Last month, we were focusing on Saving Water.
The average person in the US uses 80-100 gallons of water a day and most of that water is actually used to flush the toilet.
Now, that's a lot of H2O!
Here are a couple of things that can help reduce the amount of water going down the drain without spending a lot of coin.
Capture cold water from the shower that you would normally let run down the drain.
- When you start your shower, capture the cold water with a bucket and place the bucket next to your toilet. Next time you go to the bathroom, instead of flushing the toilet, pour your captured water into the toilet bowl (which triggers the toilet to flush). You've just reused that shower water and saved a couple of gallons by not flushing your toilet!
We have just started using this trick-and it's surprisingly easy and hassle-free. Visitor's might question the bucket of water next to the toilet...so feel free to share the helpful hint with inquiring friends.
-Here's another trick. When you start the shower, plug the drain and capture this water in the bottom of the tub. Wash your delicate "hand-wash in cold water" items in the tub before your shower. You probably have been putting that task off anyway...so you might-as-well reuse this water. So go...and get after it before you jump into the shower in the morning. You'll walk out the door with a nice sense of accomplishment, guaranteed!
Convert your regular toilet to a low-flow toilet for free.
The cheapest way is to install some sort of weight in the toilet’s tank. The weight will take up space and displace the water so less water is required to fill the tank. You could purchase a number of gadgets to do this or if you don't want to spend any money you can use a soda or 1/2 gallon milk container. Fill the container about halfway with something heavy (rocks/marbles) and place the cap back on. Place the container into the water (in the tank of your toilet). Just make sure it’s not obstructing any of the components of the toilet. Ta'da! You'll be saving water and money in no time!
Check your toilet for leaks.
So you're not sure if your toilet tank is leaking. Try putting a splash of food coloring in the tank. If, next time you go to the toilet the water in the bowl is a that same bright blue or green, you have just discovered a leak. A leak that is costing you money and wasting water. Good work Sherlock...now go call a plumber!
Get an aerator for your sink faucet.
Aerators reduce the water coming through the faucets by mixing it with air. The aerator separates a normal single flow of water into tiny streams of water and the water flow is reduced without feeling a reduction in water pressure. Easy to install...and they're cheap! Typically $1.00-$3.00.
http://www.google.com/search?q=faucet+airator&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=faucet+aerator&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=iH3&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&ei=7Up1TcbeEMSblgeihOinAg&ved=0CD8QrQQ&bav=on.2,or.&fp=7e0c973786b8478e
Time your showers
Do you know anybody who insists that it only takes them 10 minutes to get ready for work...and this includes a shower? Usually, I've found that those people have a skewed perception of their abilities in the morning. I have never made such a claim but I was curious to see how long I stood in the shower every morning.
I've recently moved the kitchen timer into the bathroom and I've been timing my showers. I set the timer for 6 minutes and every time so far I've gotten out of the shower before the timer went off.
See, there's no need to dilly-dally.
Try it at home!
If you have any other hints..I'd love to hear them. The word on the street is that a low-flush toilet is one of the prizes in our Greener Faster Challenge!
The average person in the US uses 80-100 gallons of water a day and most of that water is actually used to flush the toilet.
Now, that's a lot of H2O!
Here are a couple of things that can help reduce the amount of water going down the drain without spending a lot of coin.
Capture cold water from the shower that you would normally let run down the drain.
- When you start your shower, capture the cold water with a bucket and place the bucket next to your toilet. Next time you go to the bathroom, instead of flushing the toilet, pour your captured water into the toilet bowl (which triggers the toilet to flush). You've just reused that shower water and saved a couple of gallons by not flushing your toilet!
We have just started using this trick-and it's surprisingly easy and hassle-free. Visitor's might question the bucket of water next to the toilet...so feel free to share the helpful hint with inquiring friends.
-Here's another trick. When you start the shower, plug the drain and capture this water in the bottom of the tub. Wash your delicate "hand-wash in cold water" items in the tub before your shower. You probably have been putting that task off anyway...so you might-as-well reuse this water. So go...and get after it before you jump into the shower in the morning. You'll walk out the door with a nice sense of accomplishment, guaranteed!
Convert your regular toilet to a low-flow toilet for free.
The cheapest way is to install some sort of weight in the toilet’s tank. The weight will take up space and displace the water so less water is required to fill the tank. You could purchase a number of gadgets to do this or if you don't want to spend any money you can use a soda or 1/2 gallon milk container. Fill the container about halfway with something heavy (rocks/marbles) and place the cap back on. Place the container into the water (in the tank of your toilet). Just make sure it’s not obstructing any of the components of the toilet. Ta'da! You'll be saving water and money in no time!
Check your toilet for leaks.
So you're not sure if your toilet tank is leaking. Try putting a splash of food coloring in the tank. If, next time you go to the toilet the water in the bowl is a that same bright blue or green, you have just discovered a leak. A leak that is costing you money and wasting water. Good work Sherlock...now go call a plumber!
Get an aerator for your sink faucet.
Aerators reduce the water coming through the faucets by mixing it with air. The aerator separates a normal single flow of water into tiny streams of water and the water flow is reduced without feeling a reduction in water pressure. Easy to install...and they're cheap! Typically $1.00-$3.00.
http://www.google.com/search?q=faucet+airator&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=faucet+aerator&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=iH3&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&ei=7Up1TcbeEMSblgeihOinAg&ved=0CD8QrQQ&bav=on.2,or.&fp=7e0c973786b8478e
Time your showers
Do you know anybody who insists that it only takes them 10 minutes to get ready for work...and this includes a shower? Usually, I've found that those people have a skewed perception of their abilities in the morning. I have never made such a claim but I was curious to see how long I stood in the shower every morning.
I've recently moved the kitchen timer into the bathroom and I've been timing my showers. I set the timer for 6 minutes and every time so far I've gotten out of the shower before the timer went off.
See, there's no need to dilly-dally.
Try it at home!
If you have any other hints..I'd love to hear them. The word on the street is that a low-flush toilet is one of the prizes in our Greener Faster Challenge!
Great ideas Melanie. I especially like the idea of collecting the cold water from the shower. At our house we just started collecting rain water. We started because of the earthquake but will probably continue doing it once we get our water back. But it is amazing how much we collect and the water tastes great. You could also use it for toilets or washing dishes. Not sure if it is possible to collect rainwater at your house. Thanks for the good tips. Keep them coming.
ReplyDeleteGood Idea Julie! We've got a rain-barrel at home and we use it to water the flowers and plants. We thought about trying to wash towels and rugs with it but realized that when it came out of the barrel it wasn't very clean. It was at the end of the summer though..so maybe we will try it again early spring when the barrel might be a little cleaner. :)
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