Water Wise - Save Money and Water with These Ideas

Changing Daily Routines to Reduce Water Consumption Around Your Home

                      

Checking leaks: Watch your water meter this week after work (and before daily tasks like dinner preparation or a load of laundry get going) for an hour. If during that hour you notice the meter changing while no water consumption is taking place then you should contact a plumber to identify a leak.

Piping insulation: If it takes the hot water forever to flow into your bathroom,  pipes need some insulating. All that water going down the drain each morning while you wait and wait and wait for the water to be reasonably warm is wasteful.

Washing the veggies: I’m guilty of letting the water run while I wash our fruits and vegetables in the kitchen sink. I’m vowing now to end this nasty habit and will partially fill the sink with some water and white vinegar to further help reduce our home’s water consumption.

Running a bath:  Make sure to stop up the bathtub right away and adjust the hot/cold as the bath fill so that water isn't just running down the drain until it gets warm enough.

Ideas for the shower: There are several ways to reduce this activity’s water consumption. One, set your phone timer for five minutes so you know for each minute over you’re wasting anywhere between seven to 10 gallons of water per minute. If you’ve gone over the five-minute mark and still haven’t washed your hair or lathered up, turn off the water and resume for rinsing.

Reusing pet’s water: Although I do use our cat’s discarded water to feed outside potted plants, I never thought to also use Salvador’s (our fish) tank water as a means to water my outdoor or indoor plants. This too is going on my list.

Things your mom always told you:  “Turn the water off while you brush your teeth or wash your hands.”  and “Fill up the sink up when shaving or doing dishes.”