If you’ve decided to replumb your home to reuse your household greywater (everything but the toilet water), the first thing you need to learn is just what you’re putting down the sink. With a greywater system set up to water your yard, it’s important to avoid throwing toxins (bleaches, dyes, etc) down the drain, and on your plants.

So no dyes, bleaches, bath salts, etc. But also, your soaps and shampoos must be biodegradable and phosphate-based. California’s Greywater Guerrillas recommend brands like Oasis and Dr. Bronner’s (sinks/laundry) and ECOS (laundry).

In this video, Greywater Guerrilla Laura Allen showed us her kitchen greywater system, her biocompatible soap, as well as just how to create a greywater system your plants will thrive on (hint: it involves long sweep pipes, double L flow splitters and allowing for a 1/4 inch slope per foot).