Seven Ways to Save Water

Food, clothing, shelter and water. We need them all but without water there would be no food, in fact, no life at all. It is so important that each one of us take steps to protect and conserve this precious resource. You may already have made the obvious improvements to your home by installing a low flush toilet, switching regular shower heads with the low-flow kind and fixing that leaky kitchen tap. What more can you do? Maybe more than you realize. The following suggestions may not seem like a big deal but, just as even a small drip from a worn faucet can waste 20 gallons of water a day, doing even one of these small things consistently will add up to big water savings over time, both for your wallet and for the environment.

Fresh water lasts about one week, depending on the container and the environment. Ergo, a glass of water that you've kept on you night stand overnight is still drinkable. If you don't want it, pour it into your pet's water dish or water a houseplant with it on your way to the kitchen. Likewise for bottled water or the half-empty water bottle you bring back from the gym.

Similarly, if you need to clean Fido's water bowl and there's a bit of water left in it, feed it to a houseplant. Your fern won't mind a bit of pet hair or a stray morsel of kibble.

There are two schools of thought on whether or not reboiled water will make for a less-than-perfect cuppa. On one side, you have the "never, ever use reboiled water if you want a perfect cup of tea" group and then there are the rest of us who are more relaxed about it. Rather than throwing previously boiled water down the drain, why not simply add more fresh water to the kettle before boiling again. Alternately, if you feel you must use all fresh water every time, open the front door and pour the cooled kettle water on your flower beds.

When you're hosing down the garden furniture in the spring, sit the furniture on the lawn to clean it, rather than the driveway. That way, at least you're getting double the use from the same amount of water.

Personally, I could never see the purpose behind using water to clean a driveway. What's wrong with simply sweeping it off? If you must have water, wait for a good rain shower and then go out with your push broom.

Invest in a rain barrel to catch the run off from your downspout. At the very least, a large watering can will save water to use on the hanging baskets during a dry spell and saving a little of all that free water is better than saving none at all.

Gray water is household water that has been used to wash clothes, dishes or for bathing. Consider installing a system to recycle household gray water. It's important to note that different states have different laws regulating the use of gray water. Natural Home Magazine has an article about how to use gray water that offers some basic guidelines including "Gray Water Use Made Simple," which suggests keeping a container near the sink to catch warm-up water and rinse water for watering plants and putting a bucket in the shower to collect warm-up water and shower water, which can then be used to flush the toilet. I can do that! We can all do that!