Whether you’re looking to save on your water bill, conserve in drought conditions, or lower your impact on the environment, there are many smart ways to save water at home.

smart ways to save water at home

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Get Low Flow Faucets, Toilets and Shower Heads

You can reduce the amount of water you use without turning the tap off a moment earlier, if you install low flow fixtures.

  • A low flow kitchen faucet can save you 3.5 gallons per minute
  • A low flow toilet can save you 5 gallons with each flush
  • Low flow showerheads can cut your gallons per minute by 40%

Check Your Kitchen Cupboards

Many of the foods we eat take more water than you expect to produce, so switch to their water-conscious alternatives.

  • Choose tea over coffee, because it takes 37 gallons of water to grow enough beans for one cup of coffee and only three gallons for a cup of tea
  • Eat chicken over beef, because it takes 1,847 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, but it only takes 518 to produce a pound of chicken
  • Buy broccoli over asparagus, because it takes 258 gallons to grow a pound of asparagus, but it only takes 34 gallons to grow a pound of broccoli

Water Your Plants the Smart Way

After you use water, you can often reuse it in your garden. Try using:

  • Water you used to boil pasta, just be sure to let it cool first
  • Cold water you used while waiting for the shower to heat up
  • Water you washed your fruit or vegetables in, collect it in a pan
  • Plus, water plants in the morning, before the sun can evaporate it

Save Water in Your Yard

Though often neglected, your yard is full of opportunities to conserve water, such as:

  • Use a pool cover to stop water from evaporating away
  • Turn fountains and water features off, or remove them
  • Collect rainwater to use on the lawn or in the garden
  • Don’t use power washers—brooms and sponges are fine

Check for Leaks

A single dripping faucet could waste 5 gallons of water a day, while a running toilet could waste 1,000 gallons per day. As some leaks are hard to see, like those in pipes, you should check your whole plumbing system for leaks. Here’s how:

  1. Find your water meter and write down what it reads out
  2. Turn off the water or just stop using it for a two-hour period
  3. Before turning the water back on, check your water meter
  4. If the read out has gone up, you have a leak somewhere

Sources:

  1. https://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/sponsorstory/11-surprising-facts-that-will-change-your-water
  2. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/food-water-footprint_n_5952862
  3. https://water.usgs.gov/edu/activity-drip.html
  4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/17/the-incredibly-stupid-way-that-america-wastes-1-trillion-gallons-of-water-each-year