water saving tips

4 Water-Saving Tips You Should Adopt Right Now

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Water conservation is an extremely important activity, regardless of whether you live somewhere like California, where the entire state is now in a drought, or you live somewhere with a lower drought threshold. Conserving water not only saves a valuable resource, but it can save you quite a bit of money, as well. Luckily, we’ve got some water-saving tips you can (and should) adopt starting right now.

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1. Turn Off The Faucet When Brushing Your Teeth and Washing Hands

We all wash our hands (a lot more often than in the past, that’s for sure) and we all brush our teeth. Keeping the water running while doing so is simply a waste, however. The smartest way to save water while brushing your teeth and washing your hands is to turn off the faucet while you’re doing so.

Wet your toothbrush, turn off the faucet, apply toothpaste and then brush your teeth. Turn the faucet back on to rinse off your brush and rinse out your mouth. Same goes for washing your hands. Turn on the water to wet your hands, apply soap, wash for 20 seconds or so, then turn the faucet back on to rinse your hands off. Doing this on a daily basis can save at least 8 gallons of water a day.

2. Install Aerators in Your Faucets

In addition to turning off faucets in between washing your hands, and while brushing your teeth, you can also install aerators in your sink faucets and shower. These aerators help reduce the volume of water flowing through your faucet, thus saving you water, energy and money. It’s a simple change not requiring much work, but is a definite water-saving tip you can put into use right now.

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3. Only Use The Washing Machine and Dishwasher With Full Loads

Another simple tip, yet one which can easily be overlooked, is to only use the washing machine or dishwasher with full loads. Doing so will help make sure you aren’t wasting water unnecessarily. Even though many washing machines now have settings allowing you to pick the size of your load (and thus the amount of water used), taking the next step to only wash when you have a full load can save water and energy at the same time. Don’t forget to air/line dry your clothes for a little extra energy savings too.

The waiting until you have a full load applies for the dishwasher as well. Hand washing dishes may be something you like to do, but a full dishwasher can often do the trick with less water wasted. At the very least, apply these tips when washing your dishes.

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4. Limit Shower Time

Minimizing shower time is another simple, yet effective, way to save water and money. The average person should shower for no longer than 5-10 minutes. In terms of water usage, less is better. However, you should also turn off the water while you’re soaping up. This will allow you the time to fully soap up and scrub your body well without wasting water while you do so.

Of course in addition to the above water-saving tips, there are countless other ways you can conserve water at home: check your faucets for leaks, install low-flow toilets, collect grey water whenever possible to use when watering plants, opt for eco-friendly car washes, harvest rainwater and more. What’s important is you do take steps to not only become aware of your water usage, but to lower the amount of water you use (waste).

Water conservation starts at home and it starts with you.

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