How to Save Water with an Expired Credit Card

 

I upcycled an old credit card into a kitchen scrapper. 

 

 

I based it on an old Tupperware scrapper (left) my mother had from back in the day. I never liked that scrapper because of the way it felt. It was stiff and had points on it. This credit card scrapper (right) works so much better. It's smooth, thin and extremely flexible. It fits comfortably in your hand and can get into all different shaped curves.

 

It is amazing how much water you can save using this tool for kitchen cleanup. 

 

I use it to scrape food particles from plates, pots, skillets & spatulas, to clean crumbs from counters, and to scoop scraps from the sink.

 

Because the plastic is thin it slides easily under anything, even burned on food in skillets, leaving only a thin layer of grease to clean up. After using the card all you need is a quick wipe with a soapy sponge and a quick rinse.

 

If I had cleaned the dishes with a sponge or dishcloth there would have been food bits attached to them that would need to be washed away and rinsed with water. I find it takes a lot of water to clean the cleaner. This scrapper saves lots of water. I live/travel in an RV and know that I use no more than 20 gallons of water weekly for kitchen cleanup and hand washing.

 

How to make your own scraper:

 

1. Use a small glass or saucer as a guide to draw a wide curve on one corner of the credit card.

2. Cut the corner off.

3. Make the curve as smooth as possible. You can see some sharp edges in my cut. You'll want to cut it smoother or sand it with an emory board. You don't want sharp edges that will scratch your pots and pans.

4. Sometimes I make another curve at the opposite end to create a sharp point that can be used for cleaning small spaces.

 

 

Other kitchen cleanup water saving tips :

 

• Wash the dishes as soon as you're done eating. The longer the food stays on the plate the more like concrete it becomes and it takes more elbow grease and more water to clean.
• If possible, don't stack plates and bowls before washing them. That way you can wash only the top of the bowl or plate because you haven't gotten the bottom dirty... saves about 1/2 of water use per item.
• Wash the bowl of the spoon, the tines of the fork, the blade of the knife. If it's not dirty, you don't need to wash the handle every time.
• Turn your water to a trickle rather than a full stream coming out of the faucet. Yes it's a little slower but it makes you more mindful. You don't need Niagara Falls forcing thru your faucet to rinse a fork.
• If you can, wash a number of items and then rinse them together, letting the water from one item run over or collect in another . For example, let the rinse water from the silverware collect in a bowl as a first rinse. Pour that bowl of water over a washed plate. You'll need to give each item a final rinse, but you won't waste as much clean water rinsing each item with fresh water.

These tips may sound nit-picky if you're not used to thinking in terms of water conservation. But sometimes just a couple of tablespoons of extra water have made a big difference to me when I've been boondocking. If you find yourself in a drought or any situation where you really need to conserve water (as we all should be doing) I hope these ideas will come in handy.

 

I love my scrapper and wouldn't be without it. Let me know if you make one and what you think.