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In the Bathroom
Typically 75% of the average family's water is used in the bathroom.
Sinks
Brush your teeth by wetting your toothbrush then turn the water off while you brush.
Wash your hands or face by getting them wet, turn off the water, soap up, scrub, then turn the water on only to rinse.
When shaving, plug the drain and fill the sink with only enough water to rinse your razor. Always shave in the sink rather than the shower.
While waiting for the water to get hot, place a bowl under the faucet and catch the water. You can use this water for brushing teeth, watering houseplants, etc.
Install aerated screens on your faucets. These mix air into the water stream so less water is used. These are inexpensive and can be found at your local hardware store.
Fix leaky faucets as soon as they begin to leak.
Showers and Bath
Install a low-flow showerhead. Older showerheads allow a flow of 3.5 gallons of water per minute, where newer low-flow models allow 2.5 or even 1.25 gallons per minute. These numbers add up.
Turn off the water once you are wet, soap up and wash, then turn on the water to rinse. This is easier than you might think.
Take shorter showers. Even cutting showers by one or two minutes makes a huge reduction in water use. Use a kitchen timer to signal you.
Place a container in the shower to capture some of the water runoff. You can use the captured water for houseplants, gardens, or pets rather than sending it down the drain.
When using the bathtub, reduce the water level by an inch or two. This will save 5 to 10 gallons of water each bath.
Toilets
“If it’s pee, let it be.” Unnecessary flushing wastes water and puts burdens on the sewage system or your septic tank.
Older toilets can use as much as seven gallons of water per flush, new toilets use 1.6 less gallons per flush. If you can’t afford to replace your toilet with a new low-flow one, place a plastic bottle filled with water in the tank to displace the need for the tank to completely fill.
A leaky toilet can waste as much as 100 gallons a day. Locate toilet leaks by putting 10 drops of food coloring into the water in the tank. Wait 15 minutes. If colored water appears in the toilet bowl, you have a leaky flapper valve.
In the Kitchen
Don’t run the dishwasher unless you have a full load. Older dishwashers can use as much as 25 gallons of water per wash load.
If you wash dishes by hand, wash then rinse, don’t let the water run in between jobs.
Plug the sink or use a bowl of water to clean vegetables instead of letting the water run.
Pay attention to the amount of water you use to make coffee or cook foods with, and even the amount of water used to make cubes. Every effort counts.
Keep a bottle of drinking water in your refrigerator rather than running tap water until it is cool.
In the Laundry
Wait for a full load to run your washing machine; washing machines use anywhere from 30 to 60 gallons of water per load. If you have to wash a smaller load, pay attention to the water level setting. Using the appropriate setting can save 300 to 600 gallons of water per month.
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