Some tips for surviving the hosepipe ban . . .

The hosepipe ban for our area was put in place a couple of weeks ago, so we thought it might be useful to share some ideas on how to reduce our water usage whilst keeping our gardens watered. We’d love your suggestions too, so please email us at submit@overvillage.co.uk.

If you have any further good ideas, please send them to submit@overvillage.co.uk so that we can share them with our community:

In the kitchen:

• The classic everyone knows – only boil as much water in the kettle as you’ll actually use.
• Run washing machines and dishwashers only when full, and on eco-settings.
• Keep pasta or cooking water, let it cool, then reuse it for plants.
• Use a bowl by the kitchen sink to collect water while waiting for it to reach the right temperature, use for washing your hands, rinsing veg etc. You will be surprised how much water you collect! Chuck it over your garden plants when full.
• Save a bottle of water in the fridge so you don’t need to run the tap for cold drinking water.
• Use any pet’s stale water for indoor plants or top up the bird baths when refreshing your pets bowl.

In the bathroom:

• Keep showers short – use an egg timer!
• Turn the shower off while shampooing or soaping.
• Share your shower with a bucket or bowl to collect excess waste water and use in the garden.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
• Use a cistern displacement device (or something that will sink, like a brick) to reduce the amount of water used per toilet flush.
• Don’t flush every pee.

In the garden:

• Install a water butt to collect rainfall, especially over winter.
• Put buckets outside to collect rainwater when it (eventually) does rain.
• Mulch around plants to help keep moisture in the soil.
• Keep grass longer by using the longest lawnmower setting (or not mowing at all), enabling your lawn to retain moisture, stay greener for longer, and support more biodiverse mix of species.
• Leave water out for wildlife to drink in your garden (making sure to regularly clean the dish to prevent disease) – top up from the dog’s bowl!