Watering with bath/washing up water

Is it Ok to water with the bath water or washing up water? Had no rain for ages and water buts long since dried up. This will be for flowers and veg.
Thanks

Turniphead

 

provided its not too soapy i would use it

a little soap sorts the aphids out!

loopy

 

I use the washing up water on flower beds, but have never been sure whether it's ok to use it on veg patch. Also, if it's got food scraps in it, i pour it through a sieve first in case it attracts rats.

 

Personally, I think using anything other than fresh water from a tap, or in certain areas rainwater from a barrel (you won't believe the number of different chemicals in rain water in some areas), is taking conservation too far. There are petro-chemicals in a lot of soaps.

But each to their own.

Here in the North-West, United Utililities lose millions of gallons every year, it took them months to fix a leak in the road near us despite several people reporting it. Even then it took them two goes at it, their work being so slap-dash.

On their web-site they brag about how they spent £29M fixing leaks last year, yet elsewhere they declared a £240M profit. "What's wrong with this picture?"
They bang on about the number they've fixed and how "few" there are now that they are a private company, compared with the number there were before.
They omit to mention of course that before the utilities were sold off, the cost of water on the rates was measured in a few tens of pounds, now I'm paying over £600 a year.

I worked the "two watering can system" the last time we had a hosepipe ban fifteen years ago. "One filling, one pouring."

As for the ban, with which I will comply, the threat of "prosecution" is a bit empty. They say;

"Customers who continually fail to observe these restrictions could be subject to a fine of up to £1,000."

Hardly surprising that no one was prosecuted last time.

 

It's a matter of opinion this one, but I agree with Doghouse.

Water containing soap, detergents, food scraps, cooking oil etc are not going to do your plants any good at at all.

I steer clear altogether.

 

I've used 'brown' water from the bath before and never had any problems. Not so sure about washing up water though - be a bit manky, wouldn't it?

 

Thanks everyone - the answers are a bit mixed but has given me a clearer idea.

 

I can't see any problems using either. Plants have their own filter system that means that they extract pure water anyway. Let's face it, when it rains the garden is covered in muddy water, which you couldn't exactly describe as clean - well I wouldn't drink it; but the plants love it.

Plants won't like strong chemicals, but then as your body won't either - I wouldn't expect them to be in the water.

I always throw my washing up water over the flower bed.

 

It's up to yourself Turniphead.
I don't think there is any problem about using "gray water" to water the vegetables.
I just don't do it. We have no problem about getting fresh rain water and I don't want to eat vegetables grown in manky soapy water. I accept that's just me - when you see what chemicals shop bought vegs are grown in !
In short, if I want the vegs all grown in chemicals I can go to the supermarket and buy them for a very reasonable price.
Or, I can do the work to grow them myself, so I'm not doing to chuck the soapy bath water over them.
It's up to yourself. The soapy bathwater might still be a long way ahead of what's in the supermarket, or maybe those chemicals really don't matter ( Serious here. It's individual preference.)

 

No problem. In fact the soap in the water will deter bugs from your plants. Is is ok.

 

I agree with the two B4 me by not using washing up water containing cooked food particle and grease etc. I should imagine this would support microbial gerowth of the wrong types. As for bath water, soaps are biodegradable.
Does anyone else remember the 'foaming of the 50's'? This was due to the introduction of a nonbiodegradable soap molecule based on propylene instead of ethylene. The propylene bit didn't degrade in our treatment works hence the discharge to river created the foaming.

 

I was thinking along the same lines as redstar, especially considering how many suggests there have been on here for using a soapy spray to deal with everything from ants and aphids to wasps, I'd be inclined to the view that it depends more on the type of soap. Before the advent of waste disposal units, my Mum always threw her washing up water on the garden.

Marley's post reminded me of the '70s drought when I recall everyone being urged to use their bathwater for watering the garden. Mr. F'smum didn't fancy humping buckets of water about so decided to use a hosepipe to syphon the water out . Having got the end of the hosepipe up and in through the bathroom window the only thing left to do was remove all the air. I think he'd even now, be there sucking the (cleaned) end of a hosepipe, giant straw fashion, had I not decided it was probably easier to just fill buckets and lower them out of the window. :hehe:

 

I believe this drought in 1976 was followed by a period of heavy and continuous rain. I recall a particular Flook comic strip cartoon in the Daily Mail, which said that there had been some confusion amongst the government over the words "drought and flood."