I only do full loads and always pots and pans.  Book states 8.5 gallons, and gives 2 wash and 5 rinse cycles. My sink probably holds 4 gallons, and I'd have to run water to rinse.  So far everything's getting clean. The drain line goes into the disposal but I suspect that you could run it outside to a flower bed or herb patch, if the building inspector doesn't catch you. 

Normal wash does 2 washes and three rinses and has various options, runs 6.1 to 8.4.  I never heat dry, to save power.  

It's a bottom-of-the-line Frigidaire.  

Pat:

I whined about rain barrels most of the growing season last year and never did find any I thought I could afford. I don't know if it's worth it to bite the bullet and order some at the price I could find, which wasn't cheap. You'd think food grade plastic barrels wouldn't be that hard to find. I did come up with some 4 gallon buckets which would work under the rainspout if I can cut it off to the right height. 

 

Careful, Pat.

In Colorado it is illegal to store water that way because of all the wierd water law we have.

So do it on the sly (my containers are hidden by plants)  and no really logical things like cisterns.

 

truepeacenik:

Careful, Pat.

In Colorado it is illegal to store water that way because of all the wierd water law we have.

 

Yes, I know that. I'll probably get busted now....

I don't think it's the storage as much as it's the catchment. Something about it not returning to the underground aquifers.  

 

littlepitcher:

Book states 8.5 gallons, and gives 2 wash and 5 rinse cycles. My sink probably holds 4 gallons, and I'd have to run water to rinse

I don't know how much my sink holds, but I wash dishes in a large stainless steel bowl which holds 1 1/2 gallons of water. I rinse with running water, too, but I measure it now and then by putting a pan which holds a gallon of water under the faucet. It's never full by the time I finish.  

 

Edey:

Another water use is rinsing hard boiled eggs in cold water. Save that water for the garden or for cleaning.

 

I hadn't thought of that one - thanks!

Pat:

littlepitcher:

Our new dishwasher is amazingly frugal on water--does a full pot-and-pan load for less than I could do in the sink.  Manufacturers are getting better at this. 

 

I'm curious, how much does it use? 

I remodeled my kitchen last year amd decided eveything would be Energy Star and will never regret spending more money up front on the remodel!

The Bosch dishwasher I bought uses something like 7 gallons or less of water for a typical load. Keep in mind I fill that dishwasher very well and make sure I use all the space up before I run it. 

The dishwasher has a timer which would be good if Mid-American Energy had some sort of rate of day plan. These plans are nice for those that have the opportunity to use them as the idea is that you get a rate decrease based on the amount of energy you use at night, thus preventing the utility company needing to either buy additional energy or when I first was exposed to the option, the prevention of building additional nuclear power plants. 

From what I understand the Bosch dishwasher uses about seven gallons. For a family of four (with a person who LOVES to cook), this is really nice as I can generally put two meals a long with preparation pots, pans and etc. per load into the dishwasher before it is full. This is in addition to the various glasses my mother-in-law with dementia puts into the dishwaswher forgetting that measuring water in glass does not necessarily mean the glass itself is dirty. 

This year I opted to buy a new washer and dryer. While there is not a lot that can be done to decrease the energy used on the dryers and obtaining Energy Star ratings does not exist from what information that I was able to obtain, the washers on the other hand have and csn be improved upon greatly. 

 I have nothing to do with Bosch or any known subsidiaries but one thing that sold me on buying a Bosch washer was Energy Star ratings were exceeded by 120%. I now do laundry with less than half the water used in my old washer (40 gallons per load) and of course electricity is reduced greatly as well. Because I still choose to run my appliances at night (due to my personal opposition to nuclear energy), the timers on the washer and the dishwasher are really nice. They appliances run VERY quietly and no one has to listen to them work while sleeping in the wee hours of the morning. 

Bosch is one of those appliances that seem to carry a bigger than average price tag, but I believe are well worth the investment as the savings over the life on the appliance appesrs to exceed the upfront cost. I have also factored in that women (as well as more and more men) seem to appreciate better quality appliances which will allow us to gain a little more money in an asking price should we choose to sell our home and retire (which could be in our near future!).

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The bottom-of-the-line Frigidaire still is using little water and getting all but the most cankered pots and pans clean.  Finally got my 2 1/2 gallon water saver shower head installed.  Cuz got home from the hospital, finally got to take a shower, and when he reached up to get the handheld fixture, it broke and fell apart.  He could barely stand and was shaking.  I removed the handheld from my bath and he would not let me into the shower stall to install it for him.  So I got my water saver after three months him saying I really didn't need it!  It works well except for washing my long mane--I turn up the pressure for that.  Being able to cut off the water while I soap is great.  These were on eBay for 3.99 and shipping and may still be.   

MarthaMFI:

well I can't say I am that frugal with water.  not a real waster but since we have so much rain, lack of water is not a problem.     

I do set the laundry water level to the needed level and wash dishes by hand.   don't take long showers or bath the kids every day unless they need it.

 water is a flat yearly rate here.

Same here.  We don't pay a flat rate for water--there are several tiers for different levels of usage--but we are consistently in the lowest tier, so reducing our water use further would not save us any money.  I just do the basics: keep showers short, don't leave water running unnecessarily, don't wash clothes until they need it, set the level on the washing machine based on load size, use water-saving showerheads and low-flush toilets, and avoid water-guzzling plants in the yard.  Beyond that, I don't really worry about it.  (Interesting side note: I have heard that in many cases, a modern, efficient dishwasher can actually use less water than doing the dishes by hand.  I would imagine it depends on the method you use, though.  We certainly have no plans to buy one.)

 I planted my onion sets today & watered them with the water left in the buckets under the downspouts.

I think it's admirable to conserve water and save money. But flushing the toilet after 'several' uses is, in my opinion, gross and akin to living in a 3rd world country. Doesn't it smell? Don't you run the risk of clogging the toilet up, and having to call a plumber in? That would be more expensive than a few extra flushes! Unless you are destitute, or one step away from being homeless, I think a better option would be to install a low-water usage toilet. It's one thing to be frugal. It's another thing to be cheap to the point of being ridiculous.