General Water Saving Tips
- Think while you use water, especially in the bathroom. Bathroom facilities constitute nearly 75% of the water used in the typical household.
- Repair Leaks. A leak of just one drop per second wastes 3,000 gallons of water a year. Hot water leaks also waste the energy used to heat the water. Total cost per drip – $30 to $50 per year.
- Install water-saving devices such as faucet aerators, new shower heads, and displacement devices (a brick in the tank) for toilets. Most devices cost little but save a lot of water and money.
Saving Water in the Bathroom
- Never use your toilet as a wastebasket
- Test for a flapper leak inside the toilet. A toilet flapper leak can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day! To test, add a few drops of dark food coloring to the water in the toilet tank. If the colored water appears in the bowl when not in use, the toilet flapper is leaking. A replacement costs $5 to $10 and installs in 30 seconds.
- Install low-flow aerators and showerheads. They are inexpensive and easy to install.
- Close the faucet flow while brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Use a partially filled sink to rinse your razor.
- Use a glass of water for rinsing teeth.
- Take showers instead of tub baths, or take a shallow bath.
- When showering, do not turn on the water “full blast.”
- Take faster, shorter showers.
- When showering, turn off the flow while soaping or shampooing.
- Consider bathing small children together.
Saving Water in the Kitchen and Laundry
- Refrigerate a bottle of drinking water instead of letting a faucet flow until the water is cold enough to drink.
- Use a dishpan or plug the sink for washing and rinsing dishes. Install a low-flow aerator on all faucets.
- Don’t run water continuously when washing dishes.
- Avoid using a garbage disposal. Disposals use a great deal of water. Add your garbage to the compost or trash instead of putting it down the garbage disposal.
- Pre-rinsing dishes prior to loading in a dishwasher is an unnecessary and wasteful use of water.
- Operate the washing machine and dishwasher only when they are fully loaded. Use the proper water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
- When purchasing a washing machine or dishwasher, consider water consumption as well as energy efficiency. Most manufacturers now provide this information to consumers.
Saving Water Outside
- Wash your car with a bucket of soap and water, not with a hose.
- Sweep your driveway, do not spray it clean with water.
