Step 1: Add clothes and detergent to your washing machine (which, as you will see from steps 5 and 7 below, will already be full of water) and turn it on.
Step 2: Open the lid when the final rinse cycle begins. Pour in water collected from the dripping tap. Close lid.
Step 3: Gather as many buckets and other containers as you can find
Step 4: Collect the rinse water in buckets until the cycle finishes.
Step 5: Take clothes out of washing machine.
Step 6: Refill washing machine with the water from the buckets. Save the water that came out first (ie the dirtier, smellier water) for flushing the toilet.
Step 7: When showering, collect as much water as possible into buckets and pour it into the washing machine (while feeling grateful that your solar-heated shower is hot, which is often not the case during more usual weather patterns).
Step 8: Wait until you have a full load of laundry (which will take longer than usual, as you will wait until your clothes are really dirty before washing them, and you have stopped using cloth nappies/diapers). Go back to step 1.
Ironically, after these photos were taken it rained so much that our tank overflowed. We are rejoicing that it has been raining regularly over the last couple of weeks. The weather is certainly not back to normal yet though; even if the rain continues it will be a long time before food production returns to normal levels.
Step 2: Open the lid when the final rinse cycle begins. Pour in water collected from the dripping tap. Close lid.
Step 3: Gather as many buckets and other containers as you can find
Step 4: Collect the rinse water in buckets until the cycle finishes.
Step 5: Take clothes out of washing machine.
Step 6: Refill washing machine with the water from the buckets. Save the water that came out first (ie the dirtier, smellier water) for flushing the toilet.
Step 7: When showering, collect as much water as possible into buckets and pour it into the washing machine (while feeling grateful that your solar-heated shower is hot, which is often not the case during more usual weather patterns).
Step 8: Wait until you have a full load of laundry (which will take longer than usual, as you will wait until your clothes are really dirty before washing them, and you have stopped using cloth nappies/diapers). Go back to step 1.
Ironically, after these photos were taken it rained so much that our tank overflowed. We are rejoicing that it has been raining regularly over the last couple of weeks. The weather is certainly not back to normal yet though; even if the rain continues it will be a long time before food production returns to normal levels.
