Water Saving Tips
We’re extremely lucky to have access to fresh, clean running water. However, we waste an extortionate amount of this precious liquid each and every day. Water is the lifeblood of our existence, but unfortunately, we only have access to a limited supply of usable water; water that we’re able to drink, wash ourselves with, clean our clothes, and so much more. Water is also used in manufacturing, such as smartphones. In fact, 22,454 pints of water have made that mobile sitting in the palm of your hand right now. With all this in mind, we need to be far more conscious of saving water, whether that’s through simply turning off taps, a smart sprinkler system that turns itself on and off, a vegetarian diet, or even just showering less. Below, we’ve outlined 20 super easy ways to save water, so we can continue to take advantage of this amazing, natural substance.
1. Boil Only What You Require
Make sure you only boil water for the amount that you really need. Cooking food in smaller amounts of water means that you’re keeping the nutrients from escaping and using less energy to heat such a large pan of water. So it’s a win-win for your energy bills, you health, and your water usage.
2. Make Sure You Have A Full Washing Machine
Of course, it’s important not to overload your washing machine, so your clothes are cleaned properly. But underfilling it can be detrimental to the environment and means your machine is being used more often than it needs. Save clothes up until you really need to stick a wash on and use cool washes where possible, especially for darker loads.
3. Fix Those Faulty Taps And Faucets
Anything that is leaking in your home, whether that’s a tap, faucet, radiator, or shower head, means that you’re wasting water unnecessarily and potentially increasing your water bills too. If you don’t feel confident repairing these items yourself, get in touch with a local plumber. You’re then supporting local businesses and doing your part to consciously save water. If we could hand out gold stars, we would.
4. Become A Vegetarian
Or at the very least, eat less meat. Implementing a vegetarian diet could reduce your water usage by 36%. This is because the meat and dairy industry is a major drain on water consumption. Think about all that water required to keep livestock alive and to help produce the feed. If it isn’t possible to go fully vegetarian, then make efforts to reduce your meat and dairy intake throughout the week. Small, simple changes to your diet can make a big impact of your water footprint.
5. Take Advantage Of Rain Water
Rain water is a great asset and not one that enough of us take advantage of. If you install a water butt in your garden, or near to your house, you can collect rainwater and utilise it on your plants. It’s the perfect way to keep recycling.
6. Invest In A Dishwasher
Yes, we’re actively encouraging you to invest in a dishwasher. Although they use electricity to run, they also use a lot less water than washing up by hand. However, make sure you fill your appliance before using, instead of only putting half loads on. This can waste water instead. So as well as saving water, you’re saving on your own time too.
7. Or Only Fill The Bowl And Don’t Let The Tap Run
If you can’t invest in a dishwasher, there are things you can do to ensure you save water when washing the dishes. Only fill the bowl up, instead of letting the tap run throughout the washing up cycle. This is a incredible waste of water and you’ll notice your water bills shoot up. Try not to overfill the bowl either; even a half full sink can wash a whole host of plates and pots effectively.
8. Shower Less
We all love to be clean and smell fresh, but over-washing is a thing and not one we should continue with. If possible, try to forgo a couple of showers per week; you’ll notice a huge change in your water usage. Being clean is important, but you’re certainly not going to start smelling after missing a shower or two. If this isn’t possible, then limit the time you spend in the shower to under five minutes; you’ll be surprised with how much time you save too. If you haven’t replaced your showerhead in a while, why not invest in something a bit more energy efficient?
9. Have A Smaller Lawn
Hot summers can cause our gardens to dry out and it’s important that we maintain this eco systems for wildlife, so lawn maintenance is vital. However, a large lawn requires a vast amount of work and water, which takes time and effort, as well as has a massive impact on water usage. A solution to this is to reduce your lawn size, meaning maintenance is easier and less of a chore, and your sprinkler system won’t have to work as hard either.
10. Flush Less
Yes, you heard us correctly. If you’re flushing every time you go for a number one, you’re wasting a lot of water. Try to cut down the amount of times you flush after you’ve gone for a wee and encourage the rest of your family to do so. Maybe keep a chart next to the toilet to say how many times the toilet has been flushed, keeping you on track, but not leaving the toilet to stew…
11. Get An Energy Efficient Flush
If the thought of not flushing doesn’t fill you with glee, then why not invest in an energy efficient flush instead? This means that you’re utilising less water when weeing and saving a bigger flush for, well, we think you get the idea!
12. Use Excess Water For Your Plants
Keep a shower bucket handy when washing, as you can save water, instead of it cascading down the drain. This can then be added to your water butt outside, or simply used straight away on your garden. Pasta water is another quirky way of reusing water too; when draining food after cooking, simply drain back into the pan, and keep the water for later use. Repurposing water is a sure-fire way to save and make an impact on the environment.
13. Know When To Water Your Plants
With all this water you’ve saved up for your garden, it’s important to know when to best utilise it. Make sure you water plants early in the morning or towards the end of the day, when there’s less direct sunlight or heat. This means that the water is less likely to evaporate and your plants will be extremely thankful for the amount their receiving. During the summertime, why not leaving saucepans and buckets out, filled with this repurposed water, so that animals and insects can drink and stay hydrated?
14. Use A Sprinkler System, Not A Hosepipe
An automated smart sprinkler system can ensure that your lawn and plants are receiving the love that they need, without the water waste from a garden hose. Smart sprinkler systems have different settings to allow you to choose when are where water is distributed in order to get the most of your water and not waste any.
15. Get A Smart Water Meter
Tracking your water usage is a great way to see when you use water the most throughout the day and week, and to see where you can make the necessary changes. If you have children, this is a brilliant way to get them involved and visually show them how much water we use on a daily basis.
16. Reuse Your Towels
Towels can take a lot of cleaning, which means they tend to use the most water out of all our material washing. However, we often wash our towels more than we should and could potentially get a few more uses out of them before they really need to throw in the towel.
17. Wash, But Don’t Run Water
When lathering up your hair or hands, try to turn the shower or tap off. You don’t need a constant stream of water when performing these tasks and it doesn’t take much effort to simply switch off and switch back on again when needed. Why not try this when brushing your teeth too? In fact, less water on your brush and in your mouth is better for your teeth. Shaving also doesn’t require a running tap either. Turn it off when you’re applying soap and fill a bowl instead to clean your razor – this works for both facial and body shaving.
18. Use A Water Jug In Your Fridge
A really clever idea that can save water is to keep a jug of tap water in your fridge so it remains cold. This means that you’re saving water by not running the cold tap more than you need to. Ingenious!
19. Use Less Electricity
Although the most obvious answer to saving water is to use less, you can also use less electricity to aid this too. Electricity power plants use a vast amount of water to function, so it makes sense that decreasing your usage, will save water in the long-run. Just think if big companies made this change too…
20. Use A Car Wash
Again, another convenient and energy saving tip. If your car needs washing, instead of doing it at home and wasting water through your hosepipe, get someone else to do it for you at the car wash. Car washes tend to keep reusing the same water over and over again, which is a great way of repurposing water and saving it too.
Sources:
- 100+ Ways To Conserve Water – Water Use It Wisely
- Water saving tips – Eden Project
- 20 Ways to Conserve Water at Home – Care2
- 13 best ways to save water, Heatwave or no heatwave – Friends Of The Earth
