Green water: Responsible water conservation at home

Water is a precious commodity, but not all people treat it that way. According to the UN, one out of six people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water.

Can you imagine using only a few gallons of water every day for drinking, bathing, and cooking – which you drew from a well a distance from your home? Three gallons of water would not even fill the tank of a typical American toilet.

The following tips can help anyone conserve Earth's most precious liquid. The "Easy" tips are those that anyone can implement with minimal cost and effort. The "Challenging" tips are those that may seem easy in theory, but may take some discipline to break bad habits, or a bit more money to incorporate.

Finally, "The Extra Mile" water conservation tips are based on common practices in arid regions and third world countries, and might prove useful to those who wish to do more in their household water conservation efforts.

Water conservation tips for the toilet

Easy

• Check for leaks by adding food coloring to the toilet tank. Watch for a few minutes; if the water in the toilet bowl changes color you have a leak and need to replace a part in the tank.
• You don't need 5-7 gallons of water to flush your toilet. If you can't afford to replace your toilets with the new low-flush models, you can displace some of the water in the tank with a half gallon jug or two. Weight the jug with sand or pebbles and place it safely out of the way of the plumbing mechanisms. This simple and cheap retrofit will save you hundreds of gallons every month.
• Don't use the toilet as a trash can.

The extra mile tip: Use leftover water, whether clean or "gray", to flush your toilets. Keep it in a bucket with a smaller gallon-size pail for flushing. Cover the container tightly if you have small children.

Water conservation tips for personal hygiene

Easy

• Shorten the warm-up time when you turn on the tap by insulating your hot water pipes, especially the first three feet from the water heater.
• Install low-flow shower heads. Read product reviews before you purchase, as some models have better pressure than others.

Challenging

• Put a timer next to each shower and make it a family goal to take showers in five minutes or less.
• Only use the water in the shower to rinse. You can install a flow restrictor to make the on and off process more convenient.
• Don't leave the water running when you brush your teeth, shave, or wash up in the sink. You'll save a gallon of water for every minute – more if you normally leave the water on full blast.
• As you wait for the water to heat up for your shower, bath or shave, catch the cold flow in a bucket. Then use it to water houseplants, mop the floor, or flush a few toilets.
• If you can get away with it, take sponge baths every other day. Some people skip bathing on days they are relaxing at home.

The extra mile tip: Have you ever taken a bucket shower? It feels similar to the turning-off-the-spigot-to-suds-up routine, except you can't cheat. It's a handy skill to know in the event of a natural disaster, camping trip, or severe water shortage.

Water conservation tips for the laundry

Easy

• Don't select washing machine cycles that add extra fills for soaking. If you must soak something, do it in a bucket, then use the leftover water for something else.
• Only wash full loads of clothing. However, don't wash more at one time than your machine can handle – it is hard on your machine and your clothes will not wash clean.

Challenging

• Buy an Energy Star rated washing machine with a water conservation feature.
• Wash delicate clothing in a tub or bucket, using just enough water to cover the items. After washing and rinsing, save that water for plants or toilets.

The extra mile tip: Some households own portable washing machines that they hook up to the kitchen sink for plumbing. The waste water flows into the sink, but that "gray" water can be caught for re-use. You can re-route your washing machine's leftover water to your garden outdoors with the help of a plumber. Check local regulations, and choose biodegradable detergents.

Water conservation tips for the kitchen

Easy

• Only run a dishwasher when it is full.
• If you wash dishes by hand, use one sink of soapy water to wash, and one sink of clean water to rinse.
• Wash all the fruits and vegetables you plan to eat for that day in a bowl of water, rather than under the tap. Save the water to use somewhere else.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator to eliminate waiting for the tap water to run cold for a drink.
• Place dropped ice cubes in house plants.
• Install aerators with flow restrictors on all faucets.

Challenging

• Buy an Energy Star rated dishwasher with water conservation features.
• Don't throw away liquids after food preparation or meals. Collect the leftover water from cooked vegetables and drinking glasses in a bucket to water plants.
• Keep a small bucket in the sink to catch extra water whenever you have to run the tap.

The extra mile tip: Save water by composting kitchen waste instead of using the garbage disposal.

Water conservation tips for outdoors

Easy

• Never use the water hose to wash sidewalks and driveways.
• Water gardens and landscaping early in the cool of the morning.
• Be mindful of wind and evaporation. Skip the water sprinkler on windy days, mulch your trees and plants, and don't use decorative water features that spray into the air (a trickle is better).
• If your area gets some rainfall during the warm season, don't set your watering system on a timer. This will help you avoid watering your lawn in the rain.
• Use a commercial car wash that recycles the water. It's a greener choice than washing your car in your driveway, where oily residue will wash down storm drains.
• Never dump used motor oil or other hazardous wastes down a drain or on the ground. Doing so is against the law, and contaminates hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. Used motor oil can be re-refined as lubricating oil; save all used motor oil in original containers for recycling. Take your used oil to a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Advance Auto Parts, Auto Zone, or ask your local auto parts store if they accept used motor oil for recycling.

Challenging

• Keep a rain barrel under a drain spout next to your home. Cover the top with a screen to keep out leaf debris and mosquito larvae. Use the captured water for your garden, trees, borders, and washing your car. Rain water should not be used for drinking.
• A drip or soaker hose irrigation system is more water-efficient than a sprinkler.

The extra mile tip: Replace "foreign" plant specimens with native plants for your landscaping. This practice is part of xeriscaping. Native plants will fare better in your climate and drastically reduce watering.

Look to the future

The best water conservation practice you can employ is to teach your children the true value of water. They will inherit the problems brought about by a dwindling water supply, and their future may depend on citizens who handle water with respect.