With many areas of the country in the middle of a drought, and many communities suggesting even the smallest tips such as fixing leaky faucets, we could all use a thorough list reminding us of the many ways to save water around the house.  This list provides 50 of the most common (and some not so common) ways to conserve water.

 

With many areas of the country in drought conditions – some severe – and others sure to follow,Guest Posting all of us could use a reminder list of ways to cut back on our water consumption around the house.

 

None of the following steps are as difficult as the results of a drought could be, and as far as disasters go, a severe drought can be the worst.  You can go three weeks without food, but only three days without W.A.T.E.R.:

 

Waste:

“Waste not, want not.”  Tighten plumbing leaks and prevent other needless losses of water.

 

Application:

Where do you use water that you don’t need to?

 

Teaching:

It’s good you’re following these suggestions, but what about others?  Pass these along.

 

Economy:

Where do you need to use water that you could use less?

 

Reclamation:

Where can you get extra water?

 

Though the following steps fall into the categories just mentioned, we’ve mixed them up in no particular order to encourage you to read them all.  These are excerpts from “Disaster Prep 101.”

 

1.       Fire Safety.

Summer brings us heat and dryness that leads to wildfires and winter sees increased house fires from the use of additional heating sources.  As a sizable fire would need hundreds or thousands of gallons of water to fight, any fire prevention steps taken are water saving steps.

 

2.       Brick in the toilet.

A brick in the toilet tank is meant to take up space to replace water.  If a brick takes up about half a quart of space, then you save half a quart per flush.  Hint:  Since bricks can dissolve, paint it with basement water sealant.  Another hint:  If you can’t fit a whole brick in your tank, use half a brick.  Just make sure nothing blocks your valves or causes a leak.

 

3.       Color coded conservation.

You don’t always have to flush your toilet each and every time.  To borrow an old adage, “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.”

 

4.       Buy a low-flow toilet.

Though an expensive option, it’s easy to incorporate into your lifestyle, and in fact, some communities offer homeowners rebates for installing these water-savers.

 

5.       Rain barrels.

Rain barrels can help save rain water that otherwise would have come down your gutters and soaked into the ground.  While you can’t immediately drink this water, you can use it in your food gardens, for outside washing (like if your car really needs it), and you can purify it for drinking or bathing if you’d like.  Also, you can buy storage barrels to keep in the garage or other storage area, and use them to store water saved by some of the methods listed in this article.  Be sure to mark the barrel as to whether the water is drinkable.

 

6.       AC condensation.

If you have central heat and air, you have a drain line that carries away the condensation that collects from your air conditioner coils.  If yours is not connected to sewage lines you can collect and use this water.  However, DO NOT DRINK THIS WATER!  It can be used, though, to water your garden, outside washing, or watering the house plants.  You can collect up to two quarts per day during humid weather.

 

7.       Squeeze-handle shower head.

You can buy shower setups that have the head on a hose, and the head is activated with a squeeze lever.  This will let you wet down, lather up, and then rinse off without leaving the shower running.  If the squeeze-handle variety won’t work for you, you can easily find low-flow shower heads that provide the same pressure but use less water overall.

 

8.       Faucet restrictors.

Like the low-flow shower head, you can also find low-flow faucet restrictors.

 

9.       Liquid soap.

For hand washing, nothing saves water like liquid soap since it lathers more quickly than bar soap.  Squirt a small dollop of liquid soap, give a quick burst from the faucet, thoroughly lather, and then turn the faucet back on briefly to rinse.

 

10.   Spray bottles.

Keep a small spray bottle of water by the sink.  When washing your hands (with liquid soap), or wetting your toothbrush, all you need is a quick spritz from the bottle instead of using the faucet.