How to Save Water - 11 Simple Ways
In this post I’m going to go over how to save water in order to live more sustainably at home, in our every day lives with 11 really easy and simple ways. Each of these points won’t cost you anything and will definitely save on your water bill.
Why Should We Save Water?
In my previous article about ways to live more sustainably I wrote about looking after what we have. Water comes into that category for me. Water is sacred. We know that so many countries do not have clean running water and to live in a country that does have it easily accessible is a privilege. It feels disrespectful to others and to the earth to just use it frivolously, without care.
Our planet is about 71% water with about 96.5% of it in oceans. [1] This kind of gives us the impression that there is plenty of water to go around. However, did you know that only 3% of the earths water is considered fresh/drinkable? and most of this fresh water is inaccessible to us humans because it is locked up in polar ice caps or it is too far below the earths surface to for us to access. To add to that a lot of the fresh water that is accessible to use has become polluted due to our activities on earth. This leaves only 0.4% for all of us to share! [2]
So, now that we know there isn’t really that much to go around, here are some tips on how to look after it.
11 Simple Ways to Save Water
Save cold water from the shower to flush the toilet
This is an oldie but a goodie. It’s so simple! Keep a bucket in the shower and whilst you wait for the water to run warm or hot, collect the cold water into the bucket. Then use this water to flush your toilet. This was what people did in the past and some of the older generation still do in Cyprus. Why did we ever stop doing this? Because of the convenience of just pushing a button instead. Saving water this way, isn’t really that inconvenient and I didn’t realise just how much we were wasting until I saw it collecting in the bucket!
When it’s yellow let it mellow, when it’s brown flush it down
They’re not all about the toilet, I promise, but I hope this shows that the toilet wastes tons of water. I’m sure the well known saying above is obvious as to what it means. If you’re uncomfortable with leaving the yellow to mellow, practice putting the lid down after use.
Turn off the water when brushing your teeth
It seems so obvious but this is a habit so ingrained that it can be difficult to change. I’m not sure how this became a thing, but it did, and it’s now time to create a new habit. Make sure the tap is turned off whilst your brushing and only put it on to rinse.
Same as above for washing the dishes
Another die hard habit that I see often is leaving the tap running whilst washing up. I’m pretty sure I used to do it too in the past but I’ve now become accustomed to only turning the tap on when I need to rinse and if I’ve soaked something I make sure to reuse that water to soak other stuff too. Another good way to save washing up water is to use a washing up bowl instead.
Turn off the shower when washing
This one has been difficult for me during winter but I make sure my summer showers are quick and water conserving. Whilst your washing your hair or your body, turn the shower off. Then put it back on again to rinse. Easy! (in the summer :))
Wash a full load
Make sure you have a full load of washing before putting the washing machine on. If you only have a few things to wash consider hand washing them in the sink instead in a smaller amount of water.
Put the washing machine on the quickest cycle
How soiled are your clothes when you put them in the washing machine? If they’re not all that soiled and just need a quick refresh consider putting them on the quickest cycle.
Collect rain water for watering plants
Does it rain often where you are? Try and get a water butt to collect rain water for watering plants. When we move into our own home, this will be one of the first things I do. I cannot wait to get a water butt. :) If you don’t have one yet, put a bucket outside to collect as much as you can. You could even consider putting your indoor plants outside for a quick drink.
Reuse the water from storing veg in the fridge
In my post about how to make vegetables last longer to stop food waste, a few of the points involved water being stored in the fridge. I now make a point of trying to reuse this water for watering plants. When it comes to changing the water out, I pour the water into a bottle that I use for watering my indoor plants. Of course, make sure that it becomes room temperature again before watering.
Reuse cooking water
Another water saving technique that I love is reusing our cooking water. Not for watering plants. Please don’t do this because most of the time water that we’ve used to cook pasta or potatoes contains salt or stock which plants don’t love. Only water plants with this water if it’s JUST water.
We use salt, so I save our cooking water for boiling other vegetables. If I’ve boiled some potatoes, I pour the water into another pan and cook some greens or broccoli with it instead of pouring straight down the sink.
Consider how else you use water in your house
Where else do you use water? Can you reuse it for something else? I often soak our bought vegetables in vinegar water for a clean. I try and reuse this water as much as I can for descaling. We have hard water so vinegar water can come in handy for descaling the kettle, water bottles and more. Really think about how you use water in your house and whether you can do anything to save it or reuse it.
I would love to know your water saving techniques as every household is different. Post yours in the comments so that we can learn from each other.
Sources
[1] - USGS
[2] - World Water Reserve
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