5 Ways to Save Water

Even though most of the earth is covered by water, less then 5% of it is actually drinkable. To make matters worse, almost 300,000,000 gallons of water are wasted each year. Once you know how to save water, you can cut your water waste by more then half.

Five Ways to Save Water

Update Your Bathroom and Kitchen Hardware

Replacing your toilet, showerhead, and faucets is the simplest way to save water. If your toilet is more then ten years old, switch to a newer, water-conserving model. Newer model toilets use less then half the water of older toilets per flush. Install a low-flow showerhead in your shower. A low-flow showerhead can reduce your water use by 20% to 60%. Add faucet aerators to all of your faucets. Aerators reduce the water flow that comes through the faucet. An aerator can save up to two gallons of water a minute.

Collect Rain Water

When it rains a lot of water goes to waste. Set up a water conservation system to collect that rainwater so you can repurpose it. You can purchase a water conservation tank made to collect rainwater, but buckets do the trick as well. You can use the collected rainwater to

Reuse the Water Inside Your Home

When you water runs to the drain it is wasted, like when you wash of dishes or leave the water on while you wait for it to warm up. Collect this water in a bowl or bucket before it hits the drain and you can repurpose it. The collected water can be used to water indoor plants, wash dishes, or clothes, even given to the dog.

Check for Leaks

If there are leaks in your toilet, sinks, or sprinkler system you are wasting thousands of gallons of water each year without realizing it. Make sure your faucets do not drip in the off position and there are no leaks under the sink. You can determine if your toilet is leaking by adding colored dye to the toilet tank. If the dye reaches the inside of the bowl, the toilet is leaking. You can find leaks in your sprinkler system by watching. If the nozzles are spraying incorrectly, or water is coming out where it should not, then the system is leaking.

Curb Your Use

You don't have to go without a shower, or eat off dirty dishes, but most people use more water then they actually need. Pay attention to how much water you are using and try to cut back where you can. You could save ten gallons or more everyday.

How to save water is something everyone needs to know. Small steps towards saving water add up over time. If one household saves ten gallons a day, that adds up to 3,560 gallons of water saved each year.