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Ways to Conserve Water Around Your House

Water is a precious resource and when you are trying to Green Your Living it is one of the things that become very important to us. Even if you are not trying to go green yet it is still important. It is sometimes easy to forget about conserving this very important resource as for most of us it flows readily whenever we turn on a faucet. Yet water is vital to the environment, and conserving water helps our critical ecosystems, but saving water also saves you money. You don’t even have to make major lifestyle changes to conserve water in your home.

You can save water in the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry areas inside your home, as well as outdoors. There are 100’s of easy ways to accomplish this environmentally friendly task. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Fix any leaks promptly. It has been shown that leaking faucets and toilets account for 14 percent of all indoor water use, which can be gallons of water per person per day.
TIP: Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing it can save up to 1,000 gallons a month. Don’t forget to check outdoor faucets, pipes and hoses for leaks as well.

2. Try using an osmosis or water purification system for your drinking water. This prevents you from having to buy and misuse bottled water. Often when bottled water is used, there is always some water left in the bottle that was then just thrown out. You are saving the landfill sites as well.

3. If you have an older toilet, say installed before 1980, try installing a toilet dam or filled bottle to save water during each flush. Make sure you’re not affecting any operating parts by this installation. You maybe should even consider installing a new water saving toilet that uses less than 1.6 gallons of water per flush.

4. Limit the length of showers you take by setting a time limit for yourself. Maybe take a bath instead. When taking a bath, avoid letting the cold water just run while you are waiting for the hot to warm up. Bucket it and save that cold water for use for watering plants, you can save an additional 200 to 300 gallons a month.

5. You can also limit the amount of water you are using every time you brush your teeth or wash your hands, by making sure the water is not left running while you’re brushing your teeth or scrubbing your hands.

6. Install a water saver showerhead. Look for models that save water without compromising the shower experience. Delta has one that actually changes the thermal dynamics of the water, and delivers larger water droplets while using 36 percent less water than a standard showerhead.

7. The next time you need new taps for your sink look for water-efficient faucets certified by the EPA’s WaterSense program. Some can save as much as 30 percent over a standard faucet.

8. Our lawns and flower beds account for 20 to 50 percent of all residential water use so choose drought-resistant and low water consuming plants. You need to find ways to conserve water but not at the expense of your plants dying! I think drip systems or soaker hoses are the best way to water plants. There is no reason to have water shooting up in the air the way it does when using a sprinkler. Also the best time to give plants a drink is in the evening, not in the morning. There is less evaporation in the cool of the night than during the heat of the day. Try using the bath water to water the plants. The plants won’t mind at all in fact they’ll thank you.

9. When cleaning the driveway or sidewalk use a broom instead of a hose and save up to 80 gallons of water each time.

So as you can see there are lots of ideas and the ideas above are just the beginning. The real thing is what are you going to do about it? Don’t put it off, start making changes today.

7 June 2009 comments [62] TrackBack-URI

62 comments

1. Andrea Paulinelli posted on June 8, 2009:

   Toilets account for approx. 30% of water used indoors. By installing a Dual Flush toilet you can save between 40% and 70% of drinking water being flushed down the toilet, depending how old the toilet is you are going to replace.
   If you are serious about saving water, want a toilet that really works and is affordable, I highly recommend a Caroma Dual Flush toilet. Caroma toilets offer a patented dual flush technology consisting of a 0.8 Gal flush for liquid waste and a 1.6 Gal flush for solids. On an average of 5 uses a day (4 liquid/ 1 solid) a Caroma Dual Flush toilet uses an average of 0.96 gallons per flush. The new Sydney Smart uses only 1.28 and 0.8 gpf, that is an average of 0.89 gallons per flush. This is the lowest water consumption of any toilet available in the US. Caroma, an Australian company set the standard by giving the world its first successful two button dual flush system in the nineteen eighties and has since perfected the technology. Also, with a full 3.5? trapway, these toilets virtually never clog. All of Caroma’s toilets are on the list of WaterSense labeled HET’s http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/find_het.htm and also qualify for several toilet rebate programs available in the US. Please visit my blog http://pottygirl.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/what-you-should-know-about-toilets/ to learn more or go to http://www.caromausa.com to learn where you can find Caroma toilets locally. Visit http://www.ecotransitions.com/howto.asp to see how we flush potatoes with 0.8 gallons of water, meant for liquids only. Best regards, Andrea Paulinelli

2. I Make Thousands of Dollars a Month Posting Links on Google from Home posted on June 8, 2009:

   Hey, great post, really well written. You should blog more about this.

3. KattyBlackyard posted on June 15, 2009:

   I really like your post. Does it copyright protected?

4. Gess posted on June 18, 2009:

   good content and very good site.

5. Kedy posted on June 23, 2009:

   I am just starting to learn ways to live greener and I like your site.

6. Chipper posted on July 1, 2009:

   This is another good article and I’m learning a lot from your blog.

7. Turtle posted on July 3, 2009:

   This is very important isn’t it. We waste so much. good info

8. Derall posted on July 3, 2009:

   We all nedd to conserve water don’t we.

9. Getta posted on July 3, 2009:

   I think this is very important and what you said was good.

10. Tarma posted on July 4, 2009:

    Learning how to conserve water is something we all need to learn how to do.

11. Adell posted on July 4, 2009:

    great post we all need to learn to do this more.

12. Fiona posted on July 5, 2009:

    I like what you have to say here and I will be back to read some more.

13. CrisBetewsky posted on July 6, 2009:

    Some of us even don’t realize the importance of this information. What a pity.

14. Oxy posted on July 6, 2009:

    This is important info and I wish more people knew about it.

15. Tamara posted on July 7, 2009:

    Saving water not only saves money but in my opinion its smart. Good article.

16. Cici posted on July 7, 2009:

    I like what you have to say here. Lots to think about.

17. Vedin posted on July 8, 2009:

    Conserving water is important as we typically are very wasteful people.

18. Perall posted on July 9, 2009:

    Don’t we all need to do this better.

19. Bea posted on July 10, 2009:

    This is really important thanks for the article.

20. Heather posted on July 11, 2009:

    Conserving water is something we all need to take serious.

21. Fiet posted on July 12, 2009:

    Conserving water should be one of our priorities to make our planet a healthier place for our kids.

22. Ciop posted on July 12, 2009:

    Conserving water is one of those things we all have to learn to do better at.

23. Peret posted on July 13, 2009:

    Everyone needs water to live and this earth is running out of clean water. We all need to conserve. good article

24. Vic Odin posted on July 14, 2009:

    Conserving water is a must these days it is one resource we can’t live without.

25. Vana posted on July 15, 2009:

    When we want to conserve water we think of not washing the car or not watering the lawn but you have some good ideas as well.

26. Tamy posted on July 16, 2009:

    I think this is really important though my local government is more interested in the dollar.

27. Shippley posted on July 17, 2009:

    Conserving water is high on my list of next steps. Thanks for the info.

28. Kontin posted on July 18, 2009:

    We need to do a better job at conserving water and I think there are a lot more ideas than what you shared.

29. Kuvse posted on July 19, 2009:

    Conserving water is an absolute must. We all can do better at this.

30. Bodin posted on July 20, 2009:

    You have some easy to do ideas here for conserving water. Thanks

31. Ulma posted on July 21, 2009:

    Good article You have a good blog here.

32. Bli posted on July 22, 2009:

    There are many ways to reduce and conserve water and you have mentioned several of them. Good Blog

33. Count posted on July 23, 2009:

    I have thought of several more ways of conserving water while reading your article. Thanks for the help

34. Xr posted on July 24, 2009:

    You have a good blog and I like the way you write.

35. Row posted on July 24, 2009:

    To conserve water is one thing I think is real important. Thanks for the encouragement and help.

36. O posted on July 25, 2009:

    You have a good blog started here and I like what you have to say. stay consistent

37. Nee posted on July 26, 2009:

    Conserving water is important and I am behind you and what you are trying to do 100 %.

38. Cod posted on July 27, 2009:

    I am always looking for different ways of conserving water and you have given me a couple new ideas thanks.

39. Tabin posted on July 28, 2009:

    I am sure there are even more ways to conserve water.

40. Pics posted on July 29, 2009:

    I like the way you talk about things. It’s clear and very helpful.

41. Maol posted on July 30, 2009:

    I really like what you have to say here and I agree saving water is very important.

42. Count posted on August 1, 2009:

    great blog I’m coming back

43. Mini posted on August 1, 2009:

    conserving water seem like the right thing to do and I am going to make it happen around my house.

44. Bermin posted on August 2, 2009:

    I have thought about this a lot and I know you are right it what you have to say.

45. Macymac posted on August 3, 2009:

    good luck with your blog I sure got me thinking.

46. Gette posted on August 4, 2009:

    I wish we all did more about conserving water. It is a precious resource.

47. Enerman posted on August 5, 2009:

    I like what you have to say here about conserving water. It seems to me to be very important.

48. mini posted on August 6, 2009:

    You have a good site here. I like all the content thanks and keep it up

49. Sved posted on August 7, 2009:

    You have a good blog and I like how you talk about things

50. Terance posted on August 9, 2009:

    You have a very good practical blog here and I like it.

51. Donel posted on August 10, 2009:

    I like what you have to say here It is beginning to help me change.

52. Somer posted on August 12, 2009:

    I think we could do a lot more in this area.

53. Atan posted on August 14, 2009:

    Conserving water is really important and I agree with what you are saying.

54. Hodo posted on August 15, 2009:

    I think you have some ideas here that I need to pay attention to. thanks

55. Prepi posted on August 15, 2009:

    When I think of all the things a person can do to become more environmentally friendly this certainly is one anyone can do.

56. Withre posted on August 17, 2009:

    More and more I have been thinking I need to make some changes. Thanks for the help.

57. Mary posted on August 19, 2009:

    You have a good blog and I like the way you write. I agree conserving water is very important.

58. knoble posted on August 23, 2009:

    This is great. There are a ton of ways to conserve water and you have named a few but we do very little.

59. Cilli posted on August 26, 2009:

    It is not all easy but it is worth it when we do what is right for the environment.

60. Wes posted on August 27, 2009:

    What you are saying is good but how do I remember this.

61. Sonoma posted on August 29, 2009:

    I really like what you say here and I will be more careful of how I use water from here on.

62. Withres posted on August 31, 2009:

    I am always amazed at how wasteful I am and I am trying to conserve.

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