Print This List    Email to a Friend  

Ways to save water usage in the home  
TIPS 

Tags: how-to, water conservation

Ways to save on home water consumption and your water bill.

	Use low-flow shower heads. They can reduce water flow by as much as 40 percent.
	Run a small amount of water for a tub bath. Be sure to place the stopper in the drain before turning on the water. Run only as much water as absolutely necessary for your bath.
	Don't allow the water to run continuously in the sink while you shave or brush your teeth. Running the tap for two minutes while you are brushing your teeth uses roughly 2 ü to 4 gallons of water.
	If possible, install aerators in the faucets in your bathroom sinks. Aerators will reduce the flow of water.
	Make sure that the water is not running continuously in the toilet. Listen carefully for the faint sound of running water. It is possible that up to 100 gallons of water could be wasted each day from a running toilet.
	Put one to three tightly closed, quart plastic bottles (with rocks inside them to weight them down) inside the toilet tank. Be sure to place the bottles in such a position as to not interfere with the flushing mechanism. When you flush the toilet, one to three fewer quarts of water will be used. Don't use bricks for displacement of water in the toilet tank. They may flake off and cause damage to the system. The flush volume of five gallons (for most conventional toilets) can be reduced by 15 percent without hindering performance.
	Washing clothes in a conventional automatic washer uses approximately 40 to 60 gallons of water per load. Check clothes to make sure they really need washing. Some pieces of clothing can be worn several times between washings. Get as many wearings as possible from a garment before washing it.
	Save your laundry until you have enough to load your washing machine to its recommended capacity. Don't wash small or medium loads unless your washer has water level settings for such loads. If it does have such settings, don't forget to set them before you wash a small or medium load.
	The permanent press cycle on most automatic clothes washers uses approximately one-third more water than the regular cycle. Therefore, limiting your use of the permanent press cycle will save water.
	If you have only a few, small pieces of laundry, wash and rinse them by hand in the lavatory or laundry sink rather than in the clothes washer. Place the stopper in the lavatory or sink drain and run only the needed amount of water. Don't let the water run continuously while washing and rinsing.
	Buy clothing and household items which don't have to be washed separately. Washing them separately will require additional use of the clothes washer (unless you wash them by hand) which means additional money for water.
	Avoid unnecessary rinsing of dishes that go directly from the table into the automatic dishwasher for immediate washing. Scrape off leftover food, place them in your dishwasher, and let it do the rinsing for you.
	Run your dishwasher only when it is full. The same amount of water will be used regardless of the size of the load. Get as much as you can for your water dollar.
	After washing, rinsing, and drying dishes which you use only occasionally, wrap them in plastic wrap, put them in plastic bags, or cover them in some other manner to keep them clean. This will save you the time and the water required for washing them again before the next use.
	Heat a kettle of water for various small uses rather than draw hot water from the tap. Depending on the distance of the water heater from the tap, many gallons of water may have to be run off before the hot water reaches the tap.
	Use a pan when washing vegetables and fruits. When you have finished, use the water to water plants. Reusing water is like getting double value for your water dollar.
	Limit the number of utensils you use in preparing food as well as plates, flatware, glasses, and other dishes used with meals. Generally, the more items you have to wash, the more water will be required.

Lister: ListAfterList Wiki Contributors
Source: Frugal Life

Other lists of interest:

Ways to Cut Down on Fat INFORMATIVE  (0)

Party Foul: How to Fix Workplace Party Mishap PEOPLE  (0)

Water Conservation Tips from the EPA TIPS  (0)

Steps of Smart Gardening INFORMATIVE  (0)

Decorating the Kitchen INFORMATIVE  (0)

Rate it:
Give your rating for this list. One is the lowest score, five is the highest.

1.  2.  3.  4.  5. 

Add a Comment: Add your comments about the list. Enter your comment in the box below.