The most effective way to save water is to upgrade to efficient fixtures. But there are other ways to help reduce the amount of water you use at home.
Laundry
Use Clothes Washer for Only Full Loads
With clothes washers, avoid the permanent press cycle, which uses an added 5 gallons (20 liters) for the extra rinse. For partial loads, adjust water levels to match the size of the load.
Consider a High Efficiency Washing Machine
The most efficient washing machines use as little as seven gallons per load, compared to a whopping 54 for a traditional washer. A high efficiency (HE) washer should easily pay for itself over its lifetime in water and energy savings. New Energy Star rated washers use 35 – 50% less water and 50% less energy per load. If you’re in the market for a new clothes washer, read our article about water-saving frontload washers.
Shower
Install Water-Saving Showerheads, Shower Timers, and Low-Flow Faucet Aerators
Inexpensive water-saving low-flow showerheads or restrictors are easy for the homeowner to install. Long showers can use five to ten gallons every unneeded minute. “Low-flow” means it uses less than 2.5 gallons per minute. You can easily install a ShowerStart, which automatically pauses a running shower once it gets warm.
Take Shorter Showers
One way to cut down on water use is to turn off the shower after soaping up, then turn it back on to rinse. A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water. You can also install a simple shower timer, available from your local water utility or hardware store.
Toilets
Don’t Use the Toilet as an Ashtray or Wastebasket
Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of trash, you’re wasting gallons of water. Put them in the garbage, or better yet, recycle.
Put Plastic Bottles or a Float Booster in Your Toilet Tank
To cut down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms. Or, buy an inexpensive tank bank or float booster. This may save ten or more gallons of water per day. Be sure at least three gallons of water remain in the tank so it will flush properly. If there is not enough water to get a proper flush, users will hold the lever down too long or do multiple flushes to get rid of waste. Two flushes at 1.4 gallons are worse than a single 2 gallon flush.
Buy an Adjustable Toilet Flapper
Installing an adjustable toilet flapper will allow for adjustment of each per flush use; the user can adjust the flush rate to the minimum per flush setting that achieves a single good flush each time.
Install Low or Dual Flush Models
Federal regulations state that new toilets must use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. Replacing an old toilet with an ultra-low volume (ULV) 1.6 gallon flush model represents a 70% savings in water and will cut indoor water use by about 30%. Alternatively, consider purchasing a dual flush toilet or installing dual flush converter that turns a standard toilet into a dual flush toilet, saving an average family 15,000 gallons of water each year. More water can be used when it’s needed, but for most flushes you’ll be using 70% less, adding up to some significant water savings.
Faucets and Sinks
Fit Household Faucets with Aerators
This easy and effective home water conservation method is also the cheapest! A simple low-flow aerator saves water in the bathroom.
Turn Off the Water After You Wet Your Toothbrush
There is no need to keep the water running while brushing your teeth. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.
Rinse Your Razor in the Sink
Fill the sink with a few inches of warm water. This will rinse your razor just as well as running water, with far less waste of water.
Minimize Use of Kitchen Sink Garbage Disposal Units
In-sink ‘garburators’ require lots of water to operate properly, and also add considerably to the volume of solids in a septic tank, which can lead to maintenance problems. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing food waste.
Opt for the Dishwasher Over Hand Washing
It may seem counterintuitive, but it turns out washing dishes by hand uses a lot more water than running the dishwasher, even more so if you have a water-conserving model. The EPA estimates an efficient dishwasher uses half as much water, saving close to 5,000 gallons each year.
When Washing Dishes by Hand, Don’t Leave the Water Running for Rinsing
If your have a double-basin, fill one with soapy water and one with rinse water. If you have a single-basin sink, gather washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a spray device or a pan full of hot water. Dual-swivel aerators are available to make this easier. If using a dishwasher, there is usually no need to pre-rinse the dishes.
Don’t Let the Faucet Run While You Clean Vegetables
Just rinse them in a stoppered sink or a pan of clean water.
Keep a Bottle of Drinking Water in the Fridge
Running tap water to cool it off for drinking water is wasteful. Store drinking water in the fridge in a safe drinking bottle. If you are filling water bottles to bring along on outdoor hikes, consider buying a personal water filter, which enables users to drink water safely from rivers or lakes or any available body of water.
Lawns and Shrubs
Plant Drought-resistant Lawns, Shrubs and Plants
If you are planting a new lawn, or overseeding an existing lawn, use drought-resistant grasses such as “Eco-Lawn”. Many beautiful shrubs and plants thrive with far less watering than other species. Replace herbaceous perennial borders with native plants.
Native plants will use less water and be more resistant to local plant diseases. Consider applying the principles of xeriscape for a low-maintenance, drought resistant yard. Plant slopes with plants that will retain water and help reduce runoff.
Group plants according to their watering needs.
Put a Layer of Mulch Around Trees and Plants
Mulch will slow evaporation of moisture while discouraging weed growth. Adding 2 – 4 inches of organic material such as compost or bark mulch will increase the ability of the soil to retain moisture. Press the mulch down around the drip line of each plant to form a slight depression, which will prevent or minimize water runoff.
Learn more about different mulch materials and their best use.
Position Sprinklers Carefully
Position your sprinklers so water lands on the lawn or garden, not on paved areas. Also, avoid watering on windy days.
Water Your Lawn Only When It Needs It
A good way to see if your lawn needs watering is to step on the grass. If it springs back up when you move, it doesn’t need water. If it stays flat, the lawn is ready for watering. Letting the grass grow taller (to 3″) will also promote water retention in the soil.
Most lawns only need about 1″ of water each week. During dry spells, you can stop watering altogether and the lawn will go brown and dormant. Once cooler weather arrives, the morning dew and rainfall will bring the lawn back to its usual vigor. This may result in a brown summer lawn, but it saves a lot of water. You can also replace thirsty Kentucky bluegrass lawns with Eco-Lawn, a grass seed mix that lowers your lawn’s water needs by over 85%.
Deep-Soak Your Lawn
When watering the lawn, do it long enough for the moisture to soak down to the roots where it will do the most good. A light sprinkling can evaporate quickly and tends to encourage shallow root systems. Put an empty tuna can on your lawn – when it’s full, you’ve watered about the right amount. Most lawns want about an inch of water per week, so note how much rain fell and add water accordingly. Visit our natural lawn care page for more information.
Use Efficient Watering Systems
You can greatly reduce the amount of water used for shrubs, beds, and lawns by strategically placing soaker hoses installing a rain barrel water catchment system;
or installing a simple drip-irrigation system. For trees and woody shrubs, consider deep watering with slow-delivery irrigation like tree-ring soaker hose. Be sure to avoid over-watering plants and shrubs, since this can diminish plant health and cause yellowing of the leaves. When hand watering, use a variable spray nozzle for targeted watering.
Plant in ‘Hydro-Zones’ to Maximize Water Use
Grouping plants with similar water needs means you won’t be wasting water on plants that don’t need it. Keep your water-wise and xeriscaped plants together, and do likewise with thirstier plants. Water only certain zones regularly, while watering drought-tolerant plantings less frequently.
Plant Trees in the Yard for Shade
In addition to making your house cooler and storing carbon, adding shade trees can lessen the need for watering. By protecting plants and soil from the afternoon sun, shade trees help conserve water.
