Saving water is an easy way to reduce bills and lead a more eco conscious lifestyle. Every family can save thousands of gallons of water each year by making a few slight adjustments to their routine across the kitchen, bathroom and garden. Here are 10 essential water saving tips for eco conscious homes:
1.Use the Dishwasher More Often
This one can be hard to fathom, but the modern dishwasher uses significantly less water than what’s required to fill the kitchen sink. It’s estimated that the average household uses 8 gallons of water per day to fill the sink. A typical Energy Star-rated dishwasher uses just 4 gallons of water per load. That’s half the water usage, plus the time and labour saved compared to washing by hand.
2.Use Drinking Water Filters
If you multiply the number of plastic water bottles you’ve drunk over your lifetime by 3 litres (because that’s how much water it takes to produce a 1.5-litre bottle), the result could motivate you to buy a water filter. On the Metropolitan Plumbing website, you can easily find a product to help reduce your water consumption. Think about how many water bottles you throw in the waste bin every year. According to the latest statistics, more than… 500 billion plastic bottles are sold each year worldwide, and each bottle can take up to 1000 years to decompose! How can we prevent this? The best way is to start from your own home, where you can install many devices that not only eliminate the problem of bottles themselves, but also strongly reduce water consumption.
3.Only Wash Full Loads
Whether a dishwasher or washing machine, waiting for a full load before running the wash cycle is an excellent way to save water and energy; also, avoid rinsing and soaking items beforehand. There’s a good chance that your appliance is powerful enough to remove the grime and grease. If not, a simple scrape or spray should suffice. There are plenty of pre-treatment options that don’t involve running excessive water.
4.Take Shorter Showers
Reducing shower time by three minutes can save an eco conscious family of three 18 gallons of water each day, or over 6,500 gallons each year. According to Healthline, the average length of showers in America is 8 minutes. So, it wouldn’t hurt or make much difference to shave back on your time under the running water.
5.Install a Water Saving Shower Head
Switching to a water saving shower head can significantly reduce your water usage and hot water cost. Water saving shower heads use as little as 1.3 gallons of water per minute, with better quality options reducing water usage without eliminating that highly desirable water pressure. Install one of these shower heads, and you could save over 1,300 gallons of water each year plus the energy used to hear it.
6.Plug the Sink
An eco conscious family won’t let water escape down the drain. Instead, they will plug the sink when in use and reuse the water. Whether it’s rinsing vegetables in the kitchen, or shaving in the bathroom, plugging the sink is always more favourable than letting the water continuously flow down the drain.
7.Pick Water Saving Plants
There’s a wide selection of flora available that can survive with little to no water making them suitable for eco conscious homes. Begonias, succulents, snake plants and Chinese evergreen are all examples of gorgeous plants that thrive in dry conditions and won’t die if you forget to water them. So plant these in your garden and waste no water while expanding the appeal of your home.
8.Check for Leaks
Leaks may appear small and be considered inconsequential. However, average household leaks can account for a whopping 10,000 gallons of water wasted each year, with 10 percent of American homes wasting 90 gallons each day.
If you have a visible leak, get it fixed. If your water bills have increased and you haven’t changed your behaviour, chances are there’s a water leak, and it’s time to call a contractor for an investigation.
9.Beware Evaporation!
Evaporation is why experts suggest you water the garden and wash the car early or late in the day. Using water before 10am or after 4pm outside the hottest part of the day reduces the water lost through evaporation, making your water use more effective and requiring less to get the job done.
The same goes for the swimming pool, so make sure you fit it with a cover when not in use. Keeping the pool covered will reduce evaporation, maximising your eco conscious efforts.
10.Install a Rainwater Collection Tank
An American made rainwater collection system can be a worthwhile investment, especially if you’re looking to be more eco conscious. Capturing rainfall for personal use will ease the strain on local reservoirs and significantly reduce your water usage.
Having a rainwater collection tank also provides you with a backup water supply for emergencies like wildfire or drought. Having a plumber connect the tank up to your home even allows you to use the water for washing, flushing and drinking if treated appropriately. If short on space, a rain barrel will do the same thing, albeit on a smaller scale.
11.Try the No Poo Method
It’s not what you think. The no poo method is a fun name for the no shampoo method, as in, giving up on shampooing your hair. This is something that bloggers and influencers do to test how treatments and natural oils affect hair. But it’s also a great way to save water.
Think about it. How long do you spend under the shower applying and rinsing shampoo and conditioner from your hair? Cutting back on hair treatment will reduce water usage, and you might even be pleasantly surprised by the results. Try it out for two weeks, or just say its name out loud. No Poo Method!
And by following along with these essential water saving tips, you will be well on your way to living a more eco conscious lifestyle.
