There’s a lot of water on the planet, but not a lot in your home. The U.S. Geological Survey says the average American household uses about 350 gallons of water daily. That’s almost ten times more than people in Africa use each day, according to the World Bank. That’s a lot!
Table of Contents
10 tips to save water daily
If you’re looking to cut back on your water usage, these are some of the best ways to save water at home.
1. Switch out your shower head for a low-flow model
A good place to start is with the shower head — according to the EPA, switching out an old shower head for a new low-flow model can reduce your water use by up to 50%.
2. Take shorter showers
You may not be able to reduce your shower time to three minutes (that would mean skipping shampooing and shaving), but even taking 10% off of your current shower time can significantly reduce your overall household water usage.
3. Install aerators on all faucets in your house (including toilets)
Aerators are inexpensive devices that screw onto the end of any faucet. They help reduce the amount of water wasted while filling containers or dishes by restricting the flow rate from the faucet spout. They’re especially important in older homes where leaks could be causing excessive water loss through worn-out pipes and valves inside walls or under sinks).
4. Use a sink strainer
Use a sink strainer instead of letting it go down the drain as soon as you’re done washing dishes or rinsing fruit/vegetables before eating them. This will prevent food particles from clogging up pipes that run through your home’s plumbing system, which could cause leaks or flooding due to backed-up sewage lines in basements or crawl spaces if left unchecked for long periods
5. Reduce your lawn size
One of the most effective ways to reduce water consumption is to reduce lawn size. Lawns use the most water in a typical landscape, and the amount of water used can be reduced by replacing some of your lawn with ground cover or other plants that need less water. You can also save water by reducing the frequency or duration of watering.
6. Get low-flow toilets
If you’re replacing an older toilet with a new one, consider getting one with a flushometer rather than a tank. Low-flow toilets use only about 1.6 gallons per flush compared with 3 gallons for older models. You can also look into composting toilets or urinals that don’t require water!
7. Check for leaks
A leaking toilet flushes about 200 gallons of water per day; a leaky faucet can waste 10 gallons per minute, and a running hose wastes at least 5 gallons of water per minute. You can check for leaks using dye tablets or food coloring in the toilet tank or other plumbing fixtures (flushing the toilet several times), then check outside for colored water at the valve or pipe connection point. Fixing leaks saves money on your water bill, too!
8. Turn off the taps
When you’re not using water in your home, turn off the faucets to prevent leaks and drips. Don’t leave running water while brushing your teeth or washing dishes. If you’re taking a shower, keep the bathroom door closed while bathing so that steam doesn’t escape into other areas of your home and cause excessive moisture buildup and mold growth.
9. Use a dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full
It’s tempting to run the dishwasher or washing machine when it’s half-full, but this is not an effective way to save water if you’re trying to conserve this precious resource. Dishwashers use anywhere from 4 to 6 gallons per load while washing machines use between 12 and 20 gallons per load. However, when you run them with less than full loads, they don’t clean as well — meaning you’ll have to rerun them before everything is clean. You’ll also waste energy and money running them more often than necessary.
10. Use the garbage disposal sparingly
Garbage disposal is a handy appliance that can help you get rid of food waste and leftover food. However, it can waste a lot of water. If you use the garbage disposal too much, it can put a strain on your home’s plumbing system and cause leaks or, even worse, flooding.
To save water, run the garbage disposal only with cold water or when you have a large load of dishes. If you need to use hot water for other purposes in your kitchen, let the disposal run for just a few seconds at a time to keep from overheating the motor and causing damage to the unit.
Saving water is crucial to tackle climate change
We hope that these tips on the best ways to save water in your home have been helpful. Water conservation is not as hard as you may think! Remember, water is essential to every aspect of life on earth. Even the rich and powerful are concerned about how they use their resources.
Right now, our planet is experiencing a worldwide drought due to climate change, more greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, and the depletion of water resources. So everyone must realize that we need to conserve water more than ever.
