Water conservation at home: some simple strategies

About seventy percent of the earth’s surface is covered in water. We think that the abundance of water on the planet gives us free reign to use as much water as we like. But that is not true at all. Out of the seventy percent only a small percent is suitable for our consumption. Wastage of water has become a common phenomenon in almost all countries. It’s as if we have taken so much water for granted.

Water conservation is our only way out of this. Water conservation refers to methods for using water sustainably and saving water from getting wasted or polluted. Water conservation needs can be implemented in our homes and neighbourhoods. While some methods require expensive equipment and a lot of efforts, some are quite easy to implement in the comfort of our homes. Here are some tips to help you save water at home-

• First, let’s start with the basic- don’t keep tap water or the shower running unnecessarily. Keep the tap closed while washing your teeth. Fill a cup with water beforehand and use it to rinse after brushing. When you are bathing, keep the shower closed when applying soap or shampoo.
• Check the pipes, taps, showers and toilets for any leaks. A lot of water wastage can happen from leaks. Up to 50 gallons of water can be wasted every day due to pipe leakage. If you can’t check them yourself, call a plumber to check them for you. If there is leakage, get it fixed immediately.

• Use a dishwasher instead of hand washing your dishes. Nowadays dishwashers come in efficient designs that use very less water to effectively cleanse your dishes. So why put so much effort washing the dishes by hand when you can leave it to the dishwasher? Also, the same rule applies for washing machines. Use energy efficient washing machines instead of hand washing the clothes.
• Make sure you have a full load of clothes before putting them in the washer. Don’t use the washing machine to clean a few clothes every day. Rather use it once or twice a week with a full load of clothes.
• Don’t take too many showers in a day. Try to cut down the number of showers you take to once or twice a day. Furthermore, try to lower the duration of your showers. Advise your family members to do the same.
• Don’t let the cold water that comes out from the taps while waiting for the hot water go to waste. The same rule applies for hot water coming out before cold water. Store them in buckets and use them later.
• Install low flowing toilets and showers in your bathrooms. These low flowing mechanisms are designed to save water. Low flowing faucet aerators are pretty common in homes now. They break or soften the water flow and also prevent splashing. You can also use composting toilets. The great thing about all these is that they are not very expensive. Any common man can afford them. These are available in all hardware stores across the world.
• Refrain from throwing cotton pads or cigarette butts in the toilet and flushing them out all day. It can not only choke your pipes but also waste quite an amount of water.
• Rainwater harvesting is one of the most ingenious methods of water conservation which can be done at home easily. All you have to do is install rain barrels on the roof which capture the rain water and prevent it from falling on the roof. Use this stored rain water for household chores or gardening.

• Use water filters if the water in your home contains too much sediment or iron. Sediment contained in hard water can choke the pipes. Also, they take a lot of time to dissolve laundry detergents thereby increasing the water usage. The harder your water is, the more water you waste trying to clean your clothes.
• Try not to use garbage disposals that tend to waste a lot of water. A better alternative is to get rid of garbage the old fashioned way- that is to throw it in the trash. You can also dump it in composting bins that you can make at home by yourself.
• Get a dual-flush toilet for your bathroom. This saves water resourcefully.
• Don’t throw away any waste water. The water that you throw away after washing vegetables or boiling eggs can be used for gardening purposes.

These are just a few of hundreds of strategies that can be implemented to save water at home. You can even save water outdoors by installing a water meter. Covering your swimming pool is a must to prevent the water from evaporating. Use as less water as you can to wash your car. Instead of washing the car every day, wipe it with a dry or wet cloth. Make sure the sprinklers in your lawn are functioning properly. Save water and protect your environment.