Over the past couple of years we’ve all heard what we can do to help reduce our carbon footprint, be less wasteful, and truly celebrate our environment rather than ruin it. One of these efforts includes water conservation, as water is not the infinite resource we once considered it to be. Most homeowners don’t think there is very much they can do to help with saving water, but there is. We offer a few simple tips to get things done.
- Shorter Showers – Place a shower limit in your home. If you’ve got teenagers, showers can be infinite, so restrict the length of showers. A shower can be equal to five to ten gallons of water per minute, so simply cutting back on the time by a couple of minutes can really help with your efforts. If this doesn’t work for you, there are lower flow shower heads available as well, stay in just as long, but waste less water.
- Full Loads Only – We’ve all had that moment where we realize that the shirt we want to wear to work is dirty, but we’ve already done the laundry and we don’t have a full load. There’s also the moment when your teenager cleans out their room, and you find three plates and all of the forks in your home. While both of these situations may seem dire, they’re not. If you wait for a full load, it’s a lot less water used up for one thing.
- Necessity Based Watering – In the summer we want to water our lawns so our well-groomed grass doesn’t die off, but this is often unnecessary. If the grass moves with you when you step on it, it doesn’t need water. If it stays flat, however, it’s time to get the hose. Keeping your grass a little bit higher can lead to better water retention in the soil, so also consider this before mowing.
- Repurpose – If you have a freshwater fish tank that needs changed, don’t just dump the old water; use it to keep your plants alive. Getting Fluffy or Fido a new bowl of water? Use what is left in the bowl to water your plants as well. Leftover water can be used for many different things; indoor and outdoor non-edible plants or a patch of the lawn that looks particularly rough. No matter what, don’t waste it.
- Make Small Changes – For your pet’s water, consider an inexpensive fountain. They recycle the water, and don’t need to be filled as often. You will also rest assured that your cat or dog is getting fresh and filtered water. To save water during the kids’ bath time, teach older kids to shower. They’ll love the feeling of independence, and you’ll save a good bit of water. For those too small to shower on their own, consider bathing them together. It will save you time, and a boat load of water.
- Drip, drip, drip – While it may provide a chilling sound effect for this spooky time of year, a leaking faucet is no joke. It’s wasting money, it is wasting water, and it’s probably burning through your patience pretty quickly as well. If you do have a leaking faucet, throw a bowl or measuring cup underneath the tap, and use it as pet water or plant water. However, don’t let it go on too long, leaking faucets are a serious drain on your wallet.
There are plenty of things we can do to help conserve water without making massively expensive or extensive changes. Sometimes we tend to avoid fixing things in our home, because of the potential cost, but the truth is, the broken stuff may be costing you more in the long run. If you’re sick and tired of your leaky faucets, call A.C. Rimmer to replace your old plumbing fixtures with something new!
