The king has some water savvy tips for you to survive summer. South Africa recently suffered 1 of the biggest droughts in over 30 years… El Nino sure has wreaked havoc, causing 5 of our provinces to have been declared drought disaster areas, and all municipalities to have implemented strict water restrictions. In many areas, it’s still unusually dry.
The question is, with winter losing its icy grip and summer all set to waft in on a warm breeze, how will you manage your household water? We’re not talking specifically about keeping yourself hydrated, but more about how to deal with your pool, your garden, and washing your cars. Things like that.
Water in all shapes and colours
Municipal water need not be your only option, here are a few options:
50 shades of grey water
Grey water ain’t sexy, but it’s definitely 1 of the best ways to recycle your water. If you’re wondering what constitutes grey water, it’s any relatively clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines, and a few other household appliances. If it’s from your kitchen sink, dishwasher, or toilet water, though, it’s considered black water and shouldn’t be used.
There are a number of ways to reduce water wastage and green plumbing is just one of them.
You can use grey water to wash your car and keep your garden happy, healthy, and thriving this summer, but remember not to store your grey water because it could spread disease. Oh, and it ends up smelling worse than dirty socks dunked in blue cheese.
It is mighty important that we keep our house clean along with practising all other environmental friendly habits.
Super smart tip: invest in a DIY grey water system, which could cost you around R4,200 for a small to medium-sized garden and around R5,500 for a big garden. You can save up to 600 litres of water, but don’t forget to speak to your local garden centre to check which plants and soil can best handle grey water.
What to do for your garden when water is scarce
The garden is often your last area of concern during a drought, but neglect can lead to an expensive overhaul when the drought is over. So if you find yourself in a situation where you simply don’t have enough water to keep all your plants alive, you might just need a little help from the experts. Luckily, we’ve done our research and have a few tips to help you keep your property’s crown jewel sparkling like an emerald.
- Plant hardier, drought resistant species, like the 1s suggested here.
- Lawns are big-time water users, so you might have to say farewell to your lawns for a while.
- You might need to focus your water on certain sections, while letting others dry out.
- This is the time to feed your compost and mulch heaps, which increases your soil’s nutrient and water-retaining capability, minimises evaporation, and keeps the soil cooler.
Super smart tip: at King Price, we’ve got your back when it comes to your pool with our royal buildings cover, which insures permanent fixtures, fittings and improvements, like your swimming pool, swimming pool borehole, and spa pumps. And the best part? Well, our premiums are super cheap and we’ve got a pretty serious reputation of treating our customers like the royalty that they are. Oh, and when it comes to claims, we have 1 of the highest pay out rates around.
