How to cut your water use in half

Date: July 30, 2015

The two best ways to save water, Consumer Reports says, are by replacing water-wasting

appliances/fixtures; and changing your lifestyle/habits. Neither is easy. The first

requires an upfront expense and the second a long-term commitment. But do both and

you can cut your usage in half or better.

Outdoor watering accounts for almost 30 percent of water use. But toilets (19 percent),

washing machines (15 percent), showers (12 percent), and faucets (11 percent) also use

substantial amounts. Then there’s the 10 percent of water lost to leaks.

The top six most effective ways to save water indoors are: fix leaks, install low-flow

toilets, use a high-efficiency washer, reduce shower time to five minutes, wash only full

loads of laundry, and reduce toilet flushes by 25 percent.

Consumer Reports offers these other ways to save water:

In the kitchen

Don’t rinse dishes before putting them in a dishwasher. The dishwasher is designed to

do that — and do it better than you can.

Replace your old dishwasher. Energy Star dishwashers are about 15 percent more water

efficient than standard models. The most miserly use only 15.14 to 22.71 litres (four to

six gallons) during a normal cycle.

Wash only full loads of dishes. For maximum efficiency, load the dishwasher according

to the instructions in the owner’s manual, which will make the most of the sprays in the

machine.

Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap until its cool.

Give pots and pans a soak instead of scrubbing them under running water. And don’t

wash fruits and vegetables under the tap. Instead, rinse them in a large bowl filled with

water.

In the laundry room

Replace your old washer. Energy Star washing machines use about 40 percent less

water than a regular washer.

Pick the appropriate water level setting — often small, medium and large for the load if

that’s how your machine works.

Measure laundry detergent and use high-efficiency detergents for high-efficiency

washing machine. Regular detergents are too sudsy, and using too much can cause highefficiency

washers to use more water by extending the rinse cycle.

Do only full loads, but don’t overstuff. Using cold water whenever possible helps save

energy.

In the bathroom

Replace old toilets — all of them. Older toilets use as much as 22.71 litres (6 gallons) per

flush while new WaterSense toilets do the job with 4.85 litres (1.28 gallons) or less. With

new toilets, the average family can reduce water use by 20 percent per toilet.

Instead of baths, take short showers, cutting shower time to 5 minutes. If you’re brave,

turn off the water when lathering up or shampooing. And don’t let the water run when

brushing your teeth or shaving.

Replace old showerheads. Standard ones use 9.46 liters (2.5 gallons) of water per

minute.

Replace old faucets. Replacing leaky or inefficient faucets and aerators with WaterSense

models can save the average family 1892.71 litres (500 gallons) of water per year.

Don’t use a toilet as a garbage can. It wastes water and clogs pipes. Toilet paper is

designed to disintegrate. Tissues, wipes, and dental floss are not.

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