How to Discharge Washing Machine Water to Water a Lawn

The washer drain hose may be modified to connect to a garden hose.

Washing machines use several gallons of water to wash a load of clothing, and many savvy home ecologists recycle this wastewater by using it to water lawns, gardens and other vegetation. You can water your lawn with the discharge from your automatic clothes washer; to do so, you will have to modify the washing machine's drain hose to route the wastewater to your lawn.

Things You'll Need

• Washing machine with installed drain hose
• Paper towels or dry rag
• Replacement garden hose end (male interface)
• Pliers
• Garden hose

Instructions

1. Remove the washer drain hose from the household washer drain. Wipe the end of the hose with the paper towels or rag until the outside of the hose is dry.

2. Remove the retaining screws from the replacement garden hose end and remove the top cover from the replacement hose end. Push the barbed side of the replacement hose end into the loose end of the washing machine drain hose until the barbed side of the hose end is completely inside the drain hose.

3. Replace the replacement hose end's top cover and reinsert the retaining screws. Tighten the screws so that the hose end is secure on the the drain hose.

4. Screw the female end of the garden hose onto the male connector on the drain hose. Route the garden hose to your lawn. When your washer drains wastewater during the washing cycle, the water will flow from the washer to your lawn through the garden hose.

Tips & Warnings

• Washer drains are gravity-fed. The end of the garden hose must be at a lower elevation than the washer for this watering apparatus to work.

• Laundry detergent may harm your grass if high levels of detergent are present in the water. Use caution when watering your grass with wastewater from your washer.

References

• Plumbing Help: How to Repair Your Garden Hoses
• University of Rhode Island: Least Toxic Pesticides