How to Save Water at Home
These days there is a lot of talk about saving the environment but it sometimes seems like an impossible task. This is definitely the case when we see disastrous events like oils spills take place that contaminate the water supply and kill off wildlife. Events like this seem to happen more and more frequently, so we need to be increasingly more conscience of the amount of water we use. There are numerous easy ways to use less water in and around your home. A few of them require some investment, but there are also many cost effective ways to save water in your home.
One of the best places to start trying to reduce your water usage is in your bathroom. Approximately seventy-five percent of the water used in your home is used by the appliances in your bathroom. Start by trying to cut down on the amount of time that you spend in the shower. If you take a ten minute shower you will use around forty gallons of water so if you try to have a more efficient shower that only takes five minutes, then you can save twenty gallons of water. Additionally, if you install low flow shower heads you can save even more water during showers. Low flow shower heads have special components that allow you to use less water without giving up water pressure. They can be purchased at almost any hardware store for around twenty dollars, which is quite affordable considering how much water you’ll save. Toilets are the next appliance you should focus on. First you should check to see if your toilet is leaking at all. To do this, try putting some food coloring or coffee into the toilet tank and then checking to see if any of the color starts leaking into the toilet bowl. If you can see some color, it means you have a leak and are constantly wasting water. To stop the leaking you may need to replace some of the components of your toilet. All the parts can be found at your local hardware store and most of the pieces cost less than ten dollars. Another clever way to use less water is to take a large soda bottle and fill it with something heavy like gravel or sand, then place it in your toilet tank. It will take up space so when your tank refills itself it will use less water because some of the area is being displaced by the bottle.
There are many other ways to save water around the house. Start by checking that all your faucets are water tight. If any of them are dripping you should replace them. Most water taps are relatively inexpensive and while you are at it be sure to install low flow aerators on your faucets. These will reduce the amount of water that you use for both kitchen and bathroom sinks and they only cost about five dollars.
You should also try to optimize the amount of water you use when you can’t reduce it any more. This can be as simple as waiting until you have a full load of laundry for your washing machine or dishes for your dishwasher. You will still use the same amount of water but if you use your appliances less often you will save a lot of water in the long run. Buying a rain barrel may also be an ideal choice for people with gardens or vegetables growing on their property. You can use the water from your rain barrel to water your plants instead of using a sprinkler system.
There are also some more expensive ways conserve water in your home. One idea is to insulate your hot water pipes. This will reduce the amount of time you have to run the water before the hot water reaches your faucet. Another way would be to install low flow toilets. This can be quite expensive, but some of these toilets have dual settings that allow for different water flow rates for liquid waste and solid waste.
If you are not afraid to put in a little time and effort you can do your part to help save the environment and preserve this wonderful planet we live on.