Most of my life has been spent in a drought. Between Texas and California, I just can't seem to catch a break. There's never enough rain. It blows my mind the average American home uses 400 gallons of water a day! Water is a precious resource we should all focus on conserving.
Only 1% of all the earths water is actually drinkable. We're so used to turning on the faucet, we forget it isn't infinite. All of us taking small measures to help reduce water, adds up to big impact!
the challenge:
Save water! I've compiled a list of my top 10 easiest ways to save water without even trying.
- Turn off the faucet: Whether you're washing you're hands, face, or brushing your teeth. Turn off the faucet while its not in direct use.
- Keep it full: If you're doing a load of laundry or dishes, make sure the load is full! Using a dishwasher uses less water than hand washing. If you don't have a dishwasher, (like me) plug the sink. Fill it with a little water. Wash all of the dishes in the tub, and then rinse them.
- Use a bowl: When washing produce, do it in a bowl or a tub, so you don't have to keep the water running.
- Catch the ice cubes: Most of the time my dog gets to them first. But, if Nala isn't around I like to place them in my plants.
- Keep a bucket in the shower: We keep a bucket in the shower to catch water. We use it to water the house plants. Or I'll hand wash my delicates in the bucket and take them out to dry.
- Water in the morning: If you have a lawn, don't water it every day. And, when you do water it, make it count. Do it early in the morning when it's not windy. You'll have less evaporation occur.
- Mellow: We're big believers in yellow let it mellow.
- Break out the real plates: People often advocate for disposables; because, washing dishes wastes water. Which couldn't be more false. It takes 8 gallons of water to make one paper plate and 3.4 liters of water to make one half liter of water. Do you think it would take you 9 gallons of water to was a cup and a plate?
- Fix your leaks: Give your pipes a good tightening!
- Upgrade: Low flow toilets, low flow shower heads, gray water tanks, and changing up your landscape, there is so much you can do to make your home more efficient when it comes to water.
Installing a gray water tank is on our list for this year! It's going to be a simple DIY tank from the washing machine use to water our future veggie garden. We dug up our lawn last year, but when it rained this winter, it grew back.
What are some of your favorite ways to save water?
