If you have a dishwasher only run it when it is full!
Don’t waste water pre-rinsing dishes!
Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.
Install a Faucet Aerator (the Dollar store sells them) -It screws onto the bottom of your faucet to reduce water flow, without reducing water pressure. You can even get some that swivel to allow you to direct the water where you need it.
Keep Drinking Water in the fridge so that you’re not running water waiting for the water to get cold!
Low-flow shower heads use 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM); older models use as much as 5.5 GPM. Make the switch and you’ll reduce your water bill by 25-60%
Take Shorter Showers Aim for a five-minute shower. With a low-flow showerhead, you’ll use 12.5 gallons of water or less. Compare that to 37.5 gallons for a 15-minute shower, and the savings are pretty easy to see.
Shower Instead of Taking Baths, it takes 35 gallons of water to fill the average bathtub. Switch to a five-minute shower with a low-flow showerhead, and you’ll save 22.5 gallons each time you scrub up!
Repair Faucet Leaks A leaky faucet can waste 1000-2000 gallons of water a year
Turn the Water Off While You Brush/ Shave Less flow time equals less water used.
Rinse your razor in the sink. Fill the sink with a few inches of warm water. This will rinse your razor just as well as running water and use far less water!
Check Toilets for Leaks, a leaky toilet can waste as much as 500 gallons of water each day! Place a dye tablet ( at home improvement stores) in the toilet tank, and watch to see if the dye seeps into the bowl. If it does, you have a leak that needs to be addressed.
Replace Your Toilet Flapper Once a Year Toilet flappers break down quickly, and should be replaced once a year – even if they say they’re good for longer. A couple of dollars spent on a replacement flapper will save you much more on your water bill.
Install an Adjustable Flapper Several manufacturers now offer flappers that you can adjust to your desired flush volume. An adjustable flapper can save up to three gallons per flush.
Fill a bottle with water, and place it in the toilet tank. It’ll displace water, and cause the tank to fill with less water. Just how much water will this save? An amount equal to the size of the bottle that you placed in the tank. A 20 oz. bottle, for example, will save 20 oz. of water per flush.
Install a Fill Cycle Diverter – Save another 1/2 gallon per flush by installing a fill cycle diverter in each of your toilets. This simple add-on costs less than a dollar and is designed to divert overflow water back to the tank during the filling cycle.
Only Wash Full Loads You’ll save water, and wear and tear on your machine. If you have an emergency and can’t wait for a full load ensure you adjust your settings on your washer so that you don’t waste water
Switch to cold water!
Wear Clothes More than Once Pants and outwear usually don’t get very dirty. Wear them twice before washing, and you’ll cut down on your water use and your housework. I know both myself and my daughter have long hair and use a towel for the sole purpose of removing excess water from our hair; I put it on a hook on the back of the door and use it more than once!
Upgrade to a High-Efficiency Washer A high-efficiency washer can be as much as three times as efficient as a regular washer. Upgrade when your current washer dies, and enjoy the savings.
Save unused drinking water, capture water while you’re waiting for the shower to heat up and hang on to your cooking water – then use it to water your plants.
Water your lawn at night. This allows the water to sink into the ground without evaporating in the mid-day heat.
Insulate Pipes Cover your hot water pipes with foam insulation to prevent heat loss. The payoff: hot water faster and less water waste.
A tankless water heater is more efficient than a conventional water heater (up to 98% efficiency). It produces hot water on demand eliminating the standby energy used with a conventional water heater. Tankless water heaters can lower your water heating energy bills by 30%-40%.
Collect Rain Water for Plants Attach rain barrels to the end of your gutter drain spouts to collect rainwater. Then, use it to water your plants and wash your car.
Go to a car wash to wash your car; it’s actually much cheaper than if you used a hose and water from home!
Use a Wading Pool Instead of a Sprinkler Fill a wading pool for your kids, instead of letting them play in the sprinkler. They can splash around for hours without the continuous flow of water.
You may be wasting water without even noticing it. Take notice of every time you fill a glass with water to take a pill, then dump the rest down the sink. Small actions like this add up.
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants Mulch will slow evaporation of moisture while discouraging weed growth. Adding 2 – 4 inches of organic material such as compost or bark mulch will increase the ability of the soil to retain moisture.
When watering the lawn, do it long enough for the moisture to soak down to the roots where it will do the most good. A light sprinkling can evaporate quickly and tends to encourage shallow root systems. Put an empty tuna can on your lawn – when it’s full, you’ve watered about the right amount.
