I have also started to cut down usage of water and to recycle water in our household through:
1) Always have a small pail / basin in our sink to collect 'not so dirty' water after we wash our hands and rinse cups, plates and cutlery with the clean water from the tap. The recycled water will be transferred to another bigger pail in the bathroom, to be used for flushing the toilets and washing the bathrooms.
2) Filtered dirty water flowed out from the second outlet of our Panasonic Alkaline Water Purifier is now stored in a pail, for washing dishes and flushing toilets. In the past, the filtered dirty water will just flow onto the sink and into the drains.
3) Place a small pail inside the shower area. I have taught my girls to put the pail next to them and to rinse their body and hair as close as possible to the pail, so that the shower water can be collected in the pail. The recycled water from the pail can be used to flush the toilet.
4) Instead of a 1.5-hour washing machine cycle, I have since 2 weeks ago changed the mode to a 30-minute cycle, so that lesser water is used and electricity can be saved too.
5) No more washing of the balcony until there is no more water rationing. We just have to bear with the dust and dirt. We can always sweep instead of wash. Just have to close 2 eyes to dirt and imagine we are living in the 'kampung' !
6) Instead of flushing the toilet after every pee, I make my 3 girls pee one after another, followed by me and then I dump the pail of recycled water into the throne! Half a pail of water for 4 pees LOL!! Pressing on the flush button is now only reserved for big business!
7) Cut down on rinsing the cup with water before each use. How dirty can the cup be right?
8) In the event of a water rationing, I will have to resort to using disposable paper plates for meals. I know that this is not environmental friendly but heck, when there is not a trickle of water from the tap, you need to find alternatives and measures that will not add more stress to your bag of stress. And this is only temporary until God decides to let the skies shower.
9) I can only exercise on the days when there is water flowing from the tap. There will be no luxury to bathe twice a day on the days when the taps are dry. So I can only take a shower at night, just before bed. Again, think kampung-style living! LOL!
10) Use wet wipes to replace water for cleaning.
Please add to my list of measures to cut down on water usage if you have any good ones. It will be good for everyone who reads this post.
Pray tell that the water rationing exercise will be cancelled and that some better alternatives for the Rakyat will be in place by the government. Water is a necessity and cutting its supply will cause severe inconvenience to families with kids.
Filtered dirty water from the water purifier second outlet is now collected in a small pail, the water of which will be used to flush toilets.
6 comments:
Water rationing really hits home the importance of water conservation. In our own private ensuite toilet, we do not flush after every pee. There was one time husb forgot to flush before we left for a weekend and it was not pleasant....
I don't understand #7.
To avoid washing cups after use, let the girls have their own supply for the day in a water bottle that they can access anytime. The bottles can also be kept inside the fridge. Showers will have to be reduced to bedtime..during the day, just wipe down with wet towels; we do that sometimes when camping.
Good tips. I don't understand why the Water Board needs to ration water. I remember many years ago when I lived in KL, it was a common thing. I thought these days, a solution would have been found to ensure continuous water supply. During the drought period, there were water restrictions here to - watering garden only on certain days and certain time; no washing of cars; no using hose to spray courtyards, decks etc. At no point did the water supply stopped.
Can't help laughing at Chris' comment above when her hubby forgot to flush the toilet...hahahaha. i pray that we don't have to ration water. even when they say it's only a few hours a day, it may take some time for the water to be restored when they turn it back on. arrrggghh....just hate this. i remember the 3 months of water rationing back then. i was staying in a condo then. i wonder if areas like Bukit Damansara, Ampang and Bangsar will face the same.
Not flushing the toilet after use is unhygienic and may bred germs! I like the idea of drinking from a bottle! 😊 how bout collecting rain water too?
Dear Wan, The toilet is full of germs whether u flush after every use or not. As a matter of fact, it has been shown if u flush the toilet after doing a #2, germs/ fecal material can actually be "liberated" to the surrounding area. Hence, the advice is not to leave stuff like toothbrushes or towels near the toilet. And of course to flush with the lid down. A few years ago, it was shown that public toilets had a lower bacteria count than home bathrooms or kitchen sinks. Scarey, isn't it?? One of the worst culprits is the sponge/ dishcloths.
Also, with water bottles, they have to be cleaned daily as one can see if it is in contact with the mouth, it is dirty.
I flush only after 2-3 rounds of pee, but if maid coming into my room I flush even if it's one round. Simple reason - I don't want her to "pick up" the same habit.
Hope this water rationing if not for long. There are expats staying in your area too, right? Surely they will make a lot of noise.
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