After you wash

Drying your

CLOTHES

Maintaining your

MACHINE

Reusing

GREYWATER

You’re nearly done! All that’s left is to dry your clothes, put them away, and some occasional washing machine maintenance. Maybe you are also considering using laundry greywater on your garden.

A WashWise approach will ensure that even as you dry your wash items, you are making the best choices for your household and the environment. And if you go the extra step of using laundry greywater on your garden to help conserve this vital resource, that you do so wisely.

AFTER YOU WASH

Drying your clothes

After washing, it’s best to take your laundry out of the washing machine and dry it as soon as possible. This helps to reduce creasing and mustiness.

If possible, line-dry your clothes. Whilst not possible for everyone, using a clothesline is a great choice if you are conscious of your expenses and the environment.

Line-drying your clothes has obvious environmental benefits, but there can also be other factors to consider for your situation. For example, you may not have access to a suitable outdoor space to line-dry clothing. Or, you may not have room indoors for a dryer. Here are some more clothesline or dryer – pros and cons for you to consider.

If you are line-drying, check garment labels for any specific recommendations. Otherwise, hang:

tops upside-down
trousers right-way-up
brightly coloured or dark items in the shade, or inside-out
dresses, business shirts and lingerie on hangers, or draped over the line without pegs

Dry flat any jumpers, stockings and delicates that may lose shape if hung to dry.

Clothesline or Dryer – Pros and Cons

Of Australian households, approximately 55% have a clothes dryer and 52% considered the energy star rating when buying a new dryer. ^[i]

AFTER YOU WASH

Maintaining your machine

It is important to look after your washing machine to help it continue to operate at its best. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions, but regular maintenance could include:

Leaving the door open after each wash – this can help prevent mould from growing inside, musty smells from developing, and can help preserve the door seal.
Cleaning the dispenser drawer, if your machine has one, of any detergent residue.
Emptying the drain pump.
Descaling – this removes build-up of lime deposits in your machine, and is especially important if your water supply is hard.
Performing a maintenance wash – this can help remove residue build-ups in your machine, and is especially important if you wash in cold water all the time.

AFTER YOU WASH

Reusing greywater

What is Greywater?

Greywater is another name for household wastewater, which can include wastewater from the laundry, shower, bath, and bathroom sink. Greywater also includes kitchen sink and dishwasher wastewater, but this source is not used in household recycling systems because it can contain high levels of food scraps, grease and fat. Greywater does not include toilet wastewater, which is referred to as blackwater.

Should YOU use greywater on your garden?

There are numerous regulations, suggestions and guidelines on the safe use of greywater. It is important that you consider these for your own household, and so minimise the potentially negative impact of greywater on your own garden or in the broader environment. Important considerations for residents in one part of Australia may be different to those for residents in another part of the country.

In areas where there are severe water shortages and restrictions, greywater can be used on the garden, without further treatment, for limited periods. Long-term use is not recommended: if you want to permanently recycle your greywater it is advisable to install a greywater treatment system.

The main issues to consider when using laundry greywater on the garden are its salinity (the concentration of dissolved salts in water such as sodium, calcium and magnesium salts), its sodium and phosphorus content, as well as its pH and total alkalinity.

Find out more about how laundry greywater can affect plants and soils

There is no single answer for all households concerning the suitability of greywater reuse. All households differ in terms of:

demographics (the number of inhabitants, their ages, lifestyles, and health levels)
soil type (sandy, loam, or clay)
hardness of the water supply
size of the irrigation area
plant species grown
local council and state government regulations for the region

It may be best for you not to use greywater. Perhaps there are better ways you can contribute to water conservation in the garden. Maybe you could grow plants that require less water – a nursery or online plant selector may be able to help. Or perhaps you could install a rainwater tank. Each household should consider their situation before deciding how to contribute to water conservation.

In 2007, 54% of Australian households reported using greywater.^[ii]

How can you use greywater?

Step 1: Check information for your state or territory to make sure that you are allowed to do the kind or recycling that you want to.

Step 2: Undertake a water balance for your household to work out how much greywater you can reuse.

Step 3: Know your options for reuse of greywater, treated or untreated.

For more information, download the Greywater Dos and Don’ts Tipsheet

Untreated

The simplest option is to manually bucket greywater from the laundry to the garden.
Next is the option of connecting a hose to divert washing machine greywater to the garden.
Permanent, more sophisticated systems are diversion devices connected to underground irrigation systems.

Treated

At the highest level are greywater treatment systems that may allow a greater range of uses, such as spray irrigation, car washing, toilet flushing and laundry use. Treatment of greywater will not reduce its sodium or phosphorus content but will minimise its risk to public health by removing some organic components and microorganisms.
Choose a system that is right for your household’s needs. This will depend on how you want to reuse greywater and the amount you are willing to spend.

State and Territory information on greywater recycling

An excellent summary for all states and territories can be found in the “Urban Greywater Design and Installation Handbook”.

General information on greywater can be found at the Your energy savings website.

State-by-state information can be found at the following links (current as of June 2018):

Clothesline	Dryer
Energy (and cost) savings The sun does all the work, not electricity. The environment and your bank balance thank you!	Convenience Throw your clothes in, set and forget! Good for last-minute drying, too.
Hygiene Ultraviolet (UV) from sunlight can kill or prevent bacteria from reproducing, which can mean cleaner, fresher and more hygienic laundry.	Rain – who cares! Your dryer can be used rain, hail or shine.
Bleaching If hung in direct sunlight, the sun can help whiten your white clothes.	Softness Some items, such as towels, come out softer and fluffier from the dryer. Ironing is easier, too.
Clothing care Wash items can last longer because line drying is gentler than using a dryer. And there is no risk of clothes shrinking.

Clothesline	Dryer
Time cost You have to hang your wash items then take them off the line again. Sometimes more than once (see Rain!).	Energy used Electricity is needed to power your dryer. This uses environmental resources and costs money.
Bleaching If hung in direct sunlight, the sun can make your brightly coloured clothes less vivid (this can be overcome using a portable clothes line in the shade or indoors*).	Cost As well as the costs of running your dryer there is also the upfront cost of buying a dryer**.
Rain Rain happens. Laundry items that are drying outdoors will get wet or need to be retrieved and re-hung.	Noise and heat Dryers can be noisy, and some can generate heat and moisture*. However, many modern dryers are much quieter, and generate much less heat than their precursors.
Air pollution If you live somewhere with high levels of air pollution, line drying can make your laundry items dirty again.	Limited scope Not all laundry items can be tumble dried.

	Effect on plants	Effect on soil	WashWise suggestions
Salinity	Excess can block plants from taking up water from the soil, resulting in plant stress	Some is necessary for good soil structure	Choose an efficient detergent Follow the manufacturer’s dosage instructions Only use laundry rinse water
Sodium	Excess can block plants from taking up water from the soil Some plant species can tolerate higher amounts	Excess can cause loss of soil structure and permeability, especially for clay soils The effect of sodium on clay soils is most harmful when irrigation with sodium-rich water is followed by soft water	Choose a lower sodium detergent, especially if you have clay soils or a soft water supply
Phosphorus	Necessary for plants BUT can cause over-proliferation of some algal species in inland waters	Leaches readily from sandy soils and could contaminate groundwater	Choose a lower phosphorus detergent with the NP or P label If you are watering sandy soils, consider a detergent with the NP label
pH and total alkalinity	High pH water can block plants from taking up nutrients from the soil Different plant species can tolerate different pH levels, but generally pH 9 is a maximum	High total alkalinity means that the pH of the greywater is quite stable, and the pH of the soil is likely to rise	Only use laundry rinse water as it has lower pH than wash water

Adelaide	Hard to very hard
Brisbane	Moderately hard
Canberra	Soft
Darwin	Soft
Hobart	Soft
Melbourne	Soft
Perth	Varies from soft to hard
Sydney	Soft

Soft	0 to 60
Moderately hard	60 to 120
Hard	120 to 180
Very hard	>180

After you wash

Drying your CLOTHES

Drying your

CLOTHES

Maintaining your MACHINE

Maintaining your

MACHINE

Reusing GREYWATER

Reusing

GREYWATER

AFTER YOU WASH

Drying your clothes

AFTER YOU WASH

Maintaining your machine

AFTER YOU WASH

Reusing greywater

What is Greywater?

Should YOU use greywater on your garden?

How can you use greywater?

State and Territory information on greywater recycling

Clothesline

Dryer

Clothesline

Dryer

Effect on plants

Effect on soil

WashWise suggestions

Salinity

Sodium

Phosphorus

pH and total alkalinity

Drying your

CLOTHES

Maintaining your

MACHINE

Reusing

GREYWATER