Water costs money.
Unfortunately, most people act like it’s free. So they let the faucet run full blast while they wash dishes; they run the dish washer half empty; they over water their lawn; etc. It’s like money down the drain.
I’m fairly water conscious, not only because water costs money… but also because water is a limited resource. I feel like it’s our responsibility to use water wisely, and not wastefully.
How water frugal am I? Here’s a snapshot from our last water bill:
Since the image might be hard to read, let me give you the numbers. For this billing period, we used 3,400 gallons of water. That’s for a family of five.
But guess what? For the same period last year, the water usage was more than double at 8,500 gallons. Since we’re renting, that number reflects the usage of the family who owns the home and lived here before us. (They are also a family of five.)
How does a family possibly need that many gallons of water… in winter?
I don’t know.
My goal is to help others cut down on water usage, if they so desire. So here are 13 things I do to conserve water and keep our water bill as affordable as possible…
- Drink all the water you put in your glass. Never pour it down the drain.
- Don’t let the water run full blast while rinsing dishes.
- Turn the water off when placing dishes in the dish washer.
- Only run the dish washer when it’s 100% full.
- Don’t let the water run while shaving. Fill some water in the sink; rinse your blade in that.
- Take showers of a reasonable length. Avoid baths.
- So long as you’re urinating, don’t flush the toilet every time. Flush it every two or three trips. (Just remember to flush if you have guests over!)
- Have dinner guests who didn’t finish their water? Pour it on the indoor plants.
- Properly adjust sprinklers so they only spray on your grass (not the sidewalk or driveway).
- Turn off sprinklers when it rains. Leave them off for at least two days following a heavy rain.
- Only water your lawn when the sun is down. This prevents unnecessary evaporation.
- Fix leaky toilets and leaky faucets as soon as you can.
- Use one drinking glass for 4-7 days before getting a new one. (Prevents the dish washer from filling up too fast.)
I’m sure there are more tricks for saving water that I’ve forgotten. These are the ones I can think of right now.
What water-saving tips do you have? Leave a comment with your suggestions. Thanks!
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I like most of the water saving techniques, but I do have to admit that I don’t like the idea of only flushing every few uses. Residue can build up on the toilet and then you are cleaning it more and you have a stink. Plus if you are female there is going to be a buildup of tissue in there. Might work for guys, not going to go over with women. (who are usually the ones stuck cleaning them.)
One other tip is to sweep your sidewalks and driveway instead of spraying them off into the gutter.
Hey Becky – I completely understand. The “every other flush” method is not popular with women, and is not popular with many men either. (My brother Jared hates it and doesn’t mind saying so.)
But after spending some time in Mexico (where in many areas you can’t flush toilet paper) and on construction work sites, it takes a lot to phase me. ;-)
Even better. Take your rain gutters and feed them into an elevated rain barrel. We plan to set this up this summer. We have the perfect little alcove in the back of the house to set it up in. The elevation provides water pressure for the garden hose you hook to it. Use that water for all plants and yard watering. It makes zero sense to feed potable water to the lawn. Waste of money and natural resources.
Also, you didn’t mention grey water systems. They are not strictly legal, but there is lots of help online on setting them up should you decide it is too rational to pay attention to the law. If you use biodegradable soaps and no poisonous cleaners, the lawn and the toilets are perfectly happy with slightly used water.
Oh, forgot to mention. “Sailor” showers are another method. You turn on the water to get wet. Turn it off to later up, and turn it on to rinse. Very frugal and puts hair on your chest on those colder mornings ;-)
Emmi – Great advice. Thanks for adding to the list of water-saving techniques.
I’ve never collected rain water before… then again, we don’t get much rain here in Denver, Colorado.
I’m not suggesting that you join a gym – not necessarily the most frugal thing to do – but if you already *do* belong to a gym, take your showers there. Use *their* water. And while you’re there, get a little workout in first… may as well work up a sweat before you get clean…
one things we do to save water and use fewer chemicals is to make our own cleaning wipes, like the clorox wipes, but without the bleach/harmful chemicals. We will buy a cheap package of paper towels, separate them, fold them and fill an old baby wipes box (its clearly mark so our son doesn’t get wiped!) and add our own cleaner (you can make liquid soap from the left over pieces of bars) or breaking down and making a cleanser (I won’t bore you with the recipe here, but its easy to find several online)
I then fill the box about 1/3 of the way, making sure to pour over the tops of the ‘wipes’ and allow them to sit and absorb the mixture. I can wipe down almost anything, especially good for messy tables after toddlers eat or paint. I have a few cleaning clothes that I can wipe any residue up with and wash them for use later. no water wasted for clean up!! hope that at least give you an idea…
My fiance & I shower together most days to save water. Not only does it save water, but on busy days when we may not get any time together, its nice to just wash eachother’s backs and chitchat. I was surprised to find that it doesn’t take twice as long to clean 2 people either!
We use the plastic bags from the grocery store for lunch bags, laundry bags, to clean up the doggy poop in the lawn, as waste basket bags. I also use the plastic & paper bags from the grocery store for craft projects, or mats when I’m doing a messy project, or for packing glasses in boxes in the basement.
If I have to use a paper towel to clean something up, I make it a point to go ahead and clean up that build up of puppy hair in the corners of the bathroom and kitchen floors. Might as well get as much use out of it as I can. But of course, we usually use rags to clean that way we just wash & reuse them.
Gina and Holly – Great tips. Thanks for sharing!
ICD – It seems that intentionally taking showers at a gym (instead of home) is not a water-saving tip, but rather a way of passing the cost of your showers on to your gym.
A water-saving tip would be, “Take shorter showers” or “Turn the water off while you soap up, then turn it back on to rinse off.”
Of course, I have no problem with taking a shower at a gym if I just worked out, but I do have a problem with going to the gym strictly to shower. (Which might not save you any money at all, given the price of gas.)
Another important tip is that the manufacturer of toilets have a tendency to build a tank that does not necessarily need to be that large. Put a couple of bricks (size will vary depending on the size of the tank) or line the inside of the tank with foam panels to minimize the amount of water in it. It would be a trial an error method but once you have figured out the correct amount of water needed to flush, you’re all set.
My employer has more efficient toilets installed at work than I have at home. I intentionally use the restroom before leaving work. It saves water and money (for me at least).
When I paint, I slip a plastic bag from the store over the paint tray, then pour the paint in.
It makes clean up so easy. You use less water to clean up. Also if you need to paint the next day, don’t wash the brush or roller, wrap them in a plastic bag, and they won’t dry out.
If you have an older toilet, you can place a glass jar in the tank to save water when you flush!
I made my own rain barrels out of old water softener brine tanks, that I found in the trash. I cleaned them out and connected them with hoses. I set them up in the back yard by my garden. I collect aprox. 200 gallons with the four tanks I found.
Cost: $15.00 for fittings and hose.
Glen – Thanks for the extra tips. Great suggestions!
In my family we have a rule for all of us.A little poem to help make it easier for all to remember to save water> here it is, The Mellow Yellow Rule.( If it’s yellow let it mellow, If it’s brown we can flush it down).
Donna – I love it. Coming from a woman, no less! I’m fond of that poem myself.
My husband and I live in a 6 apt house in New York. We never flush the toilet at night. It saves water but it also to cut down on the noise across those shared pipes.
Another suggestion is to brush your teeth from a glass of water, not with the tap running.
I have a method of washing dishes that allows me to soap, soak and rinse all at the same time. First, I put the plug in. Then I fill the sink with the most soiled dishes/pans. Next, I squirt soap into a cup or glass and add some water. I dip a sponge into the soapy water mixture and wash the least soiled items under the gently running tap. As I’m washing and rinsing, the more stubborn items are getting a soak from the filing bowl. When their turn comes, they’re easy to deal with.
Good stuff Ryan, we do the 2-3 time flush thing at our house.
You people are freaks!!!
i like to toss out any leftover water in glasses/cups outside to offer to plants and grass too.
the SO reuses the same glass for water for days. i should adopt this habit, and fill up the dishwasher with my glasses less quickly and unnecessarily!
Great tips! We follow a lot of these, but could do more, like most people. We are avid followers of turning off water when shaving/brushing teeth. We’ve just bought a house and are on a well, so I’m slowly collecting buckets to catch the cold water from showers to water plants/cook with. Saving every drop means more now than it ever did before!
Karen, get bent. Love ya.
Ok. We don’t flush the toilet at night, to keep down on the noise and save water. Also, for me only – if I am just urinating – sometimes I will just go out back. Neighbors can’t see.
Use smaller glasses at the table and put a pitcher of water on the table when eating meals and you can put on used pitcher water in the dogs dish. No waste.
Also I was told that running your washing machine full of water and then adding the clothing takes a little more water in the wash cycle then it would if you put the clothing in first. Also that running small batches of clothing not filling it is not good on your water bill either.
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