Tell me all your water-saving secrets!

[kangarooelaine]

We did our first trip without water hookup. Made the mistake of letting the kiddo take a shower. Ran out of water and filled up grey tank. Bummer!

So... what are all your secrets to water-saving? Besides not letting water-wasters take showers.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

We have installed a shutoff valve on the handheld shower wand. That way, one can get wet and shut the water off when soaping. Turn it back on for a quick rinse and you're done. A 2-gallon shower is easy that way.

Another thought is to have "water wasters" carry water to refill the tank after their shower. This "learning moment" can be pretty effective.

TJ

 

[BGMAC]

We drink bottled water so consumption is not an issue. When showering we set the temp and turn the shower head off. Get in and turn on to get wet, then back off. Wash your entire body & hair then turn on long enough to rinse. If my wife or I need to shave, we use lotion and clean the razor in a cup of water. Rub the lotion in to moisturize. Brushing teeth, when done we usually use bottle water to rinse.

 

[Neal]

Shutoff valve where the wand connects to the wall, easier for me to turn on/off vs. fumbling with the wand with soapy hands.

Low flow (water saver) shower head. I switch out my normal shower head for this one when needing to water save.

Some will collect the water in a pitcher waiting for the water to get warm then can us that for dish cleaning, etc.

Turn water to full hot when turning on the shower will draw the hot water faster vs. in a mixed state.

Gross toilet ops I care not to discuss.

 

[sheridany]

A navy shower (also known as a "combat shower", "military shower", "sea shower", "staggered shower", or "G.I. bath") is a method of showering that allows for significant conservation of water and energy by turning off the flow of water in the middle portion of the shower while lathering.

 

[kangarooelaine]

Do you guys have recommendations on specific shower heads? Brands and models?

I'm familiar with those types of water-saving shower heads because we had them growing up. I am the quickest showerer in the family. But my kiddo is one of those kids who hates showers for days and days until finally he will take one and then loves it enough to spend a long time. I don't want to pressure him to take shorter showers because it's such a touchy issue and could easily result in a very smelly gross kid for months. Our current agreement is he has to shower once a week. He just got in a shower mood from the camping trip and so I encouraged it. Plus he washed one of the dogs, so that was part of the water use too.

How about other tips? I noticed how many dishes I did in just two days of camping for three people. A LOT! I think my family has ingrained some anti-disposable mentality because we care about the environment, so the idea of using disposable plates was nixed early on but I'm going to get some anyway and try camping with disposable plates etc. It's more trash and bad for landfills but will definitely increase convenience and improve our water situation. I'll get the ones labeled as environmentally-friendly

Does anyone use a portable bladder to bring extra water?
Also, how much water is normal use?

 

[Neal]

You can get the water saving shower heads at Walmart. Just look at gpm flow rate.

I do have a 30gal bladder, haven't use it yet but it stores extremely compact like a large envelope:

Amazon.com : Water Storage Tank - Bladder - Bag - AQUATANK2 Stores Water For Your Emergency Water Supply - It Is a Light-Weight and Portable Water Container, Food-Grade Material, no BPAs (30 Gallon) : Camping Water Storage : Sports & Outdoors

Drill operated water pump to get from bladder into RV

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LIRSW0Y/?tag=rvf01-20

Paper plates and plasticware are a must IMHO. Dish washing is the biggest consumer of water.

 

[sheridany]

I used palm frond plates and utensils that are okay for the environment.

Mattai Palm Leaf Plates, Biodegradable & Compostable - Organic Sustainable Square Dinnerware set[Plates, Forks, Knives, Napkins] Bamboo & Wood Alternative (10" - 25 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TKR4V54/?tag=rvf01-20

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Hi @kangarooelaine,
We use a bowl in the bath sink that we let fill with the water we wash up with, we then use that to flush. We sponge bath and use truck stops for showers. We use dish pans to wash dishes and throw the water at the trees to water them ( approved method by the USFS and BLM). We haul water in 55 gal drum in back of truck. if you use a bladder make sure it is secure, I have seen them roll off of roofs. We use flimsy paper plates because they help get the campfire going. Plastic foam is a no no in fires. We also use paper cups for the same reason. If you must shower, allot 2 gallons for the job. best way to do that is install a shower head with turnoff on an insect sprayer. The other two advantages to this are. 1. you can heat the water on the stove in a tea kettle. 2. you can shower outside if you want and avoid filling the gray tank. We can make it 2.5 weeks this way with a 40 gal water tank in rv and not have to worry about dumping for the same period.

 

[IdahoDen]

You can get the water saving shower heads at Walmart. Just look at gpm flow rate.

I do have a 30gal bladder, haven't use it yet but it stores extremely compact like a large envelope:

Amazon.com : Water Storage Tank - Bladder - Bag - AQUATANK2 Stores Water For Your Emergency Water Supply - It Is a Light-Weight and Portable Water Container, Food-Grade Material, no BPAs (30 Gallon) : Camping Water Storage : Sports & Outdoors

Drill operated water pump to get from bladder into RV

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LIRSW0Y/?tag=rvf01-20

Paper plates and plasticware are a must IMHO. Dish washing is the biggest consumer of water.

I keep a drill in the RV for my levelers, but could you send a link to the drill operated pump that you use to get the water from the bladder to the tank? Thanks.