Yeah, I've run into the same issue with reusing rinse water—sometimes it just makes more work later. I've found that letting the residue settle and then carefully pouring off the clearer water helps a bit. But honestly, for tougher jobs like grout cleanup, I usually accept that I'll need a little extra elbow grease afterward. It's one of those trade-offs that's annoying but manageable if you're committed to saving water.
I've tried the settling trick too, and yeah, it helps a bit. But I'm curious—have you noticed if certain residues or materials make reusing water more trouble than it's worth? Like grout cleanup is obviously tough, but what about paint or drywall mud? I've found drywall mud residue especially annoying because it seems to stay suspended forever... wondering if anyone's figured out a workaround for that.
Drywall mud is definitely one of the worst offenders—feels like it just hangs around forever. I've tried filtering through old t-shirts or cheesecloth, and honestly, it helps a bit but still leaves the water cloudy. Paint's not as bad if you let it settle overnight, but drywall mud... yeah, it's stubborn. At some point, I wonder if the hassle outweighs the savings, but props to you for sticking with it. You're not alone in finding it frustrating.
Totally agree, drywall mud is a beast to deal with. I've tried the cheesecloth trick too—ended up looking like I was making some weird drywall cheese. Honestly, sometimes it's easier to just let it settle in buckets and skim off the clear water later. Less hassle, fewer ruined shirts...
I've done the bucket settling method too and honestly, it's the only thing that doesn't feel like a total mess. But speaking of water-saving, it reminds me of when I was patching up a bathroom wall after a plumbing leak. I was so focused on not wasting water during clean-up that I reused rinse water way too many times. Ended up with gritty residue everywhere and spent twice as long sanding down the rough spots. Lesson learned: water-saving is great in theory, but sometimes being overly cautious can backfire big time. Now I just try to find a balance—saving water when practical, but not at the expense of quality or sanity...
