We now know that the average US citizen uses around 90 gallons of water per day for indoor use. This practically means that a lot of water is being wasted, usually without the homeowner even being aware of it.
The good news is that you can easily save water and lower the utility bill while you do your part to protect the environment. Let’s explore some of the simplest things that you can do right now.
Learn To Turn Off Your Faucet
Whenever you wash your dishes, produce, and hands, it is very easy to just leave the water faucet on. The same thing can be said about many other tasks, including shaving, but you should do all you can to stop this habit and replace it with shutting off the water supply as you do such tasks. This will save much more than you imagine. Just think about the fact that when you wash your hands for 20 seconds, you use around a quarter of a gallon.
Properly Use The Dishwasher
One thing that few people know is that the dishwasher is much more effective at water consumption than when you wash dishes by hand. The only thing that you have to think about is that you need to run the dishwasher only when it is full, preferably on the shortest cycle duration. Also, it is a good idea to buy a dishwasher that is energy-efficient and you should avoid pre-rinse, whenever possible.
Change How You Shower
If you take a long shower daily, you lose much more than you initially think. In the US, the average American spends 7.8 minutes inside the shower. This consumes 15.8 gallons. This amount can easily be reduced when you take shorter showers. Just do not linger and wash as fast as you can.
You should also seriously consider using the low-flow showerhead to save some extra .
Keep Cold Water Inside The Fridge
When you run your tap as you wait for the to get cold, you lose a lot of . Get around that by having a pitcher filled with water inside the fridge. You thus always have what you need and the tap does not need to be run.
Optimize How You Use Cooking Water
Do you boil vegetables? You could consider steaming since this requires much less . When you cook pasta or rice, steam your vegetables in a basket that you put over the pot. Basically, look for ways in which you can save when you cook.
Repair Leaky Faucets
When your faucet leaks at a rate of 60 drops every minute, you end up losing 192 gallons per month, which is 2,304 gallons every sing year. Due to this, you absolutely have to repair your leaky faucets to save water. In addition, it is really important that you repair literally all leaks as soon as possible. Check your water meter when nothing should consume water. If you see the meter running, contact a plumber because there is a leak somewhere and you have to fix it.
