Repurposing Off-Grid Water: Greywater Solutions with Safe Products
- S. S. Romano
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
Hello friends! In this journey towards off-grid living, water and the ability to reuse and repurpose it becomes important to us in both sustainability and the long term health of a land. Why does every off-gridder need to learn this? That is because we aren't connected up to the city lines for water and sewage. Today let's learn about the beauty of repurposing greywater and how you can begin by firstly transitioning to biodegradable products to assure the best reusable water.
Before we begin, let's define some things first. There are two different types of water coming out of our homes: greywater and blackwater. Our water INPUT is either from well access or potable water delivery. Our water OUTPUT is greywater and sometimes blackwater (if you don't have a composting toilet and instead an off-grid septic system).
Greywater is water repurposed from gently used household water that is used for outdoor irrigation for trees, gardens, wetlands, and landscaping plants. This is typically one's water from their sink, shower, dishwasher, and clothing washer.
Blackwater is water that contains human waste and cannot be repurposed. If it's not connected to city lines, it needs to be disposed of safely by a septic company. If someone has a composting toilet, blackwater is not a concern in this instance.
What makes a product biodegradable? Well, a product that's biodegradable is able to be broken down by natural processes where microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, or other biologal agents can turn back into natural substances such as water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. This means it should decompose without leaving any harmful residues, doing so in a few months to a few years.
What makes a product NOT biodegradable? Products that contain synthetic chemicals and compounds damage the surroundings it's disposed into (meaning it will never decompose). There are things that contribute to soil degradation and toxicity that render it no longer able to be used. These include:
Products containing phthalates, parabens, BPA's and parabens.
Petroleum based products like petroleum jelly
Silicon containing products that will be labeled as "dimethicone" that's common in makeup and skincare.
Mineral oil based products
Flouride based products like toothpaste and mouthwash
These types of things harm the land in ways that often are challenging if not impossible to repair.
With that known, one might be wondering "what on Earth can I even use then?". One might read this feeling like this entire blog is asking a daunting undertaking. Take a deep breathe with me for a moment. It's okay to gradually transition and be aware of these things now so you can be prepare for the most wonderful repurposed greywater in your future off-grid setup! Break things down into manageable steps. This is what we would encourage below:
Take an inventory of your household products that you currently use and look for those different ingredients above. Also, if you want to be sure, I will sometimes look up the ingredients online and run it by ChatGPT just in case some manufacturer verbiage has changed.
You can start transitioning batches of products one by one. Do this so it won't feel like such a shock and you can find things you actually like. Here's our list below of the biodegradable companies we love along with some autumnal suggestions!
1. Mrs. Meyers (Biodegradable Household Cleaning Products)
I love Mrs. Meyer's everything but I haven't yet tried their Autumn collection multi-surface cleaner. It's always aromatherapy in a bottle: https://amzn.to/4g3HMJz
Or you can try their gift set that includes an Autumn scented hand soap, multi-surface cleaner, and dish soap. https://amzn.to/3I2ATvu
2. Rowe Casa Organics (Natural Body and Haircare Products)
I have loved everything I've gotten from them from shampoo and conditioner bars to shave cream that's all natural and biodegradable.
3. Amway Home Products
Don't come for me. Their cleaning and household products are all 100% biodegradable and come in concentrated bottle forms that you can just refill your own dispensers. They are super cost-effective as we only ever buy our refills once a year.
4. Huppy (Dental Care Products)
We love their toothpaste and mouthwash tablets. We normally get the charcoal one and love that they are all flouride-free and plastic free!
We hope that creates a good starter guide for you to put together your own "greywater safe" products for your household. Please let us know in the comments below if you find any other great products or deals as we love to share and exchange knowledge. Have an amazing day everyone!
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