"You're Wasting Water?"

Have you heard or used this phrase?  When I was a kid (mainly a teenager), my mother used to yell "you're wasting water" every time I was in the shower... I, Miss Go-Green, used to spend over 30 minutes in the shower.  Realistically, it would only take me 5-10 minutes to clean myself, wash hair, and/or shave... But I loved to just stand in the shower letting it run on my back, making it progressively hotter and hotter.  Wasteful, I know!  Now, I'm not nearly as bad... Having to pay your own water bill will help with that.  But if you still feel like you and your family are wasting water, here are some tips for conserving water... Whether your in your bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, garden, or just out and about...

Bathroom:

1. Use a water displacement device in the toilet tank. Most toilets will work just as well if they use less water. Simply fill a plastic bottle with water and place it in your toilet tank.
2. Install conservation devices such as aerators or low-flow showerheads. Low-flow showerheads use only 2.5 gallons per minute.
3. Take a 5- to 10-minute shower using a low flow showerhead. By doing this, you use only 10 to 25 gallons of water, while a full head uses about 70 gallons.
4. If you take a bath, use the minimum amount of water by closing the drain first and adjusting the temperature as you fill the tub.
5. Avoid running the faucet while shaving and brushing your teeth. You can save as much as 8 gallons by not letting the water run... This is super important for kids!
6. Remodeling an old bathroom, consider installing a high-efficiency toilet (HET). HETs use less than 1.3 gallons of water per flush.

Kitchen:

1. Only run your automatic dishwasher when it is fully loaded. A dishwasher uses about 12 gallons per run.
2. Don’t rinse dishes in the sink before you put them in the dishwasher. Scrape them clean and let the machine do the rest.
3. Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running water to cool it... Be sure to Drink Water too!
4. Thaw frozen food in your refrigerator or microwave, not under running water.
5. Don’t let the faucet run when you scrub vegetables or prepare other foods. Use a dishpan or put a stopper in the sink.  You could even take it a bit further... when you’re finished, use the water for watering plants.
6. Use your garbage disposal sparingly. Use a garbage can or compost pile instead. (This saves electricity too)

Laundry Room:

1. Use the washing machine only when you have a full load or match the water level to load size.
2. Wash in cold water to save energy.
3. Always use the minimum amount of detergent, and eliminate the extra rinse cycle.
4. For hand washing clothes, put a stopper in the sink for both wash and rinse. Don’t let the faucet run.
5. When buying new appliances, consider buying a high-efficiency washing machine. Many new front-loading washers use less water and are energy efficient as well. Look for the EnergyStar label.

Garden:

1. Don’t over-water. Water only when the grass or plants show signs of needing it.
2. Avoid watering on windy days, when most of the water will go where you don’t want it.
3. Water in the cool of the day, preferably early in the morning, to reduce excess evaporation.
4. Let water sink in slowly. Letting water sink in will avoid water runoff and help plants develop deeper roots so you won’t need to water as often.
5. Plant drought-resistant plants. Many local garden centers carry native and drought-resistant plants.
6. Mulch plants. You can use leaves, lawn clippings or even strips of plastic. This keeps the weeds out too!
7. Form ditches or basins around plants so that water stays where you want it.
8. Don’t water the sidewalk and driveway! Set sprinklers carefully.  And use a broom to clean the driveway or sidewalk instead of water.

More tips:

• Teach your children to conserve water. It’s easier to start good habits than to break wasteful habits later.
• Consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water. Taking your car to a professional will significantly reduce your impact. A professional car wash not only uses about three-times less water for an average-sized car, but they also probably have a better capacity to dispose of the harmful runoff.
• But if you like washing your car, Use a bucket of soapy water to wash your car. Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle, but only for rinsing.
• Use a cover on your pool to slow evaporation.
• Don’t overfill your pool. The extra water will just get splashed out!
• Recycle wading pool water for plants, shrubs and lawns.
• Collect water in a rain barrel and use it to water your garden.

Keep in mind, your garden hose can pour out 600 gallons or more in only a few hours, thousands of gallons can be lost in a very short time.  These are just a few tips to help conserve water, a water-friendly environment is a healthy environment.  Check with your water and sewer provider for more ways to conserve water, and read your bill, a lot of companies give suggestions on specific ways for your home to save water.