If you think about it, most of your daily routine, from morning to evening, requires using water. From flushing your power flush toilets to brushing your teeth, showering, making breakfast, washing dishes, doing laundry, watering your lawn and most of everything else in between. What most people fail to realize is that water is not an infinite resource and those of whom have in abundance tend to waste it heedlessly.
Despite the fact that 70% of the earth is covered by water, a very little percentage of what constitutes fresh accessible water. Global warming and pollution have also had an impact on water scarcity like drying up freshwater rivers. Population growth means there are more and more people tapping into the little water supplies available.
For these reasons, everyone should make it a habit to conserve water right from their homes. A little effort would go a long way. If you’d like to take the initiative and change the world by saving water, here are some tips for saving water and how you can reduce your daily consumption in and around your home.
1. Always Turn Off Faucets
This is by far the most prevalent habit you’ll find in most homes. Most people leave their water running while brushing their teeth, washing dishes, washing their face and even shaving. Imagine how long it takes to shave, and how much water goes down the drain during that time.
You could save several gallons of water by turning off the faucet while doing any of these things. Talking about faucets, check for leaks on a regular basis and fix them as soon as you find them. A leaking faucet, pile, or even a toilet can waste a lot of water and cost you a lot of money.
2. Save Water Whenever You Can
Learning to re-purpose is one of the best water saving tips. When washing your fruits and vegetables under running water, use a colander and capture the dirty water in a bowl. Instead of pouring it down the drain, water your plants with it. Embrace the bucket flush instead of flushing the toilet, which takes a lot of water.
Scraping off your dishes before loading them in the dishwasher is enough. Rinsing them only wastes water. This is one of the best tips for saving water because your dishwasher uses a lot of it to clean off the scrapes. If you decide to wash your dishes by hand, double dip them instead of washing them under running water.
Fill one of your sinks with hot soapy water and the other with cool clean water for rinsing. If you only have a single sink, then use a large bowl to either wash or rinse, which will save a lot of water.
3. Take Caution In the Shower
Shortening your shower is a good way to help save water. You can actually switch it off when you are not using it. Once you wet yourself, switch it off, soap up, wash your hair, then turn it back on to rinse off. Most of our showers take time before they warm up, so we let the cold water run a little bit.
Instead of wasting this water, let the water drain in the bucket and use it later to flush the toilet or water the plants outside. If you decide to take a bath, you can save that water as well for your toilet flushing. No water should go to waste.
4. Only Wash Full Loads
To help save water in the laundry room, wait until you have enough dirty clothes to run a full load. You’ll not only save more water but use less energy as well. This is more important for people who use front loading machines as they use the same amount of water, regardless of the size of the load. Top-loading machines are easier to manage the water level.
You can also save water by upgrading your washing machine. Older models tend to consume more water compared to newer ones. You can save energy while you are at it by using cold water instead of hot. Your clothes will also retain their colors and shrink less, which is a bonus.
5. Saving Water Outdoors
Your lawn is possibly your biggest water hog. You don’t have to neglect it and watch it go brown though. The trick here is watering it less and doing it during the right time. Most people actually tend to leave their sprinklers running and over water their lawn, which not only wastes water, but drowns the plants and causes fungus, weed growth, and shallow root problems.
Apart from this, too much water will overflow and carry fertilizers and pesticides with it, which will contribute to water pollution. Watering less not only means saving water, but saving money and the environment as well. Adjust watering your plants with the weather and water them in zones.
Shady areas need less water than sunny areas of the lawn. Watering your plants after a while is better than watering daily. Watering in the morning or evening is a wiser idea because you’ll eliminate the possibility of evaporation.
Always position your sprinklers properly so that you are not wasting water on paved areas and harvest the rainwater in barrels for watering your plants, washing your car and cleaning up the driveway. Avoid hosing down the car while washing it and use a bucket instead.
Tips for Saving Water That Are Easier Than You Thought!
A little effort on your part could go a long way, these are things most of us can do. Some bigger water saving strategies may involve upgrading your plumbing fixes and home appliances, which could be expensive. However, most of these are simple tips for saving water that could save you a lot of money on water bills.
We understand that old habits are hard to break but try as much as you can to adapt to these changes and soon enough, you’ll get used to them. Visit our blog to read on the benefits of water in our body and the environment that will help you become more eco-friendly.