Plant friendly products are key when reusing your greywater. All products should be biodegradable and non-toxic. In addition, they should be low in salts (sodium) and free of boron (borax), two common ingredients that are non-toxic to people but are harmful to plants and/or the soil. Chlorine bleach is also harmful to plants and should be diverted with any other harmful products to the sewer or septic by switching the 3-way valve. Hydrogen peroxide bleaches are less harmful and can be used instead of chlorine. Another consideration with soaps and products is their affect on the pH of the water. While many soaps do not change the pH, some do. In general, liquid soaps do not change the pH, while bar soaps make the water very basic (opposite of acidic). Certain acid loving plants may not be happy with this kind of water. If you’re uncertain if the pH is being affected choose plants that are not acid loving to irrigate. Acid loving plants include ferns, rhodedendrons, and blueberries.

Products we recommend: (they are low salt and boron free, and pH neutral)

• Laundry: Fit Organic, Puretergent, Oasis, Ecos, Biopac liquid detergent, Trader Joes liquid detergent, Vaska. There are also soap alternatives that are greywater friendly, like soap nuts, ozone treatment systems, and “wonder balls”.
• Showers:  In a shower, shampoo is fairly diluted so it is not as important as in the washing machine to have the best products, but it is important to have products that are not harmful to our health, surprisingly many shampoos and conditioners contain carcinogenic chemicals. You can find out what’s in your products at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetic’s on-line database.