My Eco Tip Two

20 Ways to Save Water at Home

Next to air, water is the essential element for preserving life. Water is a finite commodity that can result in imminent shortages in the future if not managed properly. Water conservation can come in handy in helping minimize these shortages.

1. Check your toilet for leaks. Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. If the color starts to appear in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak that may be wasting 100 gallons of water away. In a simple way,

Step 1: Remove the tank lid.

Step 2: Put ten drops of food coloring inside the tank-red or green works best.

Step 3: Replace lid, do not flush till morning.

Step 4: Check the following day. If the coloring shows up, you leak.

2. Stop using your toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket. Every cigarette bud or tissue you throw away also flush away 5-7 gallons of water.
3. Put a plastic bottle in your toilet tank. Put an inch or two of sand or pebbles at the bottom of one breeder bottle to weigh down and fill the rest of the bottle with water, then put it in your toilet tank. In an average home, this method can save up to 5 or more gallons daily without affecting the regular operation of the toilet.
4. Have shorter showers. A typical shower uses 5-7 gallons a minute. Limit your showers by time.
5. Install water-saving showerheads or flow restrictors. These will cut your shower flow into 3 gallons instead of five to ten gallons every shower.
6. Take baths using a partially filled tub uses.
7. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Before brushing, wet your brush and fill a glass full of water for rinsing your mouth, then close the tap.
8. Turn off the water while shaving.
9. Check faucets and pipes for leaks.
10. Don’t run the hose while washing your car. 
11. Tell your kids not to play with a hose or sprinklers.
12. Don’t let the faucet run water while you clean vegetables. Use a bowl or a sink filled with water instead.
13. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator.
14. If you wash dishes by hand, don’t run the taps running when rinsing.
15. Put a layer of mulches around your plants.
16. Watering your lawn only when it needs.
17. Use your automatic dishwasher for full loads only.
18. Use your automatic washing machine for full loads only.
19. Use a broom to clean driveways, sidewalks, and steps.
20. Plant drought-resistant plants.

Save water, save a life!