Best Ways to Reduce Water Waste

Whether it’s running the tap while we brush our teeth or flushing the toilet too often, we’re all slightly guilty of wasting water. The US alone wastes billions of gallons a day and when you consider that a large portion of the world has a shortage of clean drinking water, this is a harrowing fact. Thankfully, aside from donating to the right causes and charities, there are small changes we can make to our everyday lives to reduce the amount of water we waste individually. Here are a few ways you can do this.

Water jug

Often, when we go to fill up a glass of fresh water from the tap, we’ll run it for a while to make sure the water is cold enough for our liking, especially if we’ve recently used the hot water tap. Instead, fill up a jug and keep it in the fridge to ensure it’s cold when you need it. You can even get a jug with a water filter in to ensure there are no minerals in the water, if you live in a hard water area and don’t want water softener installation.

Clothes

Instead of washing small amounts of clothes every day, allow your laundry to build up over a few days or even a week if you don’t have much. This means you won’t be using excess water each time. However, make sure the washing machine isn’t over-packed, as this will prevent your clothes from getting adequately clean and the soap suds washing away properly.

Showers

Not only are they cleaner and more hygienic, taking showers instead of baths is a great way of preventing water wastage. If you really enjoy your baths, just try to reduce them to once a week instead of every day. This way you will not have to worry about plumbing repairs.

Running taps

When you’re brush your teeth or washing your face, switch off the tap in between uses. If the tap isn’t in direct use, it doesn’t need to be running. The same is true of the shower, which don’t take as long as you think to heat up. You will not only reduce water wastage but save money on handyman services that you may need if water is running all the time.

Don’t flush

If you’re really enthusiastic about saving water, you may want to stop flushing the toilet as much. Although, simply flushing the toilet for tissue only used to blow your nose is unnecessary, if the waste isn’t necessarily water waste, it’s more hygienic (and pleasant) to flush it; unless you want a bad smell and clogged drains. If you’re in a familiar or shared house, simply not flushing the toilet at night could make a considerable difference.

Alternatively, installing fixtures, such as a cistern displacement device, can stop the toilet from using as much water when it does flush. Entrust a professional handyman with the job to avoid problems with burst pipes or other plumbing repairs.

Watering can

There’s a reason why, in times of draught, there’s often a hosepipe ban and this is because it wastes water. Instead, when watering your garden, use a watering can to distribute the water without wasting any or drowning your plants.

Bucket

When washing your car, a simple bucket and sponge can be effective and a good way of saving water. Make sure you change the water regularly to avoid dirty marks on your car and use a mild cleaning solution.

Water butts are also a good way of collecting water drainage from the room, which you can use to water your plants and clean your car.

Leaking taps

You can either hire plumbers or fix a leaking tap yourself. However, preventing the dripping can stop you from wasting several litres of water a day. This can also prevent limescale build-up on your taps, which could lead to sink repairs in the future. Reducing the amount of water you use is beneficial to your budget as well as you will save money on hiring handymen.