel to dry your body. A hand towel is smaller than a bath towel, is much easier to wash, and uses less water to wash than a bath towel.
2.4 Use paper towels instead of dishcloths for cleaning up spills so that you will have fewer or no dishcloths to wash in the laundry pile.
3. Washing the body
Even a two-minute 'stop-start' shower will use 5 to 10 litres of water depending on whether you wash your hair too or not. A wash in the basin however, uses about 2 to 3 litres. You will need a jug, a big bowl/basin, a facecloth, soap and a hand towel. Soap is not really needed to clean the skin unless you need to get off a stubborn stain on the body that won't come off with plain water and rubbing. (You may also want to use soap to clean your private parts.) Here are the steps to washing using a basin of water.
3.1 Fill a jug with hot water.
3.2 Put your facecloth in your hand and pour a little hot water on it. There is no need for soap.
3.3 Use the cloth to wash your face and then wring it out over the basin. (Remember, the grey water in the basin can be kept and reused later to flush the toilet.)
3.4 Remove your clothes from the waist up and then repeat the process of putting the facecloth in your hand, pouring clean water on it and then using it to clean your body. Start at the neck and work your way down. Rinse the cloth with a little water and wring it out over the basin whenever you feel it is necessary.
3.5 When you get to the waist, dry yourself with the hand towel and then put your clothes back on to keep yourself warm.
3.6 If you feel you need more clean water, refill the jug with hot water.
3.7 Remove the clothes from the waist down. Repeat the same process of wetting the facecloth and then washing the body from the waist down. Use soap where necessary. (Don't do the feet yet.)
3.8 Use the towel to dry your body and then put your clothes back on.
3.9 Sit down now so you can wash your feet and then dry them.
3.10 When you have finished, use fresh hot water and soap to wash off the facecloth.
3.11 Save the used water (now called grey water) in a bucket. It can be used later to flush the toilet.