| Short showers save water |
| To be a water saver, install a low-flow showerhead and keep showers under 5 minutes. Turn off the water to soap up. |
| Flush only when necessary |
| Avoid using the toilet for a wastebasket. Every flush you can eliminate can save between two and seven gallons of water. |
| Test your toilet |
| Leaks waste water. Add several drops of food coloring to the toilet tank. If it's leaking, the coloring will appear in the toilet without flushing. |
| Reduce water use |
| If you don't have a low flow toilet, use plastic bottles filled with water and pebbles to displace water in the tank. Don't obstruct float and don't use bricks. |
| Brush teeth efficiently |
| Don't let the water run while you brush your teeth or shave. Turn the faucet on briefly to rinse. An electric razor saves the most. |
| Conserve Water |
| Filling the tub uses about 50 gallons of water. Try bathing in just 10 gallons. Plug the tub when you shower; how full does the tub get? |
| Wash clothes wisely |
| Match washer's load selector to your load size. Try to wash only full loads. Minimize detergent use. Save energy by using cold water to wash. |
| Save water and energy |
| Buying a new washing machine? Choose wisely. Find the ones that conserves water and energy and has a suds saver attachment. |
| Prepare food efficiently |
| Speed cleaning food by using a vegetable brush. Spray water in short bursts. Faucet aerators cut consumption. |
| Reduce dishwashing |
| Use a rubber spatula to scrape dishes clean to limit pre-rinse. Let really dirty pans or dishes soak to speed washing. |
| Use fewer dishes |
| Limit dishwasher use to full loads. Minimize detergent use. Prepare food with an eye to reducing dishwashing. |
| Wash cars efficiently |
| Choose a car wash that recycles water. At home, use a shut-off nozzle and wash your car in small sections. Direct runoff to water landscaping. |
| Find a better way |
| Avoid using garbage disposals. Compost or feed leftovers to pets when possible. Use recycled water in disposal. |
| Save some water |
| Replacing an old shower head can save up to 7.5 gallons of water per minute without sacrificing full spray action at low or high water pressures. |
| Keep your septic system running smoothly |
| Failed septic systems can allow untreated sewage to seep into wells, groundwater, and surface waterbodies -- where you get your drinking water and swim. Failed septic systems also contaminate our lakes, pollute water supplies, and create offensive odors. Have your septic tank inspected and pumped regularly by a licensed septic tank contractor every 3 to 5 years. Pumping your septic tank is the most important thing you can do to protect your septic system. If the buildup of solids in the tank gets too high and solids move into the drainfield, your drainfield will clog and strain your system, causing your drainfield to fail. Then you will have to replace the whole drainfield. |
| Lowering runoff pollution |
If you wash your car at a car wash, you are actually helping to lower the amount of polluted runoff water. At a car wash, the water is recycled to remove any pollutants from washing the vehicles.
If you prefer to wash your car at home, you could try to wash it on an unpaved surface such as grass. This helps because the ground filters out a lot of the pollutants, naturally |
| Rooftop runoff |
Water that runs off of your roof can be collected in a barrel and recycled to water your landscaping after the rain. This recycling of water can save you money because you are not paying for the water that didn't come from your faucet.
As an alternative, you could run downspouts to unpaved surfaces to allow the ground to filter out any pollutants. |
