Conserving Our Greatest Resource

The tips and tricks for conserving water are simple: don’t use a lot of what we don’t have. So step one is to conserve all water. Conserving water does not mean you have to completely stop using it. It means that the water you do use needs to be used with careful consideration. So, before you wash your car with the garden hose, or take a 45-minute shower, think about other things that water could be used for. Try finding a waterless way to wash your car or take it to a car wash that recycles its water. You can also cut down on how long your showers are. Here’s a quick list of household water saving techniques!

Turn off the water when you brush your teeth.

By turning off the water when scrubbing those pearly whites you can save up to 200 gallons of water a month! You brush your teeth two or three times a day for two whole minutes. During that time alone 200 gallons of water go rushing down the drain! By switching the tap on and off you’re already doing your part to conserve water!

Scrub your hands before you turn on the tap.

I know the texture can be weird, but lathering your hands before turning on the sink can save a lot of water! People wash their hands a lot during the day. By waiting to turn on the tap until after scrubbing for a few seconds you can save about 10 gallons of water. It’s one of the reasons most public bathrooms have automatic sinks.

Water your lawn and other plants later in the evenings or at night.

This water conservation idea is rooted in the fact that, if the sun can’t evaporate it then the plants can use more of it. Watering at night means that more of the water can get to where it needs to go. It also means that less water needs to be used. The soil will also be able to hold more of the water.

Catch water in a tub or jar when waiting for the hot water to start.

I know I have to wait a while for my hot water to come through the faucet, especially in the winter. Now multiply that by all the people you know and add all the people you don’t know too. That’s a lot of people waiting for their water to heat and a lot of water being wasted. Collecting that water instead of letting it go down the drain gives you access to a lot of water. These ‘buckets’ of water can be stored or used to water houseplants or taken out to your flower beds and gardens.

Wash your dishes by hand once or twice a week.

Do you know how much water your dishwasher uses? I’m willing to bet that it’s a lot of water, even if you have an energy-saving model. Washing your dishes by hand may take a bit more time and effort, but it’ll save gallons upon gallons of water in the long run.

Conserving water is something that needs to be done no matter who or where you are. By following these techniques now, we’ll be helping set up the future! Do you have any water saving tips? Comment and share your own tips and trick of the trade!