Indoor Water Conservation

By putting the following water-wise conservation tips into practice, and making them a habitual part of your daily living lifestyle; you can do your share in helping to save thousands of gallons of water per year and protect the environment in addition to saving money.

• Take five-minute showers. A five-minute shower will use 14-25 gallons of water.
• Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth.
• Plug the sink and turn the tap off when shaving (you save 2.5 to 5.5 gallons of water each time you shave by filling the basin, instead of letting the water run continuously).
• Install low flow shower heads and faucets in your home.

• Your toilet may have an invisible leak. Test it by putting 10 drops of food coloring in the tank. Wait 15 minutes. If there is any color in the toilet bowl, then you may have a leak in the tank. The flapper may be leaking. The flapper (aka “flush valve seal”) is the plug that falls against the drain hole (flush valve drain seat) on the bottom of the tank and holds water in until the next time you flush. Usually the fix is simple. Remove the old flapper and take it with you to the hardware store or home center to find a matching replacement. If you replace the flapper but the toilet still runs, the flush valve seat is probably rough or pitted.
• Don’t use chlorine pucks and cleaning liquids in your toilet tank to disinfect your toilet, as they may destroy the rubber and plastic mechanics in your tank. The flapper may deteriorate causing a leak from the tank to the bowl of the toilet.
• Flush the toilet only when necessary.
• Never use the toilet as a wastebasket for tissue, feminine hygiene products, etc. Use your waste basket for things like cosmetic tissues, cotton balls, dental floss, cotton swabs, etc. Flushing things away only wastes water and can cause problems in the plumbing and at the sewage treatment plant.
• Never flush any toxic substance, such as paints, solvents, pesticides or other chemicals down the toilet.
• Replace older toilets with water-efficient models.

• Always adjust the amount of water according to the wash load.
• Let laundry accumulate until you have a full load before operating the machine.
• Set the temperature to warm instead of hot.

• Take foods out of the freezer early to allow plenty of time to thaw.
• Clean fruits and vegetables in a partially filled sink and rinse them quickly.
• Reuse sink rinse water for watering house plants.
• When boiling vegetables, use only enough water to cover the foods. Steaming uses less water while conserving more nutrients.
• Use the dishwasher when it’s full.
• Plug the sink if you are washing dishes by hand.
• Keep a bottle of drinking water in the fridge vs. letting the water run until its cold.
• Scrape uneaten food off plates instead of using water to rinse the food down the disposal.

• Turn your taps off tightly but gently so they don’t drip.
• Always check your faucets and toilets for leaks.
• Immediately repair any leaks as soon as you find them.