7 Ways to Conserve Water at Home, School, and at the Office
Access to clean and fresh drinking water is something that many of us take for granted. Unfortunately, the current practices that we as a species are living by are not sustainable with our continued population growth. However, it’s relatively simple to do your part and save water in your home, office, and school. In our article, we’re going to cover seven different ways to conserve water quickly and easily.
1. Install High-efficiency Aerators
One of the best and easiest ways to conserve water in your home is to install high-efficiency aerators on all your faucets. Aerators work by infusing the outgoing water stream with air particles. This helps to reduce the total flow output of the faucet with regular use.
An important point to consider is that some faucets benefit more from high-efficiency aerator adaptors than others. The two most common faucets to attach an aerator to are in your kitchen and bathrooms. On the low end, faucet aerators cost anywhere from $2 to $6. As for water savings, the amount you will save will vary based on how long you leave your faucet running as well as how frequently you use it.
2. Turn off the Tap while Brushing
Another one of the easiest ways to conserve water is to remember to shut off the tap while you are busy brushing. The biggest benefit to this strategy is that it cost absolutely nothing to implement and it’s very easy to do.
Just how much can you save by turning the faucet off when brushing your teeth? Based on information from many studies, a typical family of four can save an average of approximately 200 gallons of water. If you still find yourself forgetting this simple trick when brushing your teeth, consider putting a sticky note on your bathroom mirror. You can even leave a marker in the area for each family member to initial the note each time they remember to turn the faucet off. This way, you can make sure that everyone in your family is doing their part.
3. Save while You Scrub
When you’re busy brushing your teeth isn’t the only time you should make sure to turn the faucet off in your bathroom. As long as you’re following the professional recommendations to scrub your hands for 20 to 30 seconds at each hand washing, you may be wasting water each time by leaving the faucet on.
To conserve water, simply turn the faucet off during the scrubbing portion. With this simple trick, you can save an average of six gallons of water each day. For a family of four, that equates to over 600 gallons of water saved each month. This makes this another one of the easiest ways to conserve water in your home, office, and school.
4. Switch to Showers
While just about anyone can agree that a bath can be a perfect way to relax after a long day, they are horribly inefficient in terms of water usage. Most standard tubs will contain anywhere from twenty to thirty gallons of water when filled by an average person.
In comparison, a standard shower uses anywhere from 10 to 25 gallons. You can save more by making sure to take as quick of a shower as possible. Most environmental experts recommend sticking to a five-minute time limit when showering to achieve the most water savings possible.
5. Fix Leaks Whenever Possible
This tip may seem like a no-brainer for many of you. However, it is often one of the most overlooked ways to conserve water. While a slight drip in your pipe may not seem like a big deal, the reality is that these types of small leaks will cost you and the environment in the long-term.
Leaks can occur in virtually all portions of the piping throughout your home. For most of us, the two most common leaks we will deal with are a leaky faucet and a leaking toilet. In both cases, they are fairly easy to solve and should not take much in the way of tools or experience. If you are not comfortable fixing it yourself, you may be able to receive a slight credit on your next water bill by submitting proof from the plumber that the leak was successfully repaired. Consider consulting with your utility company to see what rebate offers they may offer.
6. Install a Toilet Water Conservation Kit
One of the most common reasons toilets leak is a faulty floater mechanism. To fix this, you can purchase a brand new kit from just about any local hardware store. These kits are often very easy to install and only require a minimum about of tools. However, opting for a water conservation kit can increase your water savings even more.
These kits work by decreasing the amount of water that the toilet stores in the back reservoir. They accomplish this with a more buoyant flotation device or a special mechanism that automatically shuts off the water flow at lower levels. Either way, the end result is that you will use less water with each flush. Some of the more expensive models even have dual flush modes built specifically for solid or liquid waste as well.
7. Consider Drip Irrigation
While many of us love the way a well-kept lawn looks, all of the water that standard sprinkler systems use is harmful to both our wallets and the environment. To substantially reduce your average water usage outside, consider switching to drip irrigation.
Drip irrigation has many benefits compared to standard sprinklers. For starters, it is far less likely to cause burning on foliage from sun exposure. In addition, it’s also less likely to encourage insect activity and results in deeper root growth for most plants. Most homeowners should have no problems at all installing a basic drip irrigation system at home. For even more environmental effectiveness, stick to drip tubing that is made from recycled materials.
Final Thoughts
By following the seven ways to conserve water that we covered in our article, you can do your part by helping to protect the environment. It only takes a little bit of prior planning and some simple changes from each of us to achieve lasting change. If you have any water conservation tips that you would like to share, please feel free to post them in the comments section.
