We try really very hard to conserve water, but I wonder how much it helps. We just do little things, and hope that they help; our water bill is showing that they do.
We flush only every other toilet use, if it’s not smelly
We use a dehumidifier in the house and then use the water from that to water the garden.
We use the dish water to water the indoors plants. We shower rather than bathe where possible (not always doable with a toddler) and I share my shower or bath with her.
We use a cup rather than running water for brushing teeth.
Those are all very good methods. I try to not take showers that are too long. I think some people waste a lot of water that way. I usually bucket wash my car with only some quick rinses with the house.
Not having a car helps me enormously with that Though the person I live with has a car, and takes hers to the carwash-not at all sure how efficient they are but I would imagine they are hugely wasteful.
Car washes are unlikely to be the most energy efficient of beasts what with all those high pressure water jets, motorised arms and so forth. In fact, they probably waste a lot of energy, especially compared to a more conventional method of washing your car (i.e. a bucket and sponge!).
We follow most of the suggestions mentioned here though I just turn the tap off when not rinsing my brush. The old full litre bottle in the toilet cistern is another big help that will add up nicely over the course of a year as well.
Just being concious of how much water that goes straight from the tap down the plughole is enough to save a significant amount.
I conserve water by turning off the faucet while brushing my teeth, soaking dishes and only running water for a quick rinse (don’t have a dishwasher), and by doing that bottle-in-the-cistern trick. When it comes to showers, mine are usually pretty short, but if I feel I am going to need more time I just take a bath (half-filled).
When it comes to rinsing dishes, I do it in the sink. We use a bowl to wash up in, (dish pan to you ‘mericans) and put the plug in the sink. We fill the sink with clean, soap free water, and dip them dishes in there when we take them out of the soapy water.
I guess I’m bad about conserving water when it comes to dishes, but I try to pick up the slack in other places.
I keep water off when I brush teeth, and wash what needs to be washed in the shower rather than take a luxurious 30 minute steambath.
I tell my brother before he goes to the bathroom before bed, “if it’s yellow let it mellow” because he gets up first for school anyway and goes again and it wouldn’t catch me off guard and gross me out.
Rain water collection is something that we really need to think about a little more. The summers get so dry here, and if nothing else it would be nice to be able to use it on our lawn.
We are also debating planting a vegetable garden and I worry that it will die without irrigation, but I worry too about the costs of that.
I don’t have any eavestroughing on my house, and I’m thinking it would be a good idea and to get an old-fashioned rainbarrel to use rainwater for my outside needs.
Here is a great tip for your hair.
Keep a bucket for rain water outside of course, after shampooing conditioning and all that, rinse your hair with the rainwater, it will feel thicker and what a shine.
We would get the apartment fixer guy to, but our apartment sucks. We called them to spray our house for bugs, they said Friday, and 3 weeks later they came.
Our way of conserving water is to not let our kids bathe longer. We do make sure that our faucets are doing well and dont have leak to avoid water from flowing.
Though the person I live with has a car, and takes hers to the carwash-not at all sure how efficient they are but I would imagine they are hugely wasteful.
