Water is a very precious natural resource, so it stands to reason, that we have to help preserve it and not waste in unnecessarily.
Apart from raising the costs of our end of the month water bill, it really is important to save this natural resource.
There are many steps we can take to keep the water consumption low in our households.
We can start from the most logical place, the bathroom. This is where most of the water is used in our households, in fact more than 70 percent of the water runs down our bathroom pipes!
The first step is to cut down on the time spent under the shower. Just think, if you cut down your shower to five minutes instead of ten, you be saving seventy litres of water.
Avoid taking too many baths; a full bathtub will contain more than one hundred litres! You can also change your shower head and opt for a low flow one.
You’ll find that the water consumption will decrease considerably, and you won’t even feel the difference between the two. You’ll be saving water and money regularly without even noticing it.
Tap leaks are a common way to waste water. Most times, we don’t even realize there is a leak. This is why it is important to check your tank in the toilet bowl as well as other places, for these are hidden places, where leaks are not that obvious to spot.
The best way to check for leaks is to add some food coloring or any other colored liquid. Add it to the toilet bowl and check to see if color shows up in the bowl after a few minutes wait.
If so, simple replace the component, these are inexpensive and are available at any hardware store. Check all your taps to see if they’re dripping, replacing these will cost less than wasting water on the long run.
Try and cut down on the toilet water flushes, or the amount of water your toilet uses. Most toilets nowadays come with two flush modes, a reduced and a full flush. If you don’t have this system a large plastic bottle will do the trick.
All you have to do is fill it with sand or gravel and place it in the toilet tank; it will replace some of the water every time you flush the toilet, thus saving water and your money!
Another useful tip is to keep the hot water pipes insulated, especially those near your hot water tank. This will keep the water in the pipes warm and reduce the time you will be running your tap waiting for the hot water.
You can of course, reduce water consumption in your kitchen too, by installing low flow aerators to all your taps, including the kitchen.
The dishwashers and washing machines should only be used when you have a full load ready, thus reducing the amount of washes. You may also use your garden to collect rainwater.
Install a rain barrel, you can later use this water to water your plants, you’ll be surprised at how much water we use, just for the plants alone!
