Water From the Washing Machine

[green algae]

I am wondering if the water used to wash our clothes, with detergent and all, could be re-used to water the plants or to wash the car. Would the detergent harm the plants?

[solarpowered]

That would definitely be a bad idea since the chemicals in bleach and detergents are harmful for any sort of life except a few bacteria and I doubt you want to grow those.

[MsImpact]

Hmm, I wouldn't recommend it to be used to water the plants but to clean the car would be all right. It can also be used to flush the toilet or clean the sink, bathtub or the pavement.

[Bobsthelast]

You can use the rinse water to wash your porches, vinyl siding, and things like that. My grandmother used to scrub the floors from the front to the back with a scrub brush and lye soap. Then she would use the remaining soapy water to scrub the porches and steps. It worked out pretty well.

[Marquis]

Never use water with detergents to water the plants. You can use it to wash other things like the porch, your car, or things that needed to be washed.

[greenberg]

It will kill everything you want to grow so I'd say it's a bad idea, you will do more harm than good if you try to reuse the water from the washing machine.

[livinglight]

Unless you are using the greenest detergents possible, don't reuse the water from your washing machine. Even using it to clean the car or siding, the chemicals will end up in your soil.

[Witnessed]

Originally Posted by green algae

I am wondering if the water used to wash our clothes, with detergent and all, could be re-used to water the plants or to wash the car. Would the detergent harm the plants?

Actually many people have been successfully growing waste-water gardens. They use water from the bathroom, toilets, kitchen sinks and washing machines to water the gardens. Of course the water should be properly treated before used to water the plants.