13 WAYS TO CONSERVE WATER

As our world gets hotter, water becomes more precious and harder to come by. But there are simple, DIY strategies to conserve water at home. Here are a few.

1. Fix leaks! A dripping faucet or running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons of water a week. Regularly check for leaks in faucets, toilets, and showerheads. Most small leaks can be fixed with a wrench and a few basic tools. Also, a small leak today could become black mold tomorrow.

2. Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. These water-efficient devices will reduce your water use without forcing you to forgo your basic needs. You can install them yourself in minutes, and they can cut water use by up to 50%. Yes half!

3. Take shorter showers. Reducing shower time by just a few minutes saves a lot of water. For a challenge, set a timer to keep showers under 5 minutes. If you’re resistant to this, place a bucket in your shower to catch the water while you’re waiting for it to warm up. Then use this for flushing toilets or watering plants.

4. A bottle in the back of your toilet? Put a full bottle or stones in your toilet tank, away from moving parts. This will reduce the water used with each flush, saving up to 10 gallons per day.

5. Run full loads. Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load. If you wash dishes by hand, use a basin to catch rinse water and reuse for other cleaning tasks.

6. Reuse gray water. Collect the water that drains from your washing machine, showers, baths, or sink in a bucket to use on your lawn. This is what’s called gray water and it’s perfect for watering plants (but not food you’re growing). You can easily set up gray water systems like the ones we use in TPHA homes: they store the water going down your drain and treat it for bacteria to water plants, lawns, and wash cars.

7. Mulch. If you apply a thick layer of mulch around plants and garden beds, they’ll retain their soil moisture and won’t need to be watered as much. Organic mulch, like straw or wood chips, is easy to spread and prevents up to 70% of water from evaporating.

8. Put your garden on a schedule. Water your garden in the early morning or late evening when temperatures are cooler. This ensures plants get most of the water instead of having it evaporate into the air.

9. Install rain barrels. Put barrels under your gutters to collect rainwater from your roof. Even during a light rain, this can collect hundreds of gallons of water, to be used later for your plants or garden.

10. Give up sprinklers. Instead of using sprinklers, set up a simple drip irrigation system. Check out a few options here. This delivers water directly to plants’ roots, minimizing runoff. You can even build your own drip system with inexpensive hoses, tubing, and connectors.

11. Try Xeriscaping. This is a landscaping method that relies on succulents, decorative gravel or colorful glass, and requires almost no water. Xeriscaping is big in desert climates like Texas and Arizona. Some of these gardens are stunningly beautiful, creative, and cost effective. The key is to buy native plants that require little water once they’ve taken root. If you’re not ready to go all the way, consider replacing part of your lawn with drought-friendly plants or gravel.

12. Car wash? Don’t. During a drought, skip washing your car or use waterless car products. If you must wash your car, do it on the lawn so that the runoff water benefits your yard.

13. Prepare for the worst. It’s important to conserve water now so we don’t run out. Just using WaterSense or Energy Star appliances can cut water consumption by 20% and saves $350 on water bills. If you live in a desert climate, water rationing may become necessary during long droughts. Prepare by setting up rain barrels and storing gray water. Keep drinkable water in food-safe containers. Try to have at least 1 gallon of water per person per day for a week in case of emergency.