I thought I'd post some ideas re saving water.
Have you ever thought about ways to save on the water you use? I bet many of you have. I bet you also haven't really thought about how much water you waste just at home. We all know that the water on our planet will not last forever, that the polar ice caps are melting, etc - it's a precious reource that we should be thinking about every day.
Here are some things that may help you save on water - and on your water bill too:
- Go and buy a timer from your local hardware store, which usually stocks them, & fit them to your shower. Have 3 minute showers. You'd be surprised how much water you waste in the shower, and how much time too, when you don't use a timer!
- Only wash your hair once a week. Or you can buy dry shampoos/conditioners which I've used when travelling. You can also try combing shampoo and/or conditioner through your hair, then continually rinsing the comb in a bowl of water, and comb the shamp/cond out. If I put mousse in my hair, I find I can just comb it out later & towel dry my hair, instead of having a shower just to wash the mousse out.
- Get your hair cut shorter or thinned out, so you don't have to wash & maintain it as much.
- Try using baby wet wipes to wash with instead. These are handy when travelling, for freshening up, or when you don't have time to have a shower. I carry some with me, and they are very handy when I'm out. I also find they don't irritate my skin as much as showering every day would (I have horrid, red, rough skin especially on my arms). Some women might be worried about smelling 'down there', but I've found the scented ones freshen me up really nice, and leave no awful smells. You can also use them to freshen up before bed, instead of showering. You can buy scented or unscented wet wipes & they are for babies, so are kind to your skin.
- Put a bucket in the shower when you are showering which will catch any extra water, which you can then put on your garden.
- Attach a long outlet hose to your washing machine, and put it out into the back / front yard. The grey water will help keep your garden nice.
- Only use the half flusher on your toilet for 'small ablutions'.
- Use hand gel for your hands instead of washing them, unless visibly soiled. You can waste heaps of water just by washing your hands alone.
- Get a water tank if you don't already have one, and you can use rain water, as opposed to tap water, for some things like washing a fragile piece of clothing by hand.
- Wash clothing by hand if possible (or if you only have a few things to wash), in a small bucket like a nappy bucket. Rinse with another bucket with just as much water as you need. I find there's no need to rinse alot of things I use, like towels and hand towels.
- Only fill your kettle with the amount of water and a wee bit more that you need to boil it. Boiling heaps of water just makes it evaporate, and wastes more electricity.
- Instead of filling up your whole sink to wash dishes, put a basin in there instead, and only use enough water that you need to wash the dishes. Sometimes, I just wet a cloth, put a wee bit of washing up liquid on it and wipe down my few bits of cutlery and my plates/bowls, but there's only me so I don't use that many dishes. I also find there is no need to rinse dishes after washing them - just dry them with a towel, and you don't need to use much dishwashing liquid to get dishes clean.
- Most dishwashers have a setting for economy use. Use that one instead of a longer setting.
-Use an old fashioned watering can for the garden, instead of a hose or sprinkler.
- Use de-greaser to get motor oil & other grease off of your hands, and wipe them with a towel before washing them.
- Water plants and lawns at night only, as plants open their leaves at night. Water just evaporates during the day.
- Lobby your local council/local government office to supply hand gels in council offices, etc. Using hand gels eliminates the need for paper towels in wash rooms, which don't then end up in landfill or in our oceans.
These are some methods my Dad put in place, and my parents save heaps on their water bills.
Please feel free to add your own ideas on here!
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