How to Conserve Water without feeling Dehydrated.

Easy lifestyle changes that can save the environment, your money, and our most precious resource: Water.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A long handled dish scrubber
• Your imagination.

1. Our most precious resource: Water Stop and think of all the different ways you utilize water. We are so blessed that we take for granted that, anytime we need it, we can turn on the spigot and out flows the essence of life, water.
   
   But with increasing droughts in areas, conserving water is becoming a real necessity. Here are some tips on simple changes you can make that will cut back on your water usage without you feeling the pinch.
   
   Tip #1: Stop rinsing those dishes before putting them in your automatic dishwasher. Instead, use a long handled dish scrubber to scrape and clean the majority of the food debris directly into the garbage disposal.
   
   For pots and pans, less than a quarter cup of water along with working the scrub brush over the tougher areas of cooked on food is sufficient to remove most if not all of it.
   
   When you've fully loaded the dishwasher, turn the hot waster knob to rinse out the sink and turn on the garbage disposal. As you rinse, the water heats up, which is a good way to start your automatic dishwasher, with hot water already in the line.
   
   Potential water savings per dinner cleanup: 10-20 gallons
2. Tip #2 Don't use an automatic dishwasher? Then scrape your dishes as above, organize them, sprinkle lightly with water. Fill your dish sponge with concentrated dish soap and wash without filling a sink with water. Stack dishes as you clean them. Once finished, turn on the hot water at low flow and rinse the dishes over the stack of cleaned ones.
   
   
   Potential water savings per dinner cleanup: 6-8 gallons
3. Tip #3: How often do you wash the sheets on your bed? Some do it once a week. If you lower the frequency to, say, every 10 days or longer, you'll be doing less wash, and saving water, detergent, and money!
   
   
   Potential water savings per month: 15-20 gallons per month depending on family size.
4. Tip #4 Flushing. This one could be a bit stickier for some people, but around our household we flush every other use. This does not apply to going number 2, if you know what I mean.
   
   
   Potential water savings per month: 10-20 gallons+ depending on family size.
5. Tip #5 Using a broom instead of hosing off the driveway or sidewalk. This is a biggie. Sidewalks don't grow, don't water them.
   
   
   Potential water savings: 18 gallons per MINUTE!
6. Tip #6 Landscape irrigation is best done at the wee hours of the morning, like 5am. No, I don't expect that you will get up to hand water at that time, but if you install an automatic timer it'll get the job done. Early morning, deep watering is beneficial because you do not lose moisture to evaporation or wind. The plant roots benefit because the soil is able to absorb more water more deeply thus retaining it during the hotter hours of the day. The entire summer I had my sprinklers set to go off only once a week for 20 minutes at a pop. I'll reduce the time for the winter.
   
   Water savings depends on your landscape size and climate.
7. Tip #7 Left over water in glasses, or left over coffee in the pot could be used to water your potted plants. Cooled water from cooking pasta, or other foods, same thing.
   
   With a little ingenuity and imagination, one could think of unusual ways to save water that require small changes in habit but have a big impact on our water supply.

Tips & Warnings

• If using cooking water to water plants, make sure the water is tepid, not too cold or hot, and that it is not loaded with salt. Extremes in temperature, or salt content could kill your plants.