Indoor
Quick Check on Indoor Water Use
Read these tips to discover how your water use practices measure up.
- I have checked my toilet for leaks. A leak in your toilet may be wasting more than 100 gallons of water a day. To check for a leak, put a little food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the coloring begins to appear in the bowl, you have a leak. Replace the flapper valve, adjust or replace the flush valve, or call a plumber.
- I never use my toilet as a wastebasket. Every time you flush facial tissue or other small bits of trash down the toilet you waste 1.5 to 7 gallons of water, depending on the size of your toilet.
- I take shorter showers. Long, hot showers waste 5 to 10 gallons every unneeded minute. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash and rinse, and save on your hot water heating cost as well.
- I installed water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors. Two and one-half gallons per minute is sufficient for a refreshing shower. Your local hardware or plumbing supply store stocks inexpensive water-efficient shower heads you can install easily. A slightly more expensive head may provide a higher quality flow, while still saving water.
- I turn off the water after wetting my toothbrush. After you have wet your toothbrush and filled a glass for rinsing your mouth, turn off the tap water.
- I rinse my razor in a partially-filled sink. Before shaving, partially fill the sink with warm water. This will rinse the blade just as well and use less water than letting the water run.
- I have checked pipes and faucets for leaks. Even the smallest drip from a worn washer can waste 50 gallons of water or more a day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons.
- I use my automatic dishwasher for full loads only. Dishwashers use about 12 gallons of water for each load.
- If I wash dishes by hand, I don't leave the water running for rinsing. If you have a double sink, fill one with soapy water and one with rinse water. If you have only one sink, gather all the washed dishes in the dish rack then rinse them in a sink of clean water or with an inexpensive spray device.
- I don't let the faucet run while I clean vegetables. Putting a stopper in the sink and filling it with clean water does just as well.
- I keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This ends the wasteful practice of running tap water to cool it off for drinking.
- I use my automatic clothes washer for full loads only and select the correct water level setting. Your automatic washer may use 30 to 35 gallons of water in a full load cycle. That's a lot of water for three T-shirts.
- I check the evaporative cooler or "swamp cooler" while in use. Make necessary adjustments to ensure there is no waste. Drain and clean cooler regularly.
