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kellystp said
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 said
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.
Mary Ann I said
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 said
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 said
on 10/31/2007 Thanks for this article. It is helpful for drought-stricken areas like ours.
asasser said
on 10/31/2007 You can also put a large water bottle or half gallon milk jug filled with water in the tank of your toilet. This is supposed to help you use less when you flush.
favefive said
on 10/31/2007 I love tip no. 4 the best. We do that and it saves a lot of money. Just make sure to cover them after the rain to prevent from becoming a mosquito breeding ground.
Juli said
on 10/31/2007 A few more tips that we practice around our house:
1. Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth; wet the toothbrush, turn off the water, brush, turn the water back on only to rinse.
2. Don't run the water while washing dishes. Either fill the sink with water and wash the dishes in it (although the water gets kind of gross after a short time) or, what we do -- use one of those sponge-on-a-handle gadgets where you put soap in the handle. Wet all your dishes, turn off the water, wash all the dishes with the sponge, then turn the water back on to rinse them all.
3. Don't let water run out of the faucet until it's hot. If you need to boil water it will only take a couple more minutes on the stove than it would have if you started with hot water. Letting water run down the drain for no reason other than waiting for it to warm is a terrible waste of water.