Water Conservation: Tips to Reduce Your Usage and Lower Your Bill

While it might not seem it, not in the UK at least, water is a precious resource.  After a damp summer it seems crazy to advise you take care with your water, but it is growing more scarce.  So, it is a good idea to conserve it in every way possible.  It is a good thing to conserve water in your household!  You are doing your bit to keep your water bill low, as well as helping the planet.

Turning Off Water While Brushing Your Teeth

I always turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, so I was surprised to meet my partner who didn’t.  He walked around the house scrubbing away, and just let the water just run down the drain – what a waste!  I tend to wet my brush, turn off the tap, and then only turn it back on again when I need to rinse.  A fraction of the water used, and no risk of a flooded bathroom if you forgot to take the plug out of the sink 😉 

Take Shorter Showers

Another thing that shocked me about my other half – the time he took in the shower!  I mean, what was he DOING in there?? I’ll tell you: nothing.  Just standing under the red-hot water and letting it wash away.  The average shower is typically 8-10 minutes, but I spend about 3-4 minutes on an average day.  One tactic to try is to get wet, switch the water off, suds up then hop back in, water on full after you’re done lathering up.  This doesn’t work in my house as it is freezing for most of the year, so I just get wet, lather up and rinse off quickly.  Top tip- invest in a shower cap so you don’t need to wash your hair because it got damp in the steam!

Catch water for plants while it heats up

If you’re waiting for the hot water to get up to the right temperature, grab a container and catch the cold water. You can use the cold water for house plants, or wherever else you need it.  My mum does this for every tap and actually catches enough to water all of her house plants!  A double win.

Catch Rain Water for Watering Plants

One successful way to conserve water and live more sustainably is by catching rain runoff from your gutters that will eventually end up as wasted water. Get yourself a water butt and attach it to a gutter, and catch the water from when it rains.  I love my water butt, and my plants love the rain water far more than the chemically treated stuff from the hose!  Every time I fill up a watering can from the water butt I feel smug about not having to pay to use that water on my thirsty plants.

Take Showers instead of Baths

Believe it or not, a shower can use less water than a bath. Filling up the tub takes more water than you need to bathe in. Years ago I switched most of my baths for showers – because my bath leaked terribly into my downstairs neighbour’s flat.  So I had no choice!  Now I have a bath tub and actually, it’s more of a treat to reserve a bath for after a strenuous day, or as a reward.  Light a candle and put a facemask on, and it’s like a spa experience.  This is something I didn’t do when I took a bath more regularly!

Fill the Dishwasher Up

Using a dishwasher actually uses less water than handwashing dishes.  While I haven’t tested this myself, I hope this is true as I love mine!! This topic has divided many a household-  how to stack the dishwasher!  However your household does it, make sure you only run the dishwasher when it is full. This way, you conserve water by not running the dishwasher three times when once would have sufficed.

Fill the Washing Machine up

Just the same as the tip above, running the washing machine a load of times when once would have done is not only wasting water, but also detergent, electricity and also – your time.  How often do you really want to be hanging out wet washing?  I’d like to keep it to a minimum myself! Top tip- make sure you have at least 7 pairs of pants and socks, and a few staple outfits to see you through, so you don’t need to run the machine to wash a vital item!

Fix Leaky Taps Immediately

This sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t get a leak sorted immediately?  Well we didn’t…  It was one of those jobs that just kept getting put off, until one night, very late in the evening, someone managed to pull the tap out of the wall thanks to a worn away washer.  This created a massive gush of water flowing for ages before we could switch the water supply off (our stopcock is cunningly hidden).  This not only wasted a LOAD of water, but it meant the ceiling in the kitchen below has got stained, and I had to wash a LOT of wet towels the day after it happened.  So don’t make my mistake, get in contact with a plumber right away! One dripping faucet can waste gallons of water quickly.