I bet you’ve heard it many times: save water… save the planet… But do we really do it? Well, this time I’m determined. I will change my habits to save the planet (hardly), but to reduce my water footprint and above all to set a good example for my son. Who knows, it may one day save the planet. While doing my research, I came across the “evergreen” rules for conserving water, but I also found some great ideas and hacks on how to easily conserve water. See what I’ve found and how we can save money by going green. If you have other tips for saving water, feel free to share them here.
How to conserve water (beginner level)
Here are some tips and tricks on how to conserve water that are easy to implement. No money, no investment of time, and no special preparations are needed. It’s just you and your conscience.
- Take shorter showers. I must confess that I used to be a person who would shower for ten minutes. I love long hot showers. They are very relaxing, especially after busy or cold days. But let’s be real: more than 21% of household water use comes from showering. Not counting the fact that the water can run unused until we expect a good temperature for us. However, I know that I can reduce the minutes in the shower and start to relax, let’s say in a more efficient way.
- Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. This is how you can conserve about 2 gallons of water per brushing.
- Skip a shave. If you still have to shave every day, just don’t rinse your razor under a running tap, but instead fill your basin with some lukewarm water.
- Don’t wash your hair every day.. I think this is not only good advice on how to conserve water, it is also good advice for hair maintenance. If you still feel the need to wash your hair every day, why not try a different haircut or style?
- Run your dishwasher only when it is full. I used to wash my dishes by hand just because I thought it would use less water. If you’re like me, don’t kid yourself. A dishwasher will save you about 10 gallons of water per wash and will also use less soap.
- Fully load your washing machine. It will save you about 3 gallons of water for each wash. A front-loading washing machine is more efficient than a top-loading one.
- Don’t let the faucet drip. Quickly fix leaky sinks and open toilets.
- “If it’s yellow, let it soften. If it’s brown, throw it away.” Have you heard this before? This was one of the new water conservation tips for me. If you don’t feel good about this, why not try implementing it overnight? At least he won’t wake everyone up when he dumps the water.
- Use the small flush if you have a dual-flush toilet. It’s enough for almost anything, and when it’s not, doing two small downloads is better than one big one.
How to conserve water (intermediate level)
Conserving water has never been easier, but these water saving tips may require some financial investment. If you’re as determined to go green and save money as I am, then they deserve at least your attention.
- Sink with toilet cover. Frankly, this was a real discovery for me on how to conserve water in the most practical way. When you wash your hands, the water is saved in the tank and used to flush the toilet the next time. It not only saves water, but also space. Please note that you can only buy the tank.
- Install a low flow shower head and reduce shower water use by 20-60%.
- Instant water savings.This is another “beautiful” trick on how to conserve water. Practically, Instant Off controls the water. When you push the rod, the water starts. Once the rod is released, the water stops. This little water-saving device is perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, garage sinks, and RVs.
- Use waterless car wash. So instead of using 500 gallons of water to wash your car yourself or 32 gallons at commercial car wash stations, go for the waterless method and you’ll have your car shining like new. Learn more and see the products offered at Eco Touch and Freedom.
- collect rainwater from your roof downspout into a rain barrel to water your garden. In Colorado, there’s a law against rainwater harvesting… but anywhere else, this water-saving tip can go a long way and save you from wasting many gallons of clean water watering your yard.
- How to Conserve Water (Mastery Level)
- water recycling – gray water and wastewater reuse systems. This idea of how to conserve water is very difficult and may require a large financial investment. Greywater systems take water from the shower and kitchen (never the toilet) and redirect it to irrigate the garden. Learn more at http://greywateraction.org.
Now, knowing how to conserve water, you just need to start doing it. Water and money are scarce resources. Let’s save them thinking about the future of our children.
