Save Water At Home

Tips for Saving Water in the Bathroom

1. Place a weighted plastic gallon jug in the tanks of conventional toilets to displace and save an equal amount of water with each flush.
2. Install low consumption (1.6 gal./flush) toilets when either remodeling your bathroom or constructing a new home.  
3. When brushing your teeth, use a glass of water for rinsing.
4. Don't let the faucet flow when shaving.
5. An inexpensive and easy-to-install solution is to install low-flow aerators and showerheads.   
6. Take showers instead of tub baths.  
7. If your shower has a single-handle control or shut off valve, turn off the flow while soaping or shampooing. 
8. Replace any leaking diverter valves (valves that divert water from tub to showerhead) or faucets. 

Save Water in the Kitchen

1. Only operate the dishwasher when it is loaded fully. 
2. Pre-washing dishes prior to loading a dishwasher is unnecessary and wasteful of water. 
3. When purchasing a dishwasher, consider water consumption as well as energy efficiency.  Most manufacturers now provide this information to consumers. 
4. Install a low aerator on all faucets. 
5. Refrigerate a bottle of drinking water instead of letting a faucet flow until the water is cold enough to drink. 
6. When washing and rinsing dishes, use a dishpan or plug the sink.

Save Water in the Laundry

1. Operate the washing machine only when it is fully loaded. 
2. Use the proper water level or load size selection on the washing machine. 
3. If your washer is old, you should consider replacing it with an ENERGY STAR qualified washer. Most ENERGY STAR washers use 35 to 50 percent less water and 50 percent less energy per load. 

Save Water Outside the Home

1. Watering should be limited to gardens, and newly planted lawns and landscaped areas.  Established lawns and landscaped plantings will usually survive without watering. Inadequate watering encourages shallow root growth and increases the risk of mortality.  
2. Do not use a hose to clean driveways, steps and sidewalks -- use a broom. 
3. Wash the car with water from a bucket. If a hose must be used, control the flow with an automatic shut-off nozzle. 
4. Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day.  Do not water on windy days. 
5. Set sprinklers to water the garden only.  Do not water the street or sidewalk. 
6. Use soaker hoses and trickle irrigation systems to reduce the amount of water used for irragation by 20 to 50 percent. 
7. Use mulch around shrubs and garden plants to reduce evaporation from the soil surface and cut down on weed growth. 
8. Use native plants in landscaping your lawn, because they require less care and water than ornamental varities.