Home Water Conservation
- Repair any leaks in your toilets.
- To reduce the water required to flush, put a quart plastic bottle of water in the tank and save one quart per flush or adjust the float level.
- Replace your old toilet if it was manufactured before 1992. Newer toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush.
- Take showers instead of tub baths and limit shower time to two minutes or less.
- Install a flow-control device in your showers.
- Turn off shower water while you apply soap to body, or shampoo and shave.
- Don’t use your clothes washing machine with less than a full load or use a lower water-level setting.
- Replace your clothes washer. Newer models can use up to 50 percent less water than older ones.
- Pretreat stains to avoid rewashing, and use the shortest wash cycle for lightly soiled loads.
- Use a pan of water when peeling and cleaning vegetables and fruits rather than letting the sink tap run.
- Use the garbage disposal only once per dishwashing session.
- Don’t run the tap to get cold water. Keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator for drinking.
- Don’t thaw frozen foods with running tap water.
- Run the dishwasher only when it is completely full, and scrape rather than rinse dishes that go in the dishwasher.
- Use one pan of soapy water and one of hot water for washing dishes by hand.
- Water the lawn less frequently and only at night to reduce evaporation losses.
- Install an automatic sprinkler system, which is much more water efficient than hand watering.
- Water dry areas by hand. Plant drought-resistant plants and trees.
- Don't water your driveway, sidewalks, house or neighbor’s lawn, and don’t water when it’s windy out.
- Use a drip system for gardens, which encourages strong root systems and cuts down on evaporation.
- Remove weeds promptly – they rob other plants of water.
- Mow less – mowing puts grass under stress, which makes it need more water.
- Don’t use the hose to clean driveways and decks. Use a broom.
- When washing the car, get it wet then turn off the water while you soap the car down. Use the hose only for the final rinse.
- Turn off all water if you are going to be away from home on a vacation or trip.
- Mulch shrubs and garden plants to retain moisture in the soil longer.