Using that rain barrel water

With all the rain we've been having lately, I'm assuming all those rain barrels we sent out from the Rain Barrel BBQ are full to the brim and providing you with all the water you need. This week I took advantage of the heat and washed my car and my bike with rain barrel water. As you can see from the picture, I washed the car on the lawn so the excess water would drain into the ground and not into the sewer system (where it would have to be processed). Here's how I do it: I dump 2 buckets on the car to do an initial rinse, fill a bucket with soapy water, wash, and dump 2 more buckets for the final rinse.

This is my third season with a rain barrel, and I can see my mind set shifting a bit. At first, I wasn't too sure I liked the idea of lugging buckets of water over to my plants, bird baths, cars, etc. It seemed like more work. But I did it because I was not tapping into our house water system and that felt good.

Now, however, 3 years in, I'm finding that lugging buckets is no big deal. Of course, I've learned to make sure the buckets aren't too big, and if I have to make more trips, what's the hurry anyway? This year, it also occurred to me that when I use rain water I don't have to disentangle my hose and haul it around the yard. I never liked that either. The water is also pleasantly warm, not chilly like hose water -- much nicer when washing the car. I'm also grateful for my rain barrel when rinsing out my compost buckets. I feed the residue to my plants.

So, like everything, this is a process. I'm sure many of you have come up with unique ways to use your water that wouldn't have occurred to me. I'll post them with pictures if you'd like to share your ideas.