Why is water conservation important?

A mere 3% of the world’s freshwater is accessible for use. Much of the world is experiencing water scarcity due to climate change, overconsumption, and contamination. Forty out of fifty states are expecting water shortages, and scientists warn us that many areas of the United States could find their freshwater supply reduced by as much as a third in the next 50 years. This is a well-known issue for those of us living in the dry Western U.S., but water concerns have spread even to the northeastern states.

Did you realize that water has a strong connection with energy use? Pumping, treating, and heating water requires energy, contributing to carbon emissions. Heating water is the second largest use of energy in the home, after HVAC systems. Power plants use a large amount of water to generate electricity: it takes 3,000 to 6,000 gallons of water to power a 60-watt incandescent bulb for 12 hours per day for a year.

How can people conserve water at home?

In the United States, the average American family of four uses approximately 400 gallons of water per day–roughly the equivalent of five standard-size bathtubs.

How to conserve water in the bathroom

Half of a home’s total water use happens in the bathroom, with toilets being the biggest water consumers. Beyond toilets, showers and faucets are also major water users. Modifying habits and switching to WaterSense-certified toilets, faucets, and showerheads can significantly reduce water waste, lower utility bills, and help conserve this precious resource.

Go Green: Water saving faucets

Go Green: Water saving shower heads

Go Green: Water saving shower heads

• The most obvious way to decrease water usage is to take shorter showers, which can be tough for someone like me who loves a long, hot shower. But a 15-minute shower under an old showerhead can use 90-120 gallons of water. See if you can shower in five minutes by setting a timer or listening to a five minute song. In addition, consider turning off the water while you lather up, shampoo your hair, or shave–some showerheads have a quick shut-off lever that allows you to turn the water on and off without adjusting the water temperature.
• Put a bucket in the shower to collect water while you’re waiting for it to warm up, and use the water for watering plants, flushing the toilet, or cleaning. Or just jump right in–apparently there are many health benefits to taking cold showers. Some of my siblings swear by them, but it’s not for me–brrr.
• Take fewer baths, as they use about twice as much water as showering.

Find eco-friendly soaps and shampoos.

Go Green: Water saving toilets

If you’re not in the market for a new toilet, there are still several things you can do to decrease its water usage.

You can also install an adjustable flapper that can be modified to control how much water flows into the toilet when flushed, or a fill cycle diverter, which diverts some of the water from filling the bowl to the tank instead.

You may have heard about placing a brick in the toilet tank, which displaces water and therefore decreases the amount used with each flush. This is the right idea but a brick can break down over time and clog the drain. Instead try a product made just for this purpose, like these toilet tank bags, which are filled with water and mounted inside the tank.

If you’re up for it, you can go with the “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” thing to save some flushes. Maybe my kids have actually just been eco-conscious all along….?

Go Green: Install a bidet

Install a bidet to decrease the amount of toilet paper used. I’ve got a bidet attachment made by Bio Bidet, which I purchased from Costco. It was easy to install and is a game changer, complete with warm water. It has a dryer, but I don’t find it to be effective, so I purchased reusable cloth toilet paper to dry with, but really any cloth will do. If you’ve ever questioned a bidet’s water usage, you can rest easy knowing that they only use 1/8th of a gallon per use. A single roll of toilet paper takes 37 gallons of water to create! Learn what to look for when choosing eco-friendly toilet paper.

Go Green: Check for leaks

No matter what type of toilet you have, do periodic checks to ensure it is functioning properly.

Toilet leaks can waste up to 180 gallons of water per week. Test for leaks about every 6 months by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank and wait for about 20 minutes. Check to see if color appears in the bowl (without flushing), which would indicate a leak.

The most common culprit is a leaky flapper/flush valve and can be resolved by scrubbing off mineral deposits or flapper replacement. Other causes include a faulty fill valve or issues leading to water in the tank running into the overflow tube.

Saving water in the kitchen

Go Green: Energy-efficient dishwasher

Did you know that handwashing dishes uses more water than running a dishwasher? Handwashing can use up to 27 gallons of water per load versus as little as 3 gallons with an Energy Star-rated dishwasher. And Energy Star dishwashers average 12% less energy and 30% less water than standard models.

Click here to learn more about energy-efficient dishwashers and other appliances.

There aren’t WaterSense standards for kitchen faucets because they perform high flow tasks such as filling pots and containers, as well as rinsing dishes and food. But you can look for models with lower flow ratings; many new kitchen faucets have a flow rate between 1.5 and 1.8 gpm. Some have a feature that allows you to switch between a traditional faucet flow and a spray stream to assist with rinsing.

Go Green: Water-saving dishwashing tips

In addition:

• Wash only full loads (but don’t overload or block moving parts) to optimize water use and run less often.
• Use a sink drain stopper when you are washing dishes instead of letting the water run the whole time.
• Compost your food and use your disposal as little as possible.

Find clean hand soap as well as dish soap and sustainable dishwashing tools.

More ways to conserve water in the kitchen

• Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cold.
• Thaw food in the refrigerator overnight rather than using running hot water. I am terrible at planning ahead, so more often than not, I end up using the microwave, which works but does use extra energy. When the weather is warm, I’ve found that putting things out in the sun speeds up the thawing process surprisingly well—definitely a handy trick when I forget to plan ahead!
• Fill a bowl with water to rinse produce instead of letting the water run. This is also a great practice to help remove pesticides.
• Boiling potatoes or cooking pasta? Use leftover cooking water to give a drink to potted or garden plants.
• Water plants or top off a bird bath with residual water left in bottles.

Laundry water conservation

Go Green: Energy-efficient washing machine

An Energy Star washing machine uses 20% less energy and about 30% less water than regular washers.

Learn more about Energy Star washing machines and other energy-efficient appliances here.

To optimize water and energy use, make sure to wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.

Go Green: Wash with cold water

Heating water accounts for around 90% of the energy used by a washing machine. The best practice is to wash with cold water. I resisted this until recently because I didn’t think cold water would clean clothes as well. But I’ve been doing this for months now and I assure you that it works just as well.

Using cold water not only saves you money, but it substantially decreases decreases carbon emissions: if you washed 4 out of 5 loads of laundry in cold water for one year, the CO2 emissions would drop to 864 pounds of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to planting 0.37 acres of trees.

Cold water helps also prevent shrinkage and retain colors in your clothes and is better for delicate fabrics.

Click here to learn more from the American Cleaning Institute.