Doing chores and activities but without using water
This Introductory text is the same as on my page called Doing chores and activities but using much less water. If you have already visited that page then just go straight to the 'waterless' 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 NO water was needed. I could not find any water-saving tips or ideas that could help me carry out normal activities but without using any 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. Kitchen counters
Kitchen counters need to be kept clean to prevent disease. Instead of using water and detergent to clean the kitchen counter, rather spread a double layer of newspaper across the counter where you want to work. Do all the food preparation on top of the paper so that spills, crumbs, and so on, fall on the paper and not on the counter. When you have finished, roll up the paper carefully so that nothing spills out and throw the paper in the bin. The counter stays clean and there is no need to use water to clean it.
2. Eating and drinking utensils
We need to use clean utensils to prevent the spread of disease.
2.1 If a plate has just a few crumbs on it, sweep the crumbs off the plate and into the bin with a piece of paper towel. You do not need to wash the item.
2.2 Use plain paper cups and plates. These items can be thrown away after you have used them and you do not need to use water to clean them. (Paper is better than plastic for the environment.)
3. Cooking methods
3.1 Instead of using a pot with water in it, think about frying, grilling, braai-ing (barbecuing) or microwaving the food. These methods do not use additional water.
3.2 Think about adding a bottle/can of some liquid product (e.g. milk or tinned tomatoes) to the pot instead of water.
3.3 For some meals, think about buying already-cooked bottled or canned food. You will not need to add water to cook the food. Also there will be fewer or no cooking pots to wash. Consider food that has been packaged in glass or cans as these containers are better for the environment that items packaged in plastic.
4. Fruit and vegetables
Fresh fruit and vegetables must be washed in clean water before they are eaten so consider using frozen, bottled or canned produce instead. These types of produce have already been cleaned and do not need to be washed before they are used.
5. Clothes that have been worn since they were last washed
If the clothes are not dirty or smelly, consider hanging them on the washing line to air instead of putting them in the wash. These items can be worn again before they need to be washed. A wash delayed is a wash saved!
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 NO water was needed. I could not find any water-saving tips or ideas that could help me carry out normal activities but without using any 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. Kitchen counters
Kitchen counters need to be kept clean to prevent disease. Instead of using water and detergent to clean the kitchen counter, rather spread a double layer of newspaper across the counter where you want to work. Do all the food preparation on top of the paper so that spills, crumbs, and so on, fall on the paper and not on the counter. When you have finished, roll up the paper carefully so that nothing spills out and throw the paper in the bin. The counter stays clean and there is no need to use water to clean it.
2. Eating and drinking utensils
We need to use clean utensils to prevent the spread of disease.
2.1 If a plate has just a few crumbs on it, sweep the crumbs off the plate and into the bin with a piece of paper towel. You do not need to wash the item.
2.2 Use plain paper cups and plates. These items can be thrown away after you have used them and you do not need to use water to clean them. (Paper is better than plastic for the environment.)
3. Cooking methods
3.1 Instead of using a pot with water in it, think about frying, grilling, braai-ing (barbecuing) or microwaving the food. These methods do not use additional water.
3.2 Think about adding a bottle/can of some liquid product (e.g. milk or tinned tomatoes) to the pot instead of water.
3.3 For some meals, think about buying already-cooked bottled or canned food. You will not need to add water to cook the food. Also there will be fewer or no cooking pots to wash. Consider food that has been packaged in glass or cans as these containers are better for the environment that items packaged in plastic.
4. Fruit and vegetables
Fresh fruit and vegetables must be washed in clean water before they are eaten so consider using frozen, bottled or canned produce instead. These types of produce have already been cleaned and do not need to be washed before they are used.
5. Clothes that have been worn since they were last washed
If the clothes are not dirty or smelly, consider hanging them on the washing line to air instead of putting them in the wash. These items can be worn again before they need to be washed. A wash delayed is a wash saved!