You may already be using rainwater for irrigation, cleaning, and other purposes; however, you may be hesitating to rely more on rainwater for bathing because you fear it may not be good for you. We’ll tell you now: you can absolutely use rainwater for bathing – after treating the rainwater. We have previously discussed how to collect rainwater and the different uses of rainwater at home. But in this article, we will discuss how to purify rainwater for bathing.
To learn more about how and why you’d want to use rainwater for bathing, read our complete guide below.
There are many reasons you may want to collect rainwater. Below are just a few of them.
The average American consumes 90 gallons of water a day. You can easily reduce your water bills simply by collecting rainwater. Rainwater is free, and you can use it for indoor and outdoor purposes.
Rainwater is better for your plants than tap water. Tap water is treated with several chemicals, such as chlorine. Although this is for disinfection purposes, it isn’t good for your garden; on the other hand, rainwater is free of chemicals and can help your plants grow to their fullest potential.
Collecting rainwater can protect your property from flooding and rain damage. Since you’re collecting rainwater in a controlled manner, there won’t be as much uncontrolled rainwater flooding your yard. Collecting rainwater can also help you control the moisture level of the ground around your home’s foundation.
In industrialized places, there are many structures that stop rainwater from soaking into the ground. What happens instead is that the water flows into the city’s sewage systems. Allowing too much water to flow through these systems can be catastrophic.
So, by harvesting rainwater and diverting it from storm drains, you’re helping reduce clogging in your residential stormwater systems.
By collecting rainwater in barrels, you can help slow down the water flowing down your roof. Doing so can stop soil erosion. You’d want to stop soil erosion because erosion gets rid of the nutrient-rich topsoil in your yard and can even damage your house’s foundation.
If you set up the correct system for rainwater harvesting, you can automate the process at home, so you can collect rainwater with minimal effort. A good rainwater collection system would include the following:
The average American uses 17 gallons of water for bathing. Fortunately, every inch of rainwater on a 1000-square-foot roof can collect 623 gallons of water.
Due to splashing and other factors, a more realistic number puts you at about 500 gallons of rainwater collected per inch of rain per 1000 square feet of collection surface.
Either way, you’ll be able to collect more than enough rainwater for bathing purposes.
Below we will cover the pre and post filtration process.
The first step to harvesting rainwater for bathing is ensuring you have a clean collection process. Pre-filtering rainwater occurs before rainwater reaches its storage location.
You can have a mesh filter along the gutter or conveyance system to remove large pieces of sediments. It is important to clean your mesh filters once a quarter to ensure water can go through with minimal interruption.
You may also opt to use a first-flush device – also known as a first-flush diverter – that improves rainwater quality by preventing the initial water flow with all its debris and impurities from entering your holding tank.
First-flush devices typically use a tipping bucket that empties at certain points.
Despite having a pre-filtration system in place, some sediments may come through your filters. You can reduce the number of small sediments coming through by having an additional mesh filter in your storage tank so that smaller pieces of sediment are caught before being used.
Rainwater can collect pollution, heavy metals, and chemicals before it arrives in your storage tank, so the CDC advises against using rainwater for certain purposes without purifying it first. Additionally, you can test your harvested water to see if it is contaminated with chemicals and heavy metals.
You can purify your rainwater by using ultraviolet light from a UV filter. This is an effective tool for removing pathogens and microbial organisms that may be present in your rainwater. It works by destroying the organisms’ DNA, making the pathogens ineffective.
The main downsides of UV light filters are their high cost and use of electricity. Fortunately, there are other ways to purify rainwater, and some ideas are:
Purifying rainwater with a filter after running your rainwater through a mesh filter isn’t redundant. Both steps work together to get rid of different kinds of contaminants.
Yes, you can use rainwater for showers – provided you treat and disinfect the rainwater appropriately. In fact, once you’ve purified your rainwater, you can even use it for drinking.
There are many benefits of showering with rainwater. First, rainwater is free; you don’t have to pay monthly bills to use it. Second, rainwater is better for your hair and skin. Most people consider rainwater to be better for your hair and skin because rainwater is “soft” water. This means it has fewer rough minerals than other water sources, such as groundwater or river water. Rainwater is also free from heavy metals and has a neutral pH level. This means it’ll work exceptionally well for you if you have sensitive skin.
The only real disadvantage to using rainwater for your showers becomes apparent if you use rainwater only and don’t have access to your city’s water supply as an alternative source of water. When you rely completely on rainwater and live in a dry and arid area, you may get inconsistent amounts of rainfall throughout the year.
No, natural rainwater is free of additives and treatment chemicals used to clean tap water.
Rainwater is excellent for bathing because it lowers your water bill, it’s cleaner than tap water, and it can be used for many other purposes as well.
Whether you are a homesteader, prepper, or simply looking to cut back on your water bill, you should consider harvesting rainwater. And since you now know how to prepare rainwater for stuff like bathing and drinking properly, you won’t have to worry about water contamination.
Find us on
Share This Post
Ceramic cookware has become a safe, and popular alternative to stainless steel and Telfon cookware. But to have them last a long time, it is important to learn how to clean stained ceramic pans.
If you are looking to buy cookware, you probably came down to ceramic cookware vs stainless steel cookware. Learn to see which is better for you.
At this point, you should be aware of the harmful chemicals found in traditional non-stick pans. Fortunately, ceramic pans are non-stick and do not contain harmful chemicals. Learn their pros and cons.
Who We Are
Our team brings over a decade of experience in prepping and holistic living. We share our knowledge with you, here on Soulful Prepper. Read more about us, here.
SoulfulPrepper.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. This site also participate in other affiliate programs including but not limited to ShareASale, CJ, and ClickBank, and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies.
