How to Conserve Water: 11 Simple Water-Saving Tips

There are many reasons why water conservation is essential for the times in which we live:

• The water source is finite. The current water supply on Earth comes from surface water runoff, groundwater, and snow. This supply comes from the same sources that have been in use for thousands of years. Overdevelopment, pollution, and global warming threaten this supply. By being more conscious of water use, you can help conserve this precious resource and ensure everyone who needs water can access it.
• Conservation fights droughts. While our water supply on Earth is constant, that doesn’t mean it is evenly distributed worldwide. Certain areas experience droughts, in which the rainfall and snowfall aren’t enough to supply the necessary water. By conserving water, you can help alleviate the effects of droughts in your community.
• Water use drains other resources. When you turn on the faucet, it’s not only water you’re using but the energy required to deliver the water to your home. This energy use increases when you use hot water since a lot of energy goes into heating. By reducing the amount of water you use (both hot and cold), you can conserve water and energy, reducing energy pollution and harm to the environment.
• Conserving water saves money. Your monthly utility bills include the cost of the water you use and the energy required to deliver and heat that water. By turning off the faucet and being mindful of your water use, you can lower your monthly utility payments and save money.

Ready to conserve water? Here are some tips to reduce your water consumption:

1. 1. Update your appliances. Many old appliances use significantly more water than modern water- and energy-saving ones. Research the toilets, faucets, showerheads, dishwashers, and clothes washers in your home to determine how much water they use, and look into options that use less water, like dual-flush toilets. While replacing an appliance can be expensive, a water-efficient appliance can offer substantial savings on your water bill. Smaller fixes, like faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads, can still make a huge improvement for water conservation.
2. 2. Reduce toilet flushing. Flushing the toilet can use up to seven gallons per flush. To avoid wasting water, use alternative means of disposal. Instead of flushing facial tissues or small pieces of trash, opt for the trash bin instead. A toilet tank bank is another way to conserve water in your toilet: simply add it to your toilet tank to displace the amount of water the tank refills with each flush.
3. 3. Opt for full loads in the washing machine. To make the most of your clothes washer, make sure that you’re only using it with full loads, rather than a series of smaller loads. If you need to run the washer with a smaller load, adjust the machine knob to “small” so that it uses less water.
4. 4. Take shorter showers. For every minute in the shower, your showerhead can use up to ten gallons of water. Try reducing the amount of time you spend in the shower every day, to a maximum of five minutes, or turn off the water in between rinses to conserve water while you’re bathing.
5. 5. Use the dishwasher, if possible. It may seem counterintuitive, but washing dishes by hand typically uses more water than the dishwasher. If you don’t have a dishwater, there are ways to conserve water during the washing process. Simply turn off the water when you wash dishes, instead of letting it run. If you have a dishwater, avoid rinsing your dishes before loading them into the washer.
6. 6. Skip the garbage disposal. Garbage disposal units use up a lot of water. Instead of sending chunks of food down the drain, toss them into a compost pile to save water and reduce food waste.
7. 7. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. Letting the faucet run when you brush your teeth is an unnecessary waste of water. Conserve water by turning the faucet off when brushing.
8. 8. Rinse things in a basin. Running the faucet when rinsing something—from vegetables to kitchen plates to your razor—uses a lot more water than you think. Instead of holding an item under the faucet, fill up a basin of water for rinsing, which will automatically limit the amount of water you use.
9. 9. Store drinking water in the fridge. For people who drink tap water out of the faucet, running the water until it gets cold is a natural habit—but it wastes a lot of water in the process. Rather than drinking cold water straight from the faucet, fill reusable bottles or pitchers up with lukewarm sink water and store them in the fridge, which allows them to get cold without running water down the drain.
10. 10. Check for leaky faucets. Leaky faucets can waste up to 20 gallons of water every day. If you know you have a faucet that drips, fix it, or replace it as soon as possible to save water (and your utility budget). Even if you don’t think your faucets are leaking, check periodically to make sure. To detect a leak, check your water meter over two hours when water is not in use at your home. If the water usage changes, you have a leak. Catching the drip early will help avoid wasting water.
11. 11. Be mindful of lawn-watering practices. A green lawn is a significant water investment—it can account for up to one-third of a household’s water use in the summer months. If you’re intent on keeping a traditional lawn, be mindful of your watering practices. Opt for a good soak once a week rather than daily routine watering. Water in the early morning or evening rather than the afternoon when evaporation happens faster. Plant trees for shade to protect your grass and plants from the afternoon sun. Use mulch around plants to retain soil moisture. Ensure your sprinklers are well-positioned and aren’t watering the pavement. Adjust your irrigation system to water less in rainy or cool months. Finally, if you feel like your lawn requires too much water, ditch the grass in favor of Xeriscaping practices like gravel and water-saving plants.

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