How to Conserve Water
Content Updated October 13, 2007
Saving Water in the Bathroom
- Use a low-flush toilet.
- Place water displacement devices in your toilet tank (such as an upright glass jar filled with water).
- Put food coloring in the back of your toilet tank, but don't flush it yet. If the colored water leaks into the toilet bowl, your toilet is leaking, and you probably need to fix the flapper seal in your toilet.
- Use a low-flow shower-head.
- Use low-flow faucets.
- Tie plastic bags around your faucets and shower heads. If they fill up with water, then you have a leak. Fix it.
- Don't leave the water on when you are shaving.
- Don't leave the water on while you are washing your hands. Turn on the water and wet your hands then turn off the water. Soap up. Then turn on the water to rinse your hands, and turn it off before you dry your hands.
- Don't flush the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues in the trash. Dispose of bugs outside.
- Fill your bathtub only half way or less.
- Take showers instead of baths.
- Take shorter showers. You can get completely clean in just 5 minutes. Turn off the water while you soap up or wash your hair.
- Takes baths and showers with someone else. Bathe your small children in the bathtub together.
- Adjust the valves under the sink so that only the minimum amount of water required to wash your hands will come out when the faucet it turned on all the way. (Surprisingly, you only need a trickle of water to wash your hands.)
- While waiting for the water to heat up in the shower, catch the "too cold" water in buckets, and use it to water your plants, clean, etc. (Or you can even keep it in the refrigerator and drink it if your shower head is clean.)
- Install a tankless water heater in your bathroom, so you won't have to wait for the water to heat up.
- It only takes a few tablespoons of water to wet your toothbrush and rinse it. Don't leave the water on while you brush your teeth, and use a cup to hold your rinse water rather than running the faucet and trying to catch the water in your hands.
- Use a spray bottle filled with vinegar (or the no-rinse cleaner of your choice) to wash your floor. Spray it on and mop it up.
- Use anti-bacterial lotion to wash your hands instead of soap and water to kill germs if there's no dirt on your hands.
- Use witch hazel soaked pads to clean your face instead of using soap and water.
- Plug up the drain during showers (and of course baths), and when you're done bathing, scoop up buckets of water from the tub and use it to water plants.
Saving Water in the Kitchen
- Use an energy efficient dishwasher instead of hand-washing dishes.
- If hand-washing dishes, use one dishpan filled with soapy water for washing and another dishpan filled with clean water for rinsing. If the soap doesn't come rinse off completely, empty out the rinse water (use it to water a plant), fill the rinse pan back up, and rinse them again. Repeat until the dishes are rinsed clean.
- Only run the dishwasher when it is full.
- Install faucet aerators
- Tie plastic bags around your faucets. If they fill up with water, then you have a leak. Fix it.
- Chill water in the refrigerator instead of running tap water until it gets cold.
- Defrost food in the refrigerator or microwave instead of using running water.
- Compost your food wastes instead of using the garbage disposal.
- Adjust the valves under the sink so that only the minimum amount of water required to rinse your dishes will come out when the faucet it turned on all the way.
- Water used for boiling pasta, eggs, etc. can be used for watering plants.
- Don't let water run while you wait for it to heat up. Heat up the water in the microwave instead, or install a tankless water heater, and you won't have to wait for the water to heat up.
- Use just one cup or sports bottle for all your drinks throughout the day to avoid washing extra cups and glasses.
- Use paper towels instead of plates to hold finger-foods (e.g. sandwiches, toast, cookies, chips, etc.).
- Use a spray bottle filled with vinegar (or the no-rinse cleaner of your choice) to wash your floor. Spray it on and mop it up.
- Steam food instead of boiling it. (It's healthier for you anyhow.)
- Use any water that has been sitting around (e.g. old pet water, a cup of water that's been left out over night, ice cubes that feel on the ground, etc.) to water plants.
Saving Water with Laundry
- Wash only full loads.
- Purchase EnergyStar compliant washing machines. (They use less water.)
- If it's not really dirty (such as if you only wore it for an hour) don't wash it. Air it out and wear it again.
- Don't wash towels after every use. Hang them up, dry them out, and use them again after your next bath or shower.
Saving Water in the Yard
- Don't use cooling misters to cool your patio. Instead, use awnings, umbrellas, and screens to create shade.
- Sweep your driveways, sidewalks, etc. instead of using a hose.
- Use a shot-off nozzle on your hose so the water doesn't run non-stop.
- Deep soak your lawn once per week instead of shallow watering daily. (This is also better for your lawn.)
- Water your plants and lawn early in the morning to keep water from evaporating. (Watering in the evening can cause mold and fungus to grow.)
- Use compost to help your soil hold more water.
- Use mulch to keep water from evaporating from the soil.
- Dig wells around the base of your plants to hold water, so it goes straight to the roots and doesn't run off.
- Keep your lawn and garden free of weeds which rob your plants of water.
- Don't cut your grass too short. Longer blades of grass help keep water beneath them from evaporating.
- Aerate your lawn, so water can get directly to the roots instead of evaporating.
- Use drip irrigation systems instead of sprinklers.
- Install watering devices that deliver water directly to your plant's roots. These systems often go underground.
- Use a timer on your sprinklers. (Use a kitchen timer for a portable sprinkler.)
- Make sure your sprinklers are watering your plants, not your driveway.
- Landscape with native plants. (You probably won't have to water them at all.)
- Prune your trees and shrubs so that unwanted branches and leaves don't soak up extra water.
- Use gray water (water from kitchen sinks, bathtubs, clothes washers, etc.) to water your garden, lawn, etc.
- Collect rain water from your gutters (have it drain into a barrel), and use it to water your plants.
- Plant new plants and transplants during the rainy season (usually spring or fall), so you won't need to give them extra water.
- Check all of your faucets and irrigation systems for leaks.
- Cover your pool to keep water from evaporating from it.
- Check your pool and your filter and heater systems for leaks.
- Add stone and gravel landscaping features to your yard to replace some of your.
- Add sections of drought resistant ground covering to replace some of your lawn.
- Avoid water features that spray water, like fountains, and keep standing water features (such as bird baths) and trickling or cascading water features in the shade to reduce evaporation.
- Collect condensation from air conditioners and drip off from evaporative / swamp coolers and use it to water plants.
- Don't fertilize plants when you're limiting your water usage. Fertilizing plants causes the plants to need more water.
- Add water absorbing gels or crystals to your soil around the roots of your plants. The gels and crystals absorb excess water and hold onto it (instead of letting it evaporate) until the surrounding soil begins to dry out. Then it releases the stored water back into the soil for the plants to use.
Saving Water with Your Pets
- Use old fish tank water to water your plants. (Your plants will love it.)
- Use old water from your pets' water dishes to water plants.
- During warm weather, wash your pets outdoors in an area that needs the extra water.
- During cold weather, wash your pets in a portable tub, and use the water to water the plants. (If you have a very large pet, you can wash him in the bathtub and scoop up buckets of water to water the plants.
Saving Water with Your Car
- Use a bucket and sponge to wash your car, turning on the hose only to rinse off your vehicle.
- Use a commercial car wash service that filters and recycles their wash water.
Saving Water with Plumbing
- Check all of your faucets and pipes to ensure they are not leaking. If they are leaking, repair them.
- Turn off all the water faucets in your house and yard. Check your water meter. Check your water meter again in 5 or 10 minutes. If the water meter changed, you probably have a leak somewhere.
- Insulate your pipes to keep them from freezing, cracking, breaking, and leaking.
- Insulate your pipes to keep the hot water hot, so you don't have to run so much water while waiting for the water from the tap to heat up.
...by Feed