It’s Summer and we have spent the last couple of weeks talking about the dam’s water capacity… that means for many of us saving and storing water becomes a necessity!
Here are some tips you can use to conserve water in your home.
The Toilet:
When we flush, gallons of water are being used. One of the ways you can decrease this is by displacing the water in the tank by putting heavy objects in the tank. I’ve seen where people use bricks or plastic bottles filled with sand/ dirt/ water.
If you’re on the market for a new toilet, why not check out a dual flush toilet? These have two modes, low for urine and high for stool.
Fix your leaking toilet!
Showers/ Faucets:
Photo by Luemen Carlson on UnsplashTake shorter showers, some sources say a bath might save more water than a short shower!
Keep a bucket under your shower to catch the water as you wait for it to heat up. Use that water for other purposes. I really need to try that. Read here for where I got that tip!
Turn off the pipe when you’re not using it! When brushing your teeth, soaping up your hands, washing dishes.
Turn the shower off while you shave.
Check your pipes for leaks and fix them!
Use low flow devices on your water fixtures to decrease the amount of water used.
Appliances:
If you have a washing machine or dishwasher, only use them when you have full loads.
Your Car:
If you like to wash your car by yourself why not use a bucket system instead of running the hose? Saves so much water!
Your Lawn/ Garden:
Use “grey” water to water your plants… this is from washing dishes, laundry etc.
Photo by Dan Gold on UnsplashSaving water is useful for saving on the bill, but it also stretches the water that you have stored in your tank if you’re forced to use it. Some persons, however, don’t have access to tanks… so how can water be stored for use?
Each person in the household needs about 1 gallon of water per day. Half for drinking and the other half for hygiene. Have at least 3 days worth of water.
When storing your water, choose clean, sealed containers (I use my old 6L Lasco water bottles). I also use a bucket for water specifically for hygiene. Larger families may choose to use barrels. Or, you could also choose to buy a bunch of bottled waters.
What ever you do, store water away from direct sunlight and chemicals.
I didn’t talk about disinfecting or purifying water here in this post… this link speaks about it specifically if you’re interested.
I hope this helped! Let me know some of the ways you conserve water below! Also, how is the water situation affecting you?
Samantha C. Johnson
Featured photo by mrjn Photography on Unsplash
PS: Check out these links for more information:
https://www.volusia.org/services/growth-and-resource-management/environmental-management/natural-resources/water-conservation/25-ways-to-save-water.stml
https://www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone/water-saving-tips
https://www.waterguys.com/blog/storing-bottled-water/
https://extension.psu.edu/how-to-store-water-for-drinking-or-cooking
