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If you're interested in conservation and protecting the environment, learning to conserve water is a great way to make a positive impact. A four-minute shower may not sound like much, but in reality can cost up to 40 gallons. But don't worry--there are ways to change water-hogging household habits into leaner, greener activities.
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Water Conservation Tips
- Run your dishwasher for only full loads.
- Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth.
- Check your faucets and toilets for leaks.
- Take shorter showers.
- Water your lawn in the morning.
- Use a cover on your pool.
- Wash your car with a nozzle on the hose.
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Introduction
- If you're fortunate enough to live in a place where clean water flows freely on demand, it can be easy to take it for granted. From your daily dishwashing routine to your daily shower, every drop of this natural resource is precious. Practicing conservation is not only good for the environment, but can save you money in energy bills. Here's how.
Step 1: In the Kitchen
- Lurking around your kitchen are any number of water-wasting opportunities—from a dripping faucet that could be leaking up to 2,700 gallons per year to the pre-wash setting on your dishwasher that's consuming nearly 4 extra gallons each load.Earth911: Saving Water Outside SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- Getting your kitchen in tip-top, water-conservation shape doesn't require a remodel, just a little thinking outside the box.
Your sink
- Install a faucet aerator: These small, inexpensive contraptions are available at practically any home-improvement store. They easily twist onto your existing faucet and, by combining air with the water, can cut use by as much as 60 percent without sacrificing a strong flow.EPA: How to Conserve Water and Use it Effectively
- Hand-wash your dishes efficiently: If you don't own a dishwasher, or just have a small load to wash, fill one side of the sink with hot, soapy water. After you wash and then rinse an item in the other side of the sink, don't leave the hot water running any longer than is necessary to clear the suds.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home
- Rethink rinsing: In addition to more conservative methods of rinsing just-washed dishes, rinse your fruits and vegetables more creatively. Instead of a steady stream of cold running water, fill a bowl and wash the produce in that.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home
- Utilize gray water: Gray (or grey) water is the term given to nonindustrial domestic wastewater (excluding toilets!) left over from washing dishes, clothes, etc.Wikipedia: Greywater In Step 5, there are a few ideas to safely utilize this wastewater, but a simple and practical way to start is right at your kitchen sink. Try recycling by using it to nurture your houseplants.Wikipedia: Water Efficiency
- Use your disposal sparingly: Disposals, while handy, require varying amounts of running water to operate correctly. Cut down on unnecessary waste by only running the disposal when it is full or with water that's been stopped up for dish washing.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation Or even take it a step further and use this opportunity to start composting.Earth911: Other Home Water Wasters
- TIP: Learn more about compost from Mahalo's page on How to Compost.
Your dishwasher
- Wash only full loads: Dishwashers use the same amount of water no matter the load size, so take advantage of every spare inch. If you do this, there's no need to feel guilty about ditching your hand-washing routine because running a full load is just as environmentally-friendly as hand-washing.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- Double-check your settings: Most automatic dishwashers include a "pre-wash" or "pre-soak" setting, which in many cases is unnecessary. If some of your dishes have stubborn food remains, either scrub them with a wet sponge or place them in a halfway-filled sink to soak before loading your machine. Ditching the pre-wash cycle saves loads of water.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- Consider an upgrade: If you don't have one already, consider springing for a more efficient EnergyStar dishwasher for the kitchen. Older models use between 13 and 25 gallons per day but newer ones cut that number down to between 9 and 11.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- TIP: Get more eco-friendly kitchen tips from Mahalo's page on How to Go Green in Your Kitchen.
Step 2: In the Laundry Room
- Most of us are pretty thankful that laundering with a bucket of water and a washboard went the way of the covered wagon. But electric washing machines can be a mixed blessing, especially when they comprise 20 percent of all home water use.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- The good news is it's easy to maximize your machine's efficiency with just a little extra effort.
Your washing machine
- Keep your eye on the size: If you're not washing an extra-large load of clothing, then why use an extra-large amount of water? The first step in washing-machine water-saving is matching the load size on the knob to the load size in your basket.
- Select the right cycle: Unless you're washing particularly finicky pieces of wardrobe, skip the "permanent press" option, which adds an extra rinse and up to 5 gallons of water to the process.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home In most cases, the regular/cotton cycle will do the trick.
- Consider an upgrade: More and more homeowners are opting for front-loading washing machines when it's time to replace their old models. That's because the front-loading style uses less water to tumble the clothes (as opposed to traditional agitation) and thus saves up to 40 percent more water than older models.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation If you can't afford this option, but are in the market for a new machine, at least look for the EnergyStar symbol.
Step 3: In the Bathroom
- Because our bathroom toilets, showers and sinks are responsible for two-thirds of all indoor water use, the lavatory is a prime place to practice conservation.EPA: How to Conserve Water and Use it Effectively
- Checking for leaks plus forming some good habits add up to massive environmental savings.
Your toilet
- Stop the leaks: Toilet flushing alone accounts for 40 percent of domestic water use, so a good working commode is essential—especially when even small leaks can cost you an additional $50 and up in water/sewage bills annually.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation To check if your toilet is functioning properly, add food coloring to the tank; if after 30 minutes some color is showing in the bowl, your toilet has a leak.Earth911: Other Home Water Wasters
- Get the 411 on ULF: The Energy Policy Act of 1992 required toilets in all new construction to allow 1.6 gallons per flush, as compared to the 3.5-5 gallons in conventional fixtures.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation So if you live in a house or apartment that was built or remodeled after 1994, you're likely just fine. But if you have an older toilet, you may want to consider an ultra-low flush (or ULF) model, cutting your use by 34 percent.EPA: How to Conserve Water and Use it Effectively
- Maximize the tank's capacity: If your bathroom isn't equipped with a ULF toilet, a displacement device in your tank will take up volume space, and thus can reduce volume by more than 4 gallons a day.EPA: How to Conserve Water and Use it Effectively Make your own by either wrapping a brick in plastic and placing it in the tank away from flushing mechanisms, or by putting a couple inches of sand/pebbles in a plastic bottle then filling it the rest of the way with water and putting it in the tank.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home
Your shower
- Buy a low-flow shower head: Not all shower heads are created equal. Standard 4.5 gallons-per-minute heads add an enormous drain to the already high 20 percent of overall domestic water use that showers account for.EPA: How to Conserve Water and Use it Effectively A low-flow shower head cuts the gallons-per-minute ratio down to about 2.5—a savings of nearly 50 percent.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- Pace yourself: Few things compare to the feeling of a long, hot shower first thing in the morning or after a hard day's work. But did you know that even four minutes under the steady stream is costing between 20 and 40 gallons of fresh, valuable water?EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home Whenever possible, limit your shower time to as long as it takes to wash and rinse yourself thoroughly.
Your sink
- Install a faucet aerator: Just like in the kitchen, this tiny device goes a long way towards conservation. Install one today and cut your faucet's flow rate from between 2.75 and 5 gallons per minute down to between .5 and 2.75.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- Form good habits: Keeping the water running while you brush your teeth, shave, etc., can waste more than 6 liters per minute—that's the equivalent to three big bottles of soda.Wikipedia: Water Efficiency Try turning the faucet on only to wet your toothbrush and rinse at the end. And, when you shave, fill the sink part-way instead of using a steady flow to clean your razor between strokes.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home
- TIP: Want see see how those teeny, tiny drips translate into pennies on your water bill? Check out this drip calculator.
Step 4: In the Yard
- In the hot summer sun, it can be tempting to turn the sprinkler on full blast to keep our lawns, plants and swimsuits well hydrated. But is it all really necessary? Here are a few simple guidelines for keeping your outdoor water use in check.
Your lawn
- Know when to water: Most homeowners don't water their lawn in the middle of the day because of the threat of evaporation, which can all but cancel out a zealous sprinkling session.NRCS: Water Conservation But which is better—morning or evening?
- Water deeply and throughly in the morning hours. This not only staves off evaporation but also fungus and disease that prey on lawns that are wet and cool through the night hours.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- Also avoid watering in windy conditions so there's less chance of losing water before the ground can soak it up.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home
- Keep track of your output: Because the average hose can output nearly 600 gallons in a matter of hours, it's important to know how much water you're using versus how much is really necessary.Earth911: Saving Water Outside
- To test your sprinkler or sprinkler system's output, place empty cans of equal size between sprinkler heads and let them do their thing.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation After 20 minutes, measure the what you've collected in each can with a ruler and determine an average; then multiply that number by 3 and you'll know your output for an hour.
- Get the right hardware: Some sprinklers may look more fun than others, but that doesn't mean they're the right fit for your yard. Experts agree that drip and deep-root watering systems are ideal.MDE: Tips for the Home Gardener But if you can't go that route, at least shoot for sprinklers with an output that's low to the ground so there's less chance of losing precious water before it can sink in.
- It's the little things that count: In addition to the right timing and mechanisms for watering the lawn, details such as watering closer to the root than the tip and not cutting blades too short help strengthen your turf from the bottom up.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home This, in turn, will lead to a tougher, thicker lawn that requires less frequent watering.
Your landscape
- Cultivate drought-tolerant plants: It's a fact of life that different plants require different amounts of water for photosynthesis. Check with your local nursery or garden specialty store for which plants will thrive in your area without hogging too much water.Earth911: Saving Water Outside This art of "xeriscaping" can end your struggle for a beautiful yet efficient yard.
- Use efficient watering methods: As mentioned above, early-morning watering is the best way to go. Beyond that, a drip or deep-root watering system can save your garden 60 percent in water consumption.MDE: Tips for the Home Gardener How? Because the water is applied closer to the base of your plants, there's less chance for heat to get in and evaporate it.NRCS: Water Conservation Watering deeply and thoroughly less frequently will trump attempts at watering frequently near the surface.
- Mulch: Yet another way to combat evaporation is by mulching. Use a 2-inch layer of mulch (and/or compost) with shrubs, trees, annuals, vegetables and container plants.MDE: Tips for the Home Gardener
- Cluster similar plants: Because the rainbow of your landscape features require varying amounts of water, try to group plants of similar needs in the same location to save you even more time and water.Earth911: Saving Water Outside
Your pool
- Cover it up: Believe it or not, an average-size swimming pool left uncovered can lose an inch of water to evaporation every week.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation Simply adding a cover can recoup 90-95 percent of that loss. So save water—put a lid on it!
- Avoid unnecessary draining: The average swimming pool holds 20,000 gallons of water, so unnecessary draining should be avoided at all costs.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation Depending on your geography, you may be able to make it through winter without draining, thanks to technology. When you must drain, neutralize your chemicals then wait at least two days so the water can be used for something else, such as watering the lawn.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- Consider windbreaks: Shrubs, fences and other types of "windbreaks" surrounding your pool can help stave off evaporation.SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- TIP: Find out how to spread the energy savings in your home beyond water use with Mahalo's page on how to go green and save money and how to save on your energy.
Step 5: In-Between
- Now that we've covered the major living areas of the home, it's time to dig a little deeper for a couple more ways to creatively conserve.
Your car-washing routine
- Start by using a spray nozzle instead of a running hose.EarthEasy: 25 Ways to Save Water at Home Using either a nozzle or turning off the hose when it's not needed can save as many as 150 gallons of water.EPA: How to Conserve Water and Use it Effectively When it's time to make your car sparkle, rely more on a water-filled bucket and turn on the hose for rinsing only.
Your gray water
- Gray (or grey) water is the term given to nonindustrial domestic wastewater (excluding toilet water) leftover from washing dishes, clothes, etc.Wikipedia: Greywater Your community's treatment systems may have a large-scale plan for dealing with corporate gray water. But within your own home, there are a few perfectly safe ideas for recycling your H20:
- Use what's leftover from washing produce or cooking food to nourish your house plants.Wikipedia: Water Efficiency Earth911: Other Home Water Wasters
- When draining your pool, use chemically neutralized pool water to hydrate your lawn. SAHRA: Residential Water Conservation
- Do not directly consume gray water or use it on anything that will be eaten.WVU: Recycling Gray Water
Conclusion
- A gallon here and a gallon there add up quickly. Now that you know how to save water inside the house, outside the house and everywhere in between, put these practical steps to work for your family and the environment. The Earth—and perhaps even your bank account—will thank you.
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