more water conservation in the home
<< page 1

water management

The following checklist is designed to help you see how effectively you are using water & to suggest ways to conserve.

plumbing

• Install low-volume-flow-control devices on shower heads & tub faucets.
• Limit the amount of shower water or tub water by the way you use hot & cold water faucets.
• Cut off all water if you are going to be away from home on a vacation or trip.
• Check to see how much your home softening equipment regenerates & backwashes. It can use as much as 100 gallons of water each time it does this. You may want to cut down on the use of such equipment. Reserve the softened water for kitchen use, baths & the laundry. Use unsoftened water for other purposes. This may require a bypass line but is advisable under most circumstances.
• Insulate hot water pipes to reduce the amount of water that must be run to get hot water to the faucet.
• If possible, locate the hot water heater as close as possible to the bathroom, kitchen & laundry areas. It is sometimes better to have two small water heaters located in strategic places.
• Check faucets for drips. Make repairs promptly. At a rate of only one drop per second from a leaky faucet, this adds up to nearly 2,500 gallons per year. That is enough water for 160 full cycles of an automatic dishwasher.
• Teach children to turn off water faucets tightly after each use.
• Check toilet for continuing flow after flushing. Put a small amount of food coloring into the tank. If the color trickles into the bowl, there is a leak & repairs are needed.
• Install toilet dams or displacement devices.
• Place a quart plastic (not glass) bottle filled w/ one inch of sand or gravel plus water in your toilet flush tank to save one quart of water per flush.
• When buying a new commode look for a "low-volume model." They do not use as much water per flush.
• Put "gray" water (saved from cleaning, bathing, etc.) in the toilet (not the flush tank) when it needs flushing. Otherwise, if the system loses pressure, "gray" water in the tank could back siphon & get into your drinking water system.
• Avoid using the toilet as a trash basket for facial tissues & similar items. Each flush uses five to seven gallons of water.

laundry

• Wash only full loads of laundry.
• Buying a new washing machine? Shop carefully & look for these features.
  • Models that use less water.
  • Capacity to fill needs. Do not buy a larger machine than you actually need.
  • "Float fill" models that provide a more accurate control of the amount of water used than does a "time fill" machine.
  • Water level control so you can adjust the amount of water you use (depending on the load).
  • "Suds saver" models that save water for later loads.
• Save hand-washing jobs & do them all together. If possible, use the same sudsy water for several items. Make one rinse do the job of two.
• Check garments to make sure they need washing. Do not wash clothes more often than necessary.
• Avoid buying new clothes that require separate washing.

personal care

• Urge family members to take showers instead of tub baths when possible. If tub baths are taken, the amount of water should not exceed one-third of the tub capacity. Tub baths can take 30 or more gallons of water, depending on how high the water level rises. Showers use 5 to 15 gallons of water.
• Cut down on the number of showers or tub baths taken. Replace some of them w/ sponge baths using a small amount of water in a lavatory.
• Limit shower time to three minutes or less.
• Relax w/ massage, stretching, or exercise instead of showers.
• Turn off shower water while you lather hair or apply soap to body.
• If possible, close bathtub drain during shower so all the water stays in the tub. Use this water to flush the toilet.
• Turn off water while you shave &/or brush teeth.
• Encourage children to change into play clothes after school so school & play clothes can be worn several times.

food preparation

• Save water used to wash produce & to do other kitchen chores. Use for cleaning & similar chores.
• To get warm water, turn hot water on first, then add cold water as needed. You get warm water quicker this way & save water.
• Reduce the use of garbage disposals (which can use as much as four gallons of water per minute) by disposing of food waste in the trash.
• Use only the amount of water necessary to cook foods such as vegetables & stews. You will preserve nutritional value as well as save money.
• Cook foods over low heat in pans w/ tightly fitted lids to reduce evaporation of liquid.
• Serve more one-dish casserole meals in which vegetables are cooked w/out adding water.
• Use a tea kettle to heat water & avoid loss of water through evaporation.
• Time foods that must boil to avoid too much evaporation.
• Select the proper sized pans for cooking.
• Use a pressure cooker to save water & time.
• If possible, cover or wrap foods w/ foil during baking to cut down on evaporation.
• Save leftover vegetable juices for reconstituting soups, cooking raw or frozen vegetables & stews & making gravy. Use the juices w/in a day or two.
• Use leftover fruit juices for drinking & making gelatin salads.
• Store drinking & meal-preparation water for a short period of time (24 hours or less). Use clean plastic or glass jugs w/ tight-fitting lids. Keep in the refrigerator.
• Chill water in bottles in the refrigerator to avoid running water. Shake bottle before serving to incorporate air in the water so that it does not taste flat.