The average American shower lasts eight minutes and uses 17 gallons of water, which quickly adds up. But did you know you could be saving some of this water to use in your garden? One TikToker shows you how.
The scoop
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, people across the United States use more than 1 trillion gallons of water every just for showering, and 25% of this water is considered warmup waste — water that we waste while waiting for the shower to warm up.
A hack shared on TikTok by thefrenchiegardener (@thefrenchiegardener) shows you how to use this water for other purposes, eliminating the waste and saving you money on your bills. All you need is a bucket.
@thefrenchiegardener Reusing & Saving shower water to grow your food 💧🤗💚 Small steps, Big impact! #gardening #savewater #saveourplanet #growyourownfood #learn #city #shower ♬ Deep Breaths - Austin Farwell
Putting a bucket in the shower before you switch it on enables you to collect the warmup waste water to use in your garden. You can even leave the bucket in the shower for the duration to collect more, increasing the amount of water you save, which will go a long way toward reducing your bills.
How it's working
This hack could save up to 22 gallons of water a week, according to thefrenchiegardener, which can be used directly on your garden, conserving water and saving you money in the process. If the water is clean, it can be stored directly in your water tank outside. Worried you got soap in the water? Well, you don't have to be. If there is a little bit of organic soap in the water, then it can be used directly on your plants within 24 hours.
Saving your shower water is one of many hacks you can use to decrease those monthly utility bills and save money while doing something to conserve resources, which is good for the planet. Switching to a WaterSense shower head and taking shorter showers can also help you save water.
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What people are saying
More than 300 people liked this post, and several said that it was great advice.
🗣️ How often do you worry about your energy bills?
🔘 Every day 😥
🔘 A few times a week 😟
🔘 A few times a month 🙁
🔘 Only when I pay it 😬
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"This is such a good idea," one TikToker wrote, with another adding, "This is amazing!"
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"This video should explode," wrote another.
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