Below are many ways to save water in your home and or business. Saving water not only decreases your monthly service bill, it also helps preserve what we take for granted every day.
Save water in the kitchen
If you wash dishes by hand—and that’s the best way—don’t leave the water running for rinsing. you have two sinks, fill one with rinse water. If you only have one sink, use a spray device or short blasts instead of letting the water run.
When washing dishes by hand, use the least amount of detergent possible. This minimizes rinse water needed.
Use the garbage disposal sparingly.
Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This beats the wasteful habit of running tap water to cool it for drinking.
Don’t defrost frozen foods with running water. Either plan ahead by placing frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or defrost them in the microwave.
Don’t let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Rinse them in a filled sink or pan.
Use the garbage disposal less and the garbage more (even better—compost!).
The dishwasher is one of the biggest water users in the kitchen. A typical dishwasher uses about 25 gallons of water per load. However, some of the newer, more energy and water efficient models use as little as 13 gallons of water per load.
As you know, the more dishes you can get into the dishwasher per load, the more efficiently the water is used! So only do full loads of dishes, and you will be using your water wisely.
Save water in the bathroom
Make sure your toilet is an ultra-low flush model, which uses only one and a half gallons per flush.
If you’re taking a shower, don’t waste cold water while waiting for hot water to reach the shower head. Catch that water in a container to use on your outside plants or to flush your toilet. Saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.
Check toilet for leaks. Put dye tablets or food coloring into the tank. If color appears in the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak that should be repaired. Saves 400 gallons a month.
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Saves up to three gallons each day.
Turn off the water while shaving. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor. Saves up to three gallons each day.
You can save water in the shower by installing low-flow shower heads, keeping each shower short and sweet, and running the water only when it is needed to lather up and rinse off.
Taking unnecessarily long showers wastes water. Reducing the length of your shower by just one minute could save you hundreds of gallons of water a year.
By far the best way to save water in the shower is to only run the water when needed. This practice can reduce the water used to less than 10 gallons each shower and will save you money each year.
Installing a faucet aerator is a simple and inexpensive way to reduce water use in the bathroom. Faucet aerators reduce output from 2.5 gpm to 1.5 gpm! This is a savings of about 40%.
Save water in the laundry room
Use full loads of laundry whenever possible. Each load of laundry uses between 27 and 54 gallons of water.
Most washers now offer preset levels for small, medium, and large loads, so you can select the appropriate water level for the size of your laundry.
For hand laundering, put a stopper in the washtub for both wash and rinse. Don’t let the faucet run.
Take a look at your washing machine and see if it has the suds saving feature. If it does use it to recycle the rinse water from the previous load of laundry. This is a neat way to save water.
When it’s time to replace your washing machine look for the most water efficient ones. A water efficient washing machine can save as much as 7,000gallons per year.
Save water in the yard
Plant during the spring or fall when the watering requirements are lower.
Minimize evaporation by watering during the early morning hours, when temperatures are cooler and winds are lighter.
Use a layer of organic mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and save hundreds of gallons of water a year.
Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk and save 80 gallons of water every time.
Divide your watering cycle into shorter periods to reduce runoff and allow for better absorption every time you water.
We’re more likely to notice leaky faucets indoors, but don’t forget to check outdoor faucets, pipes, and hoses for leaks.
Periodically check your pool for leaks if you have an automatic refilling device.
Only water your lawn when needed. You can tell this by simply walking across your lawn. If you leave footprints, it’s time to water.
Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. Longer grass shades root systems and holds soil moisture better than a closely clipped lawn.
Use the sprinkler for larger areas of grass. Water small patches by hand to avoid waste.
Use porous materials for walkways and patios to keep water in your yard and prevent wasteful runoff.
Direct downspouts and other runoff towards shrubs and trees, or collect and use for your garden.
Water your summer lawns once every three days and your winter lawn once every five days.
Install a rain shut-off device on your automatic sprinklers to eliminate unnecessary watering.
Use drip irrigation for shrubs and trees to apply water directly to the roots where it’s needed.
Reduce the amount of grass in your yard by planting shrubs, and ground cover with rock and granite mulching.
