Water Conservation
Additional tips
Here are more tips for conserving water inside your home:
In the bathroom:
Flush less — remember the toilet is not an ashtray or wastebasket.
While brushing teeth, shaving, etc., turn off the water.
When cold water will do, avoid using hot water.
Take shorter showers — 5 minutes or less.
In the shower, wet yourself down, turn the water off, lather up, then turn the water on to rinse off soap.
Use less water for bathing — close the drain first and fill tub only one-third full. That initial burst of cold
water will be warmed by the hot water as the tub fills.
In the kitchen:
Operate the dishwasher only when you have a full load. Scrape, don’t rinse, your dishes before loading in the
dishwasher. When purchasing a dishwasher, consider a water-efficient model. Use your garbage disposal sparingly and
start composting your kitchen waste. Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or icrowave, not under running
water. Store drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the tap run while you wait for cool water to
flow. When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water and fill the rinsing sink to one-third
or one-half full — avoid letting the water run continuously in the rinsing sink.
In the laundry:
For washers with variable settings for water volume, select the minimum amount required per load. If load size
cannot be set, operate the washer with full loads only. Use the shortest wash cycle for lightly soiled loads;
normal and permanent press wash cycles use more water. Check hoses regularly for leaks. Pretreat stains to avoid
rewashing.
Additional tips:
Install instant water heaters in bathrooms and in the kitchen so you don’t
have to let the water run while it heats up. Insulate your water pipes — you’ll get hot water faster, plus avoid
wasting water while it heats up. Avoid installing a water-to-air heat pump or air-conditioning system — newer
air-to-air models are just as efficient and do not waste water.
Install water-softening systems only when necessary; save water and salt by only running the minimum amount of
regenerations necessary to maintain water softness; turn softeners off while on vacation.
Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it, such as watering a plant or cleaning.
Replace leaky drain plugs in sinks and bathtubs.
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