I am in the midst if changing all the products I use that come into contact with water, to organic and biodegradable options. My laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap and floor cleaner were switched over a year ago. My shower and bath soap about 4 months ago. What I’m working on now is my hair products. So far, my shampoo and conditioner are proving to be the trickiest to replace: My hair is pretty fussy and appears to respond better to products that contain chemicals… alas… But I am patient. I am willing to try as many products as it takes until I find ones that work (it’s crazy how there are so many ineffective natural shampoos and conditioners out there!)

So now that I know that when I take a bath or shower I’m not polluting the water anymore with mystery ingredients and chemicals, I got into this crazy habit of collecting the used water (or grey water) and later pour it on my plants. I know, I know… that’s taking it to another level. But it makes me feel good to know that I am reusing water this way. It’s perfectly safe and my plants are still thriving.

Before moving into my current apartment, the washing machine I had hooked up to the kitchen faucet. If you don’t know how these mobile washing units work, when the rinse cycle starts, all the water comes out from the machine, up through the pipe and spills out the bottom part of the adapter that is connected to the faucet. Once empty, the machine fills up again. I thought it was a shame to waste all that water so I started doing my laundry on days I normally watered my plants. That is how I picked up the strange habit of collecting used water.

What is your strangest green habit?