Wondering how to save water at home? Water is one of the most precious resources we have. While it covers more than 70% of the earth, only 1% is available for consumption. With the global population growing by the day, water is becoming a scarce resource that needs proper management. One way to help manage this precious resource is to reduce your water footprint starting at home. Whether you’re washing the dishes, doing laundry, watering your plants of brushing your teeth, you need to be conscious of how you’re using water. Here are some tips to help save water in your home.
- Reusing Towels
This is one of the easiest ways to preserve water. Most people will launder their towel after each use. While being hygienic is not a bad thing, households with many people can consume a lot of water just from daily laundry service. Having a few towels in the laundry pile can mean using more water than needed each day. Instead of washing your towels on a daily basis, consider hanging them to dry for use after the next shower. You can come up with a rule where you only wash the towels after a few uses.
- Wear Jeans and Sweaters More Than Once Before Laundering Them
Another important water saving tip is to wear some types of clothing more than once before you can wash them. Jeans and sweaters are some of the clothes that can go unwashed for a few cycles. When you undress at the end of each day, check the clothes you were wearing to see if there is anything you can wear again without having to wash it. By keeping the daily laundry at a minimum, you use very little water on laundry. When doing the laundry, use cold water and appropriate load sizes. Consider line drying or airing your clothes when possible.
- Shower for Shorter Periods
A lot of water is wasted during shower time. If you have a large household, you need to set a limit for shower times. This keeps everyone on track with regards to saving water. Also, consider replacing your old shower head with the more modern low flow options. These have been found to save at least two gallons of water for every minute spent in the shower.
- Keep Drinking Water in A Jar
Most people turn the tap on each time they need to drink water. This can lead to a lot of water wastage, especially if you have people drinking water every few minutes in the house. Consider keeping a gallon of drinking water in the fridge. This ensures that the tap runs only when it is necessary, and this eliminates water drips from taps and also the chance of leaving the tap running.
- Install A Grey Water Recycling System
You should also consider installing a grey water recycling system in your bathroom. This system will filter and treat excess water from showers and divert it to your irrigation system or toilet for flushing. This is an effective way of ensuring there is as little water wastage as possible.
By becoming aware of the ways through which you can save water, you are able to eliminate most plumbing issues and also keep your maintenance bills at a minimum.
