When you conserve water at home, you not only help protect and save the Earth’s resources, you save a bit of money as well. You will also teach your children a valuable lesson about using water wisely and taking care of the planet. While you can take extreme measures to conserve water, often it is the small steps, such as shaving a minute or two from your shower or checking faucets for leaks, that are all you need to do.
1. Replace Your Shower Head
Replace your old shower head with a low-flow one. Older shower heads tend to let 5 to 10 gallons of water flow from the faucet every minute. Low-flow shower heads restrict the flow of water to less than 2.5 gallons per minute. We love the EcoFlow® Hand Held Shower Heads from Waterpik.
2. Add Aerators
Put aerators on your bathroom sink and kitchen sink faucets. The aerators reduce the amount of water that comes from the faucet.
3. Smart Water Habits
Turn the water off. Don’t let it run when you brush your teeth, wash your face at the sink or when you are washing the dishes. Also turn it off while you soap up or shampoo your hair in the shower.
4. Take Showers, Not Baths
Take showers and not baths. Taking a bath uses a lot of water, especially if you let gallons of water flow down the drain while waiting for it to heat up. Try to get the length of your shower down to 10 minutes, then down to five minutes.
5. Don’t Over-Flush
Use your toilet wisely. You waste water when you flush trash, such as used tissues or cigarette ash, down it. Reduce the amount of water used in each flush by placing a brick or plastic soda bottle filled with rocks in the tank.
6. Use A Dishwasher
Wash dishes in the dishwasher instead of by hand. If you don’t have a dishwasher, fill a plastic bucket with water and wash dishes from that instead of letting the water run.
7. Only Full Loads
Run your dishwasher or washing machine when they are full. Try to avoid doing small or half-size loads. To save even more energy, line dry your clothing.
8. Fix Leaks
Check for and fix any leaks in your toilet and faucets. The University of Georgia fact sheet on conserving water recommends placing several drops of food coloring into your toilet tank. If the water in the bowl changes color after a short period of time, and without flushing, you have a leak.
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