7 Ways to Conserve Water in Your Home
Water is precious commodity nowadays. Sometimes people recklessly waste too much of it without thinking of the future of our planet. However, conserving water will assure you ecologically sustainable living. About 70 % of the earth’s surface is covered in water. So the question might arise what is the point in conserving water at all? But only 3 % of that entire amount is fresh water and most of it is locked in ice and glaciers.
Water makes our planet unique and fit for human habitation. Droughts often hit California area; in this case conserving water becomes even more urgent. The World Health Organization recommends using two gallons per person every day to meet the needs of most people under most conditions – and around 5 gallons per person daily to cover basic hygiene and food processing needs.
Conserving water isn’t hard when you make some effort to do that. It’s all about little, everyday things. Read on to discover a few helpful tips to save more water at home.
- Toilets use more water than any other appliance at home – the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculated that about 30 % of all water consumed by a typical homeowner is used in toilets. Have a professional come and reduce tank volume and fix leaks in order to reduce the amount of water used per flush. If you consider installing new toilets, ultra-low flow or high efficiency toilets (operating at just 1.3 gallons per flush) will be the perfect choice.
- Turn off the tap water when you don’t use it
Some people are in a habit of keeping the water running while brushing their teeth or shaving. Such an innocent procedure can waste about 4-5 gallons of water on the average. That’s approximately what a family in Africa uses for the whole day. Instead, you could use a glass while brushing your teeth of plug the sink while shaving and turn the tap off until it’s time to wash. - Take showers instead of taking a full bath
A bath uses up to 70 gallons of water; a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons. A significant difference, isn’t it? Don’t drain your bath after you soaked in it, you can use that water to flush the toilet or for some other purposes. - Soak your dishes in warm water before putting them in the dishwasher
Never allow water run to rinse dishes. Soaking your dishes is more effective than scraping them in running water. You will conserve water and make your life easier. - Run your washer and dishwasher only when they are full
Your dishwasher and washing machine can each use 10-15 gallons of water per cycle. Save water by doing less but fuller loads of dishes and laundry. - Wash your fruits and veggies in a basin
Put a basin or big pot, fill it, and wash your fruit/veggies in it. Then place them in a colander to drain over the basin. Not only will this procedure save a lot of water, but you can then use left-over water to water plants. You can also rinse the vegetables in a colander as long as you do it over a bucket and collect the water. - Fix plumbing leaks
You need to examine your plumbing fixtures and hoses for leaks on a regular basis. Even when your faucet drips, it can add up to significant amount of wasted water over time. Leaks from toilets and hoses are usually more noticeable and they will result in thousands of gallons of water that gets wasted. So watch your utility bills. And get your plumbing examined and repaired if needed by professional plumbers to reduce water waste.
All the ways that help consume water at your home will be useless unless you make a conscious decision to be careful with how you use water. If you have any problems with your plumbing, call Downey Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning, a full-scale plumbing and HVAC contractor.
