10 handy ways to save water at home
2021-04-26
Learn how to save water from your home and start today!
Over the last 50 years, the average person has more than doubled their water use, and what’s worse, 95% of water used in each household goes down the drain. In fact, the average person wastes up to 30 gallons of water a day. That’s over 100 litres!
Saving water is not only important for a less expensive water bill, but it’s also important to the environment on the whole. Water is a precious natural resource, and the benefits of conserving it are endless and important.
Saving water around the house is so easy, and we’ve compiled a list of 10 easy ways to save water at home that you can start today!
1. Limit your showers
Probably the most common sense tip for saving water is to limit your showers, or if you’re a fan of long showers, at least try to time yourself to shower for a shorter amount of time. If you have a standard shower head installed, each extra minute in the shower is 2.5 gallons (almost 10 litres) of water wasted.
2. Fix leaking taps and toilets
Leaking taps and toilets are a major culprit for water waste around the house. If your leaking tap drips twice a minute, that’s 260 litres a year wasted for no reason. Teach the kids to turn off the taps properly and get the plumbers in to fix all your leaks in one go to do your bit towards saving water.
3. Cook only with what you need
It may not seem like much, but you may be using a lot of water when cooking that can be saved. Use measuring instruments to ensure you’re not using excess water that will go down the drain, find one pot recipes that are not only time-saving but water saving too, and steam your food instead of boiling it to use less water.
4. Buy a low flush toilet
You may just take for granted that your toilet does the job it’s supposed to and not think about it too much, but there are toilets that are water saving. For instance, dual flush toilets release a smaller or larger amount of water depending on whether you press the smaller or larger button. Low flush or low flow toilets are eco-friendly in the sense that they use less water when flushing away your number 1s and 2s.
5. Install water saving shower heads
Many of you will already have installed water saving shower heads - and good for you!
These shower heads don’t lessen the quality of your morning shower, but simply regulate the flow or aerate your shower water. Five litres of water is used per minute in the average shower, and a low flow shower head can save up to 3000 gallons per year of water for the average family. That’s a lot!
6. Turn off water while doing your things
There are other ways to save water in the shower aside from limiting your shower length. If you spend a decent deal of time out of the water flow scrubbing your hair with shampoo, letting conditioner work its magic or shaving your legs, turn the water off while you’re busy with these tasks. It will save gallons of water while not using up that hot water as quickly!
7. Rinse less and use less
Whether you do the dishes once or twice a day, you can save a serious amount of water doing this menial household task. After all, washing the average load of dishes by hand uses just over 100 litres of water. If you wash your dishes by hand, don’t leave your dishes to soak overnight as this means you’ll have to fill the sink up again in the morning. Limit your rinsing and make sure to scrape your plates immediately after eating. Caked on food will use up more water soaking it to get it off. Also, using more dishes in general requires more water to wash them, so reuse those glasses!
8. Install a rainwater tank
If you have the funds and the capacity, installing a rainwater tank works wonders towards lowering your water bill and using less water in general. The benefits are vast, including providing an alternative water supply and minimising water use from the mains. Rainwater tanks also do their part for the environment by decreasing pressure on stormwater drains and reducing flooding.
9. Use leftover water in your garden
Use your leftover water from the household in your garden (granted it doesn’t have chemicals in it) and watch your greenery flourish! Here’s a top tip - next time you go to pour your pasta water down the drain - think again! As long as it isn’t salted, pasta water is rich in minerals and nutrients and is incredibly good for your plants. Plants can also be watered with “grey water”, that is shower, bath and washing machine water.
10. Wash your car with a bucket
Last but not least, the next time you head out to wash your car, leave the hose behind. Instead, grab a bucket and save water. Using a hose wastes hundreds of litres during the typical car wash, but a bucket keeps the amount of water you’re using limited. Even better, head down to the local automatic car wash. Car washes use around 10 times less water than washing your car at home, and leaves your car sparkling too!
Do you have any other tips to save water at home? Share them with us on Facebook or Instagram!
