Practical Ways to Conserve Water
Author: Alyssa Craig
Disclosure: I am not the author of this post nor do I claim it as my own.
Whether you live in a naturally dry climate or your area did not receive the precipitation it needed this winter (or perhaps both!), you may be looking for ways to conserve water. Not only will this benefit the environment and your community’s water supply, but it will also save you some money as you end up using less water.
Here are a few practical ways you can implement water conservation into your daily life:
Repair Leaky Faucets and Pipes: A tiny drip can cause an extra 20 gallons per day of water usage. Imagine the damage that a larger leak would create.
Reserve Toilet for...Bathroom Business: Don’t use your toilet as a trash can and waste gallons of water flushing unnecessarily.
Upgrade Bathroom Hardware: Install water saving shower heads and low flow faucets.
Limit Showers: Did you know four minute showers use 20-40 gallons of water. Keep showers under 5 minutes to save up to 1,000 gallons per month.
Upgrade Yard to Conserve Water: Turn some of your yard space into a zen garden or create a gravel garden as suggested here. These gardens give you beautiful landscaping options while reducing the amount of water your yard will need for upkeep.
Insulate Water Pipes: Pre-slit foam pipe insulators are available for easy application to your water pipes. This will help water to heat faster and avoid wasting water while you wait for it to heat up.
Turn Off the Water When you are Brushing your Teeth: Wet the toothbrush and then turn it off while you brush until you need it to rinse.
Run Washers on Full Loads Only: Make sure your dishwasher and clothes washer only run on full capacity. Adjust water level for clothes washer loads for those that are not full. You can also look into replacing your washer with an energy efficient one.
Keep a Pitcher of Drinking Water in the Fridge: This means you won’t waste water as you wait for it to cool down. You can also refill individual water bottles to keep in the fridge.
Plant Drought-Resistant Lawns, Shrubs, and Plants: When you do decide to add more greenery to your yard, look for those that are drought-resistant and require less water to survive.
Put Mulch Around Trees and Plants: This will help to increase the soil’s ability to retain moisture.
Avoid Watering Lawn When it is Hot and When it is Windy: This will help to ensure the maximum amount of water actually makes it down into the soil. Also only water lawn once every three days during the summer.
Regularly Check your Sprinkler System for Leaks: Leaks happen, but they can cause a lot of strife with water waste. Check your sprinkler system regularly to ensure leaks are repaired as soon as possible.
Be Choosey with Water Toys: Avoid fun water toys that require a constant stream of water.
Hand Wash Dishes the Smart Way: When washing dishes by hand, fill one basin with soapy water and the other with rinsing water, rather than keeping the tap running the entire time.
Two Birds with One Stone: Wash your pet outdoors, in an area of the lawn that needs extra water. Two in one!
Defrost in the Fridge: Defrost food in the refrigerator rather than thawing under running water. This is also the safest way to defrost food.
Avoid Over-Watering Plants: Put ice cubes on the top of the soil that will melt and give your plants just enough water without over doing it.
Cook Food in as Little Water as Possible: Not only will you conserve water, but you will also help the food to retain a higher amount of nutrients.
Use the Garbage Disposal Sparingly: Instead of using your garbage disposal, requiring quite a bit of water in the process, consider starting a compost pile for your food waste.
Leave Lawn Clippings on the Grass: This cools the ground and helps it to retain more water. It also reduces the amount of work you have to do every time you mow the lawn.
Convert Toilet to Dual Flush: Easy to do and adds up to quite a bit of savings. It produces a half flush you can use for liquid waste while a full flush is still available for solid waste.
Set Up a Rain Barrel: Collect rainwater and use it to water plants or parts of the lawn that need a little extra love.
These habits are easy to implement and putting just a few into your normal routine will add up to quite a bit of water conservation!
