Yet, it is because of global warming that temperatures rise and evaporate more useable groundwater from the surface of the earth, causing water scarcity problems as our rivers and lakes to slowly dry up. By enacting on water conservation, we can help slow down water scarcity problems and hopefully sustain or continue an ongoing lifestyle that we have today in the future.
So, without making things too complicated, what are some very simple ways or things that we can do around our household to help save water? Here are some tips that won’t affect your life too much but can bring huge impacts to your household’s water usage. Not only will it help save you money, but it can also help the environment as well.
Within the household
- Use your dishwasher
Try using your dishwasher more often, because believe it or not, you save more than 20 gallons of water when you run your dishwasher compared to washing by hand. To save more, run your dishwasher when there is a full load to get more water-saving benefits.
- Shorten shower times
Shorten your shower every day by a mere 2 minutes and save around 4 gallons per day, amounting up to around 1,750 gallons per year! For those of you who are not that keen on sacrificing those previous 2 minutes of your personal time, install and use a water-efficient showerhead (like a Cirrus water-saving Showerhead) to mitigate the water usage and lower your water bill as well.
- Turn off the tap
Save 5 gallons of water just by turning off the tap while you brush your teeth each day (normally it takes people 2 minutes every day to brush their teeth).
- Use a bucket
Instead of washing your vegetables each day under running tap water, why not try cleaning your fresh produce in a bucket of water. When you finish, you can also use the leftover water to water your plants outdoors as well!
- Reusable water bottle
Use a reusable water bottle rather than drinking from disposable plastic bottles as it takes 3-5 times as much water to produce the disposable plastic that will be thrown away after just one use.
Backyard, gardens, and lawns
- Cover your pool
If you don’t want your pool water to evaporate away under the hot summer sun. It is also the number one way for swimming pools to lose water, resulting in 70% water loss. By covering your pool, you can reduce evaporation by 95%. So, consider purchasing a pool cover if you don’t have one.
- Collect rainwater
Collect rainwater with large buckets or consider getting a rain barrels to start collecting water for everyday use, such as watering your lawn or washing your car. If you are up for the challenge, you can try setting up your own rainwater collection system at home.
- Changing irrigation times
Watering your lawn at different times actually makes quite a difference. If you want to keep your plants and lawn from drying out and having the need to constantly water them throughout the day, consider changing your irrigation times to the morning or at night. This is mainly due to the fact that water evaporates much faster during midday when the sun is at its highest and hottest. By irrigating at night or in the morning, the water stays longer in the soil to keep your lawn and plants hydrated for a longer period.
Cars and vehicles
- Use a bucket
You are much less likely to waste additional water when you are washing your car with a bucket compared to the hose. With running water, who knows what amount of water will be used washing that beast of a car you have!
- Go to the carwash
Alternatively, go to the car wash instead of washing your car at home. Not only will it save water, but time also! A general wash at a commercial car wash often uses around 40 gallons of water or less to wash a car, compared to 100 gallons while washing at home.
If you are willing to just change a little bit of your daily water-usage habits every day, you will be saving a lot more water (and also money) in the long run!
