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With Australia's recent drought and water restrictions, many people became aware of the option of using this grey water for garden watering.

Clean, fresh tap water is more than safe enough to use on the garden. But what about grey water? Many gardeners are rightly concerned about the effects of laundry and bath products added to the water, such as bubble bath, detergents, bleaches and other cleaning products.

The good news is that low environmental impact Aware Laundry Powder produces 'garden safe' grey water.

The wash and rinse water of Aware Laundry Powder has been independently tested by Sydney Environmental and Soil Laboratory for their suitability for use in irrigation (including garden watering). This grey water was found to be suitable for even the most salt-sensitive plants. Being phosphate-free laundry powders, their grey water was also found to be suitable for phosphorus-sensitive native plants.

The independent testing done on Aware laundry powder resulted in the following key points and recommendations:

• Aware concentrates contain no phosphates so will not contribute to phosphate pollution of soil and waterways.

• Laundry washes using Aware can be reused on the garden as irrigation water. Sodium and salt levels in the wash water are suitable even for salt sensitive plants. When using wash waters be aware that salts can accumulate in soil by the evaporation of water, leaving the salt behind.

To avoid salt build-up in your soil make sure your tap water isn't saline to begin with (as can happen with bore water in some areas), combine wash and rinse waters to dilute wash water before using it or use the rinse water straight after the wash water in the same garden area, irrigate deeply in one irrigation rather than several light surface waterings and check soil pH levels once every few months.

Planet Ark has launched its first book Greeniology - How to live well, be green and make a difference. Written by Planet Ark staff member Tanya Ha, it has extensive practical tips and information on living a greener lifestyle at home, including saving energy, recycling, green cleaning and conserving water.

Here are a selection of tips from Greeniology's in-depth guide to grey water recycling at home and in the garden:

• Legislation requires that grey water must be kept within the boundaries of the property in which it was produced. Make sure grey water used on your garden doesn't run off into neighbouring properties or storm water drains.

• Avoid using grey water from the kitchen as it generally contains higher levels of fat, oils, bacteria and tiny food particles.

• Don't use grey water on food plants whose edible portion lies on or close to the ground.

• Reduce the health risk of any bacteria in the grey water by not allowing grey water to pool on the surface of the ground. Don't over water. Use mulch to cut down evaporation and reduce the health risk of exposed excess water.

• Requirements for grey water use and systems can vary from state to state. You should check your state government and local council regulations for installing grey water systems. In some cases (Victoria, for example) you can get a rebate on the money you spend on water-saving devices, including grey water recycling systems.

• Grey water recycling systems can be as simple as a drain diverter and a hose to sophisticated systems, which require licensed plumbers to install. It helps to have a plumber that's environmentally informed. Visit www.greenplumbers.com.au to view listings of accredited GreenPlumbers™.