Set your washing machine to drip dry and bucket out the rinse water
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No elaborate grey water systems are need for this one, just a few minutes towards the end of the wash cycle. Have a look on the washing machine and somewhere near the button for cold/warm/hot wash (please use the cold wash setting) there is probably one for drip dry. This means the washing machine will stop before the rinse and spin dry cycles. Keep a bucket handy as then press the normal button and direct the rinse water into a bucket. For me, once it is full I simply lift the lid and it stops rinsing. I then empty the bucket on the garden and repeat the process about five times. That equates to nearly fifty litres of water then goes on the garden rather than down the drain.
A couple of things to keep in mind. Buy a washing detergent designed for cold water washing and with a low phosphate level. You don’t want to end up ‘poisoning’ your garden. As an added measure, don’t always empty the buckets in the same area and try to avoid getting it directly on the leaves if possible.
