4 Ways to Conserve Water

Many would love to believe that living on this earth means we have access to an endless supply of water. Of course. If you’re conscious and aware of our environmental impact, you’d know that this isn’t the case. Globally, the average household is the smallest consumer of water, yet each home still has a large impact. Finding ways to reduce water usage in your home is an excellent strategy for enacting environmental change while saving some much-needed cash on your electricity bills.

So, how can we best approach water reduction on the home front? Well, it’ll begin with adopting social behaviours and creating easy-to-follow strategies for everyone in the house. Now, if you're interested let’s look at some of those concrete ways that you can reduce water usage.

4 Ways to Reduce Water Waste in Your Home

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1- Look for ways to cut back in the kitchen

The kitchen is likely the space where the majority of your water consumption is happening. This is due to all the activities that occur in this room like cooking and cleaning involving plenty of water usage. Even with this in mind, there are habits you and your family can adopt as well as measures you can take to make sure that your consumption levels drop.

First of all, if you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher inside your home, then you likely know how much water it takes to finish a cycle. If you’re running a load, avoid pressing start unless the dishwasher is completely full. Running your dishwasher multiple times for a series of smaller loads will use up much more water. Another note that pertains to a common habit in households is to avoid rinsing your dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. If you have a high-quality dishwasher in your home, then it should be able to remove food and stains from your dishware. If you don’t have a dishwasher in your home, an excellent way to save water when washing is to fill one side of your sink with fresh water while using the other side for cleaning and scrubbing.

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2- Fix leaks

Whether in the kitchen, bathroom or laundry room, if you notice a leak it should be attended to or fixed as soon as possible. Do bear in mind that leaks may initially be tricky to spot. This is because a leaky faucet is a serious waste of water, and is easily fixable. In many cases, this job will come down to replacing a worn-down washer. It can be initially difficult to determine if your toilet is leaking. If you believe this to be the case, try putting some drops of food colouring into your toilet bowl. If you find the chosen colour around the edges of the toilet, it’s possible you need to replace the flush or the flapper valve. This can be done as a DIY project. Although if the leak is bad, you’ll definitely need to work with a professional to remedy this job.

3- Look for ways to cut back in the bathroom

It may be surprising to some, but in the modern home, the bathroom is where the most water is consumed. As previously mentioned, leaks are one of the primary ways that a large amount of water will be consumed. For those who aren’t dealing with a leak, many appliance options conserve water daily. 

Let’s discuss the toilet for a second. Albeit important, the toilet uses more water than any other appliance in your home. With modern technology, there are plenty of options for high-efficiency toilets with a flush volume that’s 4.8 litres or less. If you have a large family or many comings and goings within the bathroom, then we’d recommend looking into these options. Another option for low-efficiency fixtures is for your shower head and taps. Low-flow models help to save a significant amount of water, no matter the size of your family.  Do bear in mind that low-flow faucets are available for the kitchen as well. 

If installing new appliances and fixtures isn’t in your budget, then be certain to take shorter showers. A shower with an old shower head of around 5 minutes can use up to 100 litres of water. Also, when bathing, fill the bathtub only halfway rather than full. Finally, when brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face, do be certain to turn the tap off while in the midst of these activities.

4- Ways to save water during outdoor activities

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Taking care of your lawn, garden or facade will also require a significant amount of water. There are plenty of ways to save water when working outdoors. To begin with, there are specific hours when you should water the lawn or garden, as there will be less evaporation and thus, you won’t need to water as frequently.

Very early in the morning or very late at night are the best times to water. When it comes to the style of hose you’re using, opt for a soaker hose in place of a sprinkler hose. This will help water to reach the roots directly and again, avoid using too much water. Of course, avoid overwatering your florals, plants and grass at all costs, as not only does this lead to overconsuming water but it’s bad for the plants themselves.