Conserve Water - 10 Things You Can Do
1. Use water wisely.
Start monitoring your personal and families water use. I'm not saying
get militant, in most cases that will just backfire and create a
water police effect. Trust me I know. Living with a family that
demands 30 minute long showers, can be almost torture to the water
conserving family member. I have found that, the learn by example
method is slowly paying off. Although I still give a shout out to
my daughters when I notice the worlds water supply running low.
I have noticed that the family is more aware and forgiving to my
knocks on the bathroom door to wrap it up. Never knock on the door
of your spouse! Just don't do it!
Try training yourself to turn off water while shaving and brushing
your teeth. Then move up to lathering, shampooing while showering.
Reducing showering time to five minutes can save an average of 20
to 40 gallons of water.
2. Follow your local water restrictions.
If you live in an area that has imposed water restrictions. Then
you need to start following those restrictions. Easier said than
done I know. For many years most of us have become accustomed to
using the watering hose whenever the need arises. Remember running
that hose for hours during the summer for your kids or just for
yourself, not any more, at least not without consequence. Water
rates go up dramatically when a certain amount of water is used
in most municipalities. Take a hard hit on your water bill one month
and you are usually ready to start conserving.
If your area is not under any water restrictions, consider your
environmental responsibility and make any adjustments to minimize
the amount of water you use.
3. Learn about your houses plumbing.
For most of us, if we turn on the tap and water comes out, that
is the extent of what we know about our homes plumbing. I am not
advocating that you take an apprentice course on plumbing, just
learn about several of the main parts of your homes plumbing system.
Start by locating your main water meter and water shut off. You'll
will be happy when something decides to go awry and you can run
out and turn off the cause of that gusher in your garage or worse
your bathroom. In most cases any point of water in your home also
has a shut off valve located close to the source of water. Trust
me, after I was alerted to the gallons and gallons of water flowing
onto our wood floors, everyone in my family now knows what those
little silver knobs under the toilets and under the cabinets are
used for.
4. Fix those leaks.
You've seen it before, water seeping into the bowl of the toilet.
Not large enough to make a trip to the hardware store or definitely
not warranted of a visit from a plumber. That small leak could be
costing you in hundreds of gallons of water each month. These seem
the easiest to ignore but have a large payoff when corrected.
5. Change those shower and faucet heads.
Try changing a shower head to a new low flow type. These are simple
to install even for a homeowner. Most new faucets already come equipped
with a water saving head installed, read the box if you are buying
new. For the outdoors, make sure you have back flow devices on all
of your outdoor faucets. Using self shut off type hose spray heads
can also keep you from wasting water when you drop the hose to take
care of another task.
6. Consider sweeping.
The days of using the hose to spray down that driveway are all but
over. Buy a good push broom and regular sweep broom. It will actually
give you a little exercise at the same time.
7. Reclaim water.
In most areas that have water restrictions also have a loophole
for those that reclaim water. Usually reclaimed water is not held
to any restrictions, so when you need to water you can, using your
own stored water. Don't forget about that air conditioning drain,
you can gather a lot of water just from that source alone. Catching
rainwater from a gutter will reward you with hundreds of gallons
of water.
8. Use appliances only when full.
Run washing machines and dishwashers only with full loads to
maximize efficiency. Install water-saving dishwashers, front-loading
washing machines and other appliances that help save water. Water-saving
dishwashers use about 4 gallons of water, about one-third of the
water needed by a standard dishwasher. Some water-conserving clothes
washers use about 30 gallons of water for a 19-pound load, about
the same of that, standard washers use for an eight-pound load.
9. Consider washing your car in the rain.
OK, this one got some strange looks from my children but when you
think about it, it make total sense. You use less detergents and
you are always getting a free rinse. Then on the next dry day you
can wax and shine up those glossy areas. If you must use a hose
to wash, then move your car or boat to a grassy part of your lawn
so the water can percolate through instead of evaporating on the
hot asphalt or concrete.
10. Say good buy to the disposal.
Start composting the items you would normally throw down the
disposal. This makes great soil enhancements through the composting
process. Click here to learn more
about creating a compost system that fits your lifestyle.
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