Water our lawn only when it needs it. A good way
to see if your lawn needs watering is to step on the grass. If it springs
back up when you move, it doesn't need water. If it stays flat fetch the
sprinkler.
Deep soak your lawn. When you do water, do it long
enough for the moisture to soak down to the roots where it will do the most
good. A light sprinkling can evaporate quickly and tends to encourage
shallow root systems.
Water during the cool parts of the day. Early
morning generally is better than dusk since it helps prevent growth of
fungus.
Don't water the gutter. Position your sprinklers
so water lands on the lawn or garden, not on paved areas. Also avoid
watering on windy days.
Plant drought-resistant trees and plants. Many
beautiful trees and plants thrive with far less watering than other species.
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants.
Mulch will slow evaporation of moisture and discourage weed growth, too.
Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and
sidewalks.
Don't run the hose while washing your car. Clean
the car with a pail of soapy water. Use the hose just to rinse it off.
Tell your children not to play with the hose and
sprinklers.
Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets and
couplings. Leaks outside the house may not seem as bad since they're not as
visible. But they can be just as wasteful as leaks inside. Check frequently
and keep them drip-free.
Check your toilets for leaks. Put a little food
coloring in your toilet tank. If without flushing, the color begins to
appear in the bowl, you have a leak that should be repaired immediately.
Stop using the toilet as an astray or wastebasket.
Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of
trash, you waste five to seven gallons of water.
Put plastic bottles in your toilet tank. To cut
down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside of each of
two plastic bottles to weigh them down. Fill them with water and put them in
your toilet tank, safely away from operating mechanisms. In an average home,
the bottles may displace and save ten or more gallons of water a day.
Take shorter showers. Long, hot showers can waste
five to ten gallons every unneeded minute. Limit your showers to the time it
takes to soap up, wash down, and rinse off.
Install water-saving shower heads or flow
restrictors. Your local hardware or plumbing
supply store stocks inexpensive water-saving shower heads or restrictors
that are easy to install.
Take baths. A bath in a partially filled tub uses
less water than all but the shortest.
Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush.
There is no need to keep water pouring down the drain. Jus wet your brush
and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.
Rinse your razor in the sink. Fill the bottom of
the sink with a few inches of warm water. This will rinse your blade just as
well as running water. And far less wastefully.
Check faucets and pipes for leaks. Even the
smallest drip from a worn washer can waste 20 or more gallons a day.
Larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons of water.
Use your automatic dishwasher only for full loads.
Use your automatic washing machine only for full
loads.
If you wash dishes by hand, don't leave the water
running for rinsing. If you have two sinks, fill one with soapy water and
one with rinse water. If you have only one sink, gather washed dishes in a
dish rack and rinse them with a spray device or pan full of hot water.
Don't let the faucet run while you clean
vegetables. Just rinse them in a stopped sink or a pan of clean water.
Keep a bottle of drinking water in the
refrigerator. Running tap water to cool off for drinking water is wasteful.
Check faucets and pipes for leaks. Leaks waste
water 24 hours a day, seven days a week and often can be repaired with only
an inexpensive washer.
