Save as much water as you possibly can.
“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Hey, folks!
If you were with us for all of the previous challenges, you’ve already completed a couple of water-saving ones so far (How to take a shower, How to brush teeth, Full load only …).
However, since water saving is extremely important we’ve decided to use this week’s challenge to address other things you can and should do in your home to save as much water as possible.
Do the best you can to perform as many of those water-saving actions as you possibly can. Try and make a habit out of them and start saving as much water as it is in your power while performing your daily house chores.
Let’s take a closer look at those water saving actions.
Water-saving actions
In addition to the actions described in some of the previous challenges (How to take a shower, How to brush teeth, Full load only …), you should also perform the ones listed below.
Inside of your home:
1. Check your home for leaky faucets. Quite a lot of water is being wasted due to leaking faucets. Moreover, severe leaks can also be a noticeable addition to your water bill. Take a tour around your home and check all faucets. Repair or change the ones that are leaking. In case you’re buying new faucets, consider buying water-saving ones.
2. Consider installing low-flow toilets. An average person uses a toilet 7 times a day. Considering that a typical older toilet uses 3.6 gallons (13.6 liters) of water per flush this adds up to 25.2 gallons (95.2 liters) of water each day. By installing a low-flow toilet you can save up to 2 gallons (7.6 L) per flush, both preserving the environment and lowering your water bill.
In case you’d like to save water but don’t want to spend your money on a low-flow toilet, you can try putting a bottle of water in the tank of your current toilet. The space the bottle takes up will save that much water each flush, yet allow the toilet to keep functioning properly. (Don’t use a brick for this purpose, because bricks can disintegrate.)
3. Consider installing faucet aerators. Proper ones can decrease water consumption by 6 %.
Around the garden:
1. When cleaning your driveway don’t spray it with a hose. Use a broom instead and just sweep it. Your driveway might be a bit less clean, but you’ll save a lot of water. If you really think about it, how clean do you actually need your driveway to be? An average hose delivers 17 gallons (26.5 L) of water per minute and it always takes more than one minute to spray hose a driveway.
2. Do not water your lawn. We know most of you want to have a nice green lawn, but we’d really like to ask you not to waste precious water on this luxury.
However, we’d like to suggest you use rainwater for that purpose. If you’d like to use water for watering the lawn and other plants in your garden, you should really consider installing a rainwater tank to accumulate raindrops.
If you can afford it, we’d recommend you to install a more advanced system that will enable you to use rainwater as a supply water in your home. There are many companies out there that offer a variety of different types of filtering systems. Some systems are good enough to even make rainwater potable (the best ones use UV light to disinfect the water).
3. Mulch around your landscaping. A three-inch layer of mulch holds moisture and prevents evaporation, reducing the need to water plants around your garden.
4. If possible use rainwater to wash your car. Also, always use a bucket instead of running water when washing a car. Park your car on your lawn before washing it. That way you’ll simultaneously water the lawn. Make sure you are using a car wash that is safe for the environment.
Like always, we’d like you to do the best you can to follow all of the water saving tips herein. Some will demand more effort than others, but we are confident you’ll find it feasible to implement them inside your everyday habits.
“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”
-W. H. Auden
Take-home points:
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Save water in every step you take (using a toilet, dishes, laundry, teeth brushing, showering, car washing, gardening, …).
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Take a step further and install water-saving faucets and low-flow toilets.
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Use rainwater if possible.
Have a beautiful water-saving week.
Love,
Good Earthlings