One of the steps to Going Green is conserving our natural resources. And one of the natural resources that gets wasted the most is water. Here are some steps that your family can take to conserve water. This will not help our environment, but save you money as well.
1. Shower instead of bathing as much as possible. Obviously, how much water is saved all depends on what type of bath tub or shower you are using. Smaller bathtubs can hold anywhere between 25 and 45 gallons of water, although some can handle as many as 70 gallons. Showers, on the other hand, typically use between 8 and 10 gallons per minute.
If you are going to take a bubble bath, limit it to only a couple times per week, showering the rest of the time. If you don’t already, use a low flow shower head, which reduces the amount of water used to approximately 3.5 gallons per minute. The typical shower, according to a Texas A & M study, is 8.2 minutes.
2. Don’t allow the water to run while you are washing your hands or brushing your teeth. Just turn on the water long enough to wet your hands or wet your toothbrush and then turn it off. Apply soap and lather to your hands, or brush your teeth, and then turn on the water only long enough to rinse. This will save about 5 gallons of water each time you wash your hands or brush your teeth.
3. Try to use a high efficiency toilet. It is estimated that each flush uses between 4 and 6 gallons of water. By switching to a high efficiency model, that number is reduced to 1.5 gallons per flush. Can’t afford a new toilet? Bob Vila suggests placing a full water bottle inside the tank. This will take up room in the tank so that not as much water is required to refill it each time you flush.
4. Check for leaks. If you have leaking pipes in or under your home, you could be wasting many gallons of water and throwing away hundreds of dollars. Make sure that everything fits properly and if something can’t be repaired, have it replaced.
These tips will go a long way toward helping your family stay green, and save green! Want more tips, be sure to subscribe by email or via Bloglovin. Don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WindyCityLeanandGreen and FOLLOW us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WindyCityLean.