Collecting rainwater

[TheFragile]

I've heard of people collecting rainwater to use to rinse their hair, and since hurricane season is offically on now I'd like to try it. How do you do it? I mean, how to collect it but keep bugs, leaves, dirt, and all sorts of other uglies out of it?

Also, what about it makes it so softening? I would think with air pollution might actually make it more damaging... I think I'm thinking about acid rain though.

[eiyela]

If you're going to collect rainwater, you'll need a filter of some sort to put over any barrel thingie you're using. That'll keep the bugs out. And start collecting once it's rained for a while, so you don't get all the dust in the air in your rainwater. I don't know exactly what makes it so good, maybe it's just similar to distilled water? But I do know it makes my hair shiny and moisturized.:whoohoo:

[unaspenser]

When I was in middle school and high school I noticed my hair always felt so silky after being soaked by a good rain. I think it might be that it's mildly acidic (whether it's acid rain or not), and has similar effects to ACV. You could set something smallish outside, like a mason jar, and just strain the rainwater if anything gross gets in, or cover it with a little piece of window screen.

[avery]

I use those fryer sheilds you can buy at Target or Walmart. They are just very fine, round screens for use over fry pans. When you are cooking these protect against grease splatters. The holes are so fine, I doubt any bug could squeeze through! Just put something heavy on two edges of it or bungee cord it down.

[kittcatt]

DH already thinks I'm doing some crazy things since joining LHC. He'd really think I've lost my mind if I started collecting rain water. He's a guy. He just would'nt get it. But I bet it's great. Just to have the smell of rain. I may have to sneak it sometime.

[wavebaby]

I cover my rainbarrel with a cheesecloth to filter...works great!:grinhappy:

[TheFragile]

DH already thinks I'm doing some crazy things since joining LHC. He'd really think I've lost my mind if I started collecting rain water. He's a guy. He just would'nt get it. But I bet it's great. Just to have the smell of rain. I may have to sneak it sometime.


Lol, mine does too... fortunately he's not going to be around to witness this experiment. I'd get the eyerolling of a lifetime if he was here...

[Love My Cop]

It never rains in southern California, (wait, thats a song) but, next time it does i'll be looking at it in a different light, and with a bucket in hand.

[Arcticpixie]

Water coming from the tap (be it a well or municipal source) is usually from the ground. When water moves through the soil, it picks up trace minerals, which makes it “hard”. The deeper the well/aquifer/ water bearing strata = the harder the water. Shallow sources can be quite hard if the soil it percs through is mineral rich as well.

Rainwater is perfectly soft because those minerals stay earthbound when the water evaporates.

You will collect tons more water if you have gutters on your house. Just place your collection container with bug/leaf screen under the downspout after it has rained for a bit. This allows the first icky water to rinse off your roof and settle the dust/pollution before you start collecting.

1” of rain on 1000 sq feet of roof = 634?(working from memory here) gallons.

For just hair care, you wouldn’t have to be very elaborate. Just make sure your collection container isn’t a metal that dissolves easily in water or you will defeat the purpose. Stick to enameled pots, stainless steel, plastic, glass or wood.

Rainwater is also good for laundry, watering plants, dishes, etc. etc. etc. Just remember that soft water needs waaaaay less soap than your tap water. If you have a municipal water source and enjoy collecting rainwater, seriously consider using it to water your houseplants. Municipal tap water is full of chlorine or other ‘purifiers’ including salt that can be very hard on your plants.

HTH

Arcticpixie… showing what a sustainable living geek she really is…..

[Stephanie]

All hail the Arctic Pixie! :D I'm going to try this. My mother used to do it and said that she loved it.

*looks out at the sun and 75 degree weather* :rolleyes:

[TheFragile]

Boo, the storm has shifted, so no more rain for us. I guess this has to wait for another time.

I don't know if I would use the runoff from my roof, though. It seems to me like there would be little particles of mold or bird poo or some other roof nasties in it. I wouldn't be able to bring myself to dump that stuff on my head.

ETA: thanks for all the good info, Articpixie!

[Flaxen]

Rainwater collected from roof gutters is fine for gardening, but please don't use it on your hair without filtering it first. :shudder: Celuriel uses a Britta filter and filters the water twice, IIRC. Hey, maybe that's her secret...:whoohoo:

[Amber]

If the main difference is in the pH, then would adding a few tablespoons of vinegar to a bucket of tap water do the same thing for your hair as collecting rainwater? :eureka:

[avery]

Rainwater collected from roof gutters is fine for gardening, but please don't use it on your hair without filtering it first. :shudder: Celuriel uses a Britta filter and filters the water twice, IIRC. Hey, maybe that's her secret...:whoohoo:

Good point, Flaxen! I would always filter it first, too, if using for anything other than watering plants. I wouldn't use the same filter used to filter drinking water. I'd buy a seperate little filter pitcher and pour it throught before using it. Write on the pitcher "rain water, only" or something. Good luck! :grinhappy:

[Arcticpixie]

If the main difference is in the pH, then would adding a few tablespoons of vinegar to a bucket of tap water do the same thing for your hair as collecting rainwater? :eureka:

Yes… and no. It would bring the PH closer to neutral. But it wouldn’t eliminate the minerals themselves. One could distill hard water by placing several inches of water in a large pot with a domed lid. Place a brick in the center, put a bowl on top of the brick. Put the lid on the pot upside down and put ice on top the lid. Simmer the water, as it steams it will hit the inverted lid, condense because of the ice making the lid cold and then drip down into the bowl. Or you could buy distilled water from the store.:lafhard: It still wouldn’t be just like rainwater though. Rainwater has lots of oxygen and other goodies in it that distilled water just can’t achieve. Unless you aerated it… more processing and effort. :drool:

Since we aren’t talking about rainwater collection for large scale use, a brita pitcher for hair use would be the most cost effective solution. For whole house use there are other, more permanent steps one would take to ensure safe collection, including using metal roofing, first wash diverters, screening for gutters …. The list continues ad museum. There is an entire market focusing on rain water harvesting on a large scale.

Our future rainwater collection plans are centered around water for gardening. Out at the homestead we have to haul our water, not fun in the least. We are hoping to drive a well this summer but it will be a small bore and terribly hard iron rich water. Having one drilled by a pro isn’t affordable right now and getting an underground potable holding tank is still a little out there price wise. So small bore nasty water it is! Still better than carrying 7.5 gallon jugs full of water any day!



I’m glad my store of totally useless knowledge helped! :whoohoo:

[Dulci]

One of my gardening books calls rain "God Water."

I think there must be something extra special in rain, I've noticed that the cenizo shrubs (Texas Sage) that are planted all over around here, bloom their purple flowers only after it rains. You can water them with a hose all you want, they will not bloom until they get rain. Isn't that neat?

[Flaxen]

I think there must be something extra special in rain, I've noticed that the cenizo shrubs (Texas Sage) that are planted all over around here, bloom their purple flowers only after it rains. You can water them with a hose all you want, they will not bloom until they get rain. Isn't that neat? Wow, way neat; that is fascinating! :puppy: <--- just 'cus he's cute.

And Arcticpixie, your store of knowledge is very useful. :soppy: