Ways to Conserve
Here are some tips on simple things you can do or check at home to help conserve water.
Faucets and Taps
1. Install water-efficient faucet aerators (1.0 gallon per minute or less). This can save over 10 gallons of water a day.
2. Worn washers or O-rings (for washer-less faucets) usually cause faucet (and tap) leaks. Repairing a faucet leak is easy. Just turn off the water supply line to that faucet, replace the washer, and turn on the water line again.
Bathroom
1. Install water-efficient shower heads (2.5 gallons per minute or less). Older shower heads can waste over 20 gallons of water a day.
2. Installing low-volume (1.6 gallons per flush or less) toilets can greatly reduce water usage. Older toilets can waste over 40 gallons of water a day. If this is too costly, you can put a sealed container, filled with water, in the toilet tank. This will reduce the amount of water used for the flush. Be careful that your container doesn't float or move around within the tank, it could interfere with the toilet's flushing and filling mechanisms. Also make sure you test flush the toilet to see if it is still working adequately.
3. Don't run the water while shaving, brushing your teeth or lathering your face and hands. 4. Avoid using the toilet as a wastebasket.
Kitchen
1. When cleaning vegetables, use a pan of water instead of a running faucet.
2. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator to avoid running the tap to get a glass of cool water.
3. Scrape the dishes without rinsing as you load the dishwasher, or use a pan of water instead of a running faucet.
4. Only run full loads. To help conserve electrical energy, run the dishwasher during off-peak hours.
5. When practical, avoid using your garbage disposal for food waste. This not only reduces water usage, but it also helps keep your sewer pipes clear.
Laundry
1. Purchase new, water-efficient models. Many new washing machines, especially the front-loading models, use 30 percent less water.
2. Run full loads, or if you must run a small load, adjust the water level control on the washing machine as appropriate.
3. Washing Machine hoses can and do burst, and it usually bursts when you are not at home. As a preventative measure, turn off both the faucets when you are finished washing clothes.
Outside
1. Avoid using your hose to spray away the debris from your driveway, sidewalks and curbs. Use a broom and properly dispose of the debris.
2. Car Wash facilities, both self-serve and full service, usually do a good job with water conservation, as well as preventing the run off from going directly to the streams and rivers.
3. When washing your car at home, use an adjustable spray nozzle on your hose, and shut-off the water at the nozzle when you aren't actively using the water. Also, it helps when you use an appropriate degree of a misting spray instead of full flow.
4. A hose mistakenly left dribbling away in the grass or garden can waste thousands of gallons of water over the course of a summer.
Here are some tips on simple things you can do or check at home to help conserve water.
Faucets and Taps
1. Install water-efficient faucet aerators (1.0 gallon per minute or less). This can save over 10 gallons of water a day.
2. Worn washers or O-rings (for washer-less faucets) usually cause faucet (and tap) leaks. Repairing a faucet leak is easy. Just turn off the water supply line to that faucet, replace the washer, and turn on the water line again.
Bathroom
1. Install water-efficient shower heads (2.5 gallons per minute or less). Older shower heads can waste over 20 gallons of water a day.
2. Installing low-volume (1.6 gallons per flush or less) toilets can greatly reduce water usage. Older toilets can waste over 40 gallons of water a day. If this is too costly, you can put a sealed container, filled with water, in the toilet tank. This will reduce the amount of water used for the flush. Be careful that your container doesn't float or move around within the tank, it could interfere with the toilet's flushing and filling mechanisms. Also make sure you test flush the toilet to see if it is still working adequately.
3. Don't run the water while shaving, brushing your teeth or lathering your face and hands. 4. Avoid using the toilet as a wastebasket.
Kitchen
1. When cleaning vegetables, use a pan of water instead of a running faucet.
2. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator to avoid running the tap to get a glass of cool water.
3. Scrape the dishes without rinsing as you load the dishwasher, or use a pan of water instead of a running faucet.
4. Only run full loads. To help conserve electrical energy, run the dishwasher during off-peak hours.
5. When practical, avoid using your garbage disposal for food waste. This not only reduces water usage, but it also helps keep your sewer pipes clear.
Laundry
1. Purchase new, water-efficient models. Many new washing machines, especially the front-loading models, use 30 percent less water.
2. Run full loads, or if you must run a small load, adjust the water level control on the washing machine as appropriate.
3. Washing Machine hoses can and do burst, and it usually bursts when you are not at home. As a preventative measure, turn off both the faucets when you are finished washing clothes.
Outside
1. Avoid using your hose to spray away the debris from your driveway, sidewalks and curbs. Use a broom and properly dispose of the debris.
2. Car Wash facilities, both self-serve and full service, usually do a good job with water conservation, as well as preventing the run off from going directly to the streams and rivers.
3. When washing your car at home, use an adjustable spray nozzle on your hose, and shut-off the water at the nozzle when you aren't actively using the water. Also, it helps when you use an appropriate degree of a misting spray instead of full flow.
4. A hose mistakenly left dribbling away in the grass or garden can waste thousands of gallons of water over the course of a summer.