How to Cut Household Water Usage

If you pay a high monthly water bill, you would probably like to save money by cutting back on your water usage. Learning how to save water is important for your budget and for the world's natural resources.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Stop weekly or monthly fish tank cleanings. Pouring the old water down the sink and refilling the tank with fresh water wastes gallons of water. Instead, you should install a filtration system that will cut down on the number of times that you need to clean the tank. When you do clean the fish tank, use the old water to irrigate your plants.

2. Fix any drippy faucets in your home. To fix a drippy faucet, you may simply need to tighten the screws on the top of the handle or replace the washer. Check your toilet bowl for leaks as well.

3. Use a bowl of water to shave. You could also install a shower head that can be turned off while you are shaving and then turned back on when you are finished.

4. Purchase large trash containers and place them under the downspouts of your gutters. The water that you catch in these buckets can be used to water outdoor plants.

5. Wash your car at a coin operated car washing establishment. You are less likely to waste water if you must complete washing your car within a set time.

Tips & Warnings

• To check if your toilet bowl is leaking, add a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If the coloring makes it to the bowl, you should replace all the parts within the tank.
• Run sprinklers at dusk. Watering during the day is not effective because the sun will evaporate the water quickly.

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[kellystp]

on 1/5/2008 We water the houseplants with leftover drinking water from the table. Its usually room temperature and a great way to remember to water the houseplants.

We also reuse cooking water - for pasta and steamed vegetables. We let it cool off and then water the outdoor container plants.

[beetlemama]

on 11/2/2007 I keep a pitcher in the kitchen and while I'm waiting for cold water to turn hot, I fill the pitcher and use the water to fill my car's windshield washer. In the tub/shower, I have a bucket that I fill in the same manner and take it outside to water my garden. I never let water just run down the drain.

[bmi57]

on 10/31/2007 Great tips. Thank you. When I do laundry I always make sure the water level is always where it should be for the amount of laundry I'm washing at the time.

[kellystp]

on 10/31/2007 Overnight we follow the "If it's Yellow Let it Mellow, if it's Brown Flush it Down" guideline. That way we save water and we don't wake each other up flushing the toilet in the night.

We also follow this guideline when company isn't around during a drought or at the vacation home with the touchy septic system.

[krndpx]

on 10/31/2007 Thanks for this article. It is helpful for drought-stricken areas like ours.