Simple Water Conservation Tips

[shiela_robins]

Conserving water doesn't have to be hard or too technical. And you can help mother earth starting at your own home.

Here are 2 water conservation tips you can follow at home:

1) Make sure your faucets, showers and toilet bowl tanks are not dripping or leaking. You might underestimate these drips or leaks as nothing, but added up it can save lots of gallons of water everyday.

2) On your next buy, getwater-efficient washing machines and dishwashers instead. They do the job as well but with less water. Install faucets or showerheads that are low-flow. These alone can save lots of gallons of water everyday.

:)

[cheryl]

Excellent tips Shiela. Might I add a few things?

3) Take a shower instead of getting into the bath tub. Showers are quicker and you are as clean in the end. Quicker means less water. The most important thing is that you save water. Lots of it! How many gallons does a regular bath tub hold? like 50-60 gallons perhaps? Imagine how much you can save if you took a shower instead.

4) Save water by using only the dishwasher and/or washing machine if you can fill it up. If it's just a few plates and casserole, or a few shirts/clothes to be washed, why not wash it manually?

5) Fill your kettle with enough of what you need. Filling it up to the brim even if it's not needed will consume more energy to heat and use up more water that gets wasted in the end.

[JAnneMiles]

My family live in an area where it rains many times in a year. We have a big water container to collect this rain water and use it to wash the car or water the lawn. Not much but it helps. Cutting back on bills as well. You can try this too! Just make sure you cover those water containers. Stagnant water are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Hope this helps!

[ArtisanGal]

I feel guilty for enjoying baths so much... but I'm pregnant and they are magnificent right now.

[KPaulson]

I feel guilty for enjoying baths so much... but I'm pregnant and they are magnificent right now.

To make yourself feel better, put a bucket under the faucet to catch the 'cold' water that comes out before you plug it up to fill the tub. This bucket water is 'potable' so you can use it for cleaning those casserole dishes, watering the plants, heck leave it out for the dog to drink!

[cleondann]

They are nice tips to do something for the conservation of the water.
:)

[GreenTX]

Great tips, funny how the simple things make a big difference!

[siryellow1]

dripping faucets are such a huge waster. as a renter in NY (not anymore actually) so many of the apartments I lived in had a leaky faucet.

[EnergySmart]

A good DIY project is a dual flush kit. These kits can be installed in about an hour and can save 17,000 gallons per year. ROI depends on family size but typically can be 1 year.

Here is a link to the one I have:
Iamenergysmart.com/Toilets-/-Flush-Kits/Dual-Flush-System.html

[GreenIT]

I like the gray water collection concept.

[solite]

Very nice tips! If more people just used some common sense, they would be able to come up with good ideas to help save the environment. We have neighbors on our street that encourage their children to have water gun wars (huge super soakers) all day long during summer break. When one neighbor complained, the parent's remarked,"it's only water." Some people just don't get it.

[ecofreindlysites]

Another big water saver is not to water your lawn. It comes back green with the fall rains.

[Earthhugger]

Here are some things we do around our home to conserve water-

When washing fruits and vegetables use a pan or small tub of water instead of letting the faucet run. After washing your vegetables in the tub you can use the water on your plants.

Don't defrost frozen food in water. I just sit my frozen foods over in the sink to thaw or make sure I remember the day before to put them in the refrigerator.

When doing laundry only wash when you have a full load. It waste a lot of water do only wash partial loads.

When cleaning your porch or sidewalks use the broom and sweep up the dirt. Don't spray it off using the hose pipe.

We do alot more to conserve water but I figured I would share a few.

Earthhugger

[Ethicalblogger]

Hi everyone

Great water saving tips. One thing I would add is, make sure you know where your master water shut off valve is in the house - in the event of a burst pipe or major leak this can save a HUGE amount of water. (I know from personal experience - let's just say, I didn't know where the master valve was, and one flooded kitchen later, now I do...!) :-)

[Earthhugger]

Hi everyone

Great water saving tips. One thing I would add is, make sure you know where your master water shut off valve is in the house - in the event of a burst pipe or major leak this can save a HUGE amount of water. (I know from personal experience - let's just say, I didn't know where the master valve was, and one flooded kitchen later, now I do...!) :-)

You are so right! I agree that everyone shuold know where it is :)

[Ethicalblogger]

Oh and one other thing - try and get a meter installed if you can. your local water supplier should be able to tell you how to do this (if you live in the UK - not sure about other countries). That way you know exactly how much you're using, and you only pay for what you use - win win!

[Carl]

One thing I did that helped me conserve water, is set up small rain-water buckets around my land. It will collect all the rain water, which we then use to water all our plants and trees. At my house, I setup some small buckets along the fence, to help catch rain water. That water then drains out via a hose that goes directly to the garden bed. It has worked well. Good luck to everyone.