How can you save water to reduce your monthly bill and your ecological footprint? Here are our tips for cutting costs and protecting the environment
One of the best ways to save money in everyday life is undoubtedly by reducing water waste. From showering to cooking, almost all of us use water unnecessarily and without even realizing it.
Small changes in behaviour can make all the difference at the end of the month when the water bill arrives. It's also everyone's responsibility to preserve as much as possible of this increasingly scarce resource on our planet.
Here are some tips to help you learn how to save water at home.
In the bathroom
1. Turn off the tap when you're not using the water
Turning off the tap while you're brushing your teeth or your hair, for example, is something we've always been taught, but not many people do. The truth is that this small gesture, applied daily, at the end of the month can mean significant savings on your monthly bill.
If you don't notice:
- If you wash your hands or teeth with the tap running, you can waste around 14 litres of water. If you use a glass, you can reduce this to just 1 litre.
- If you keep the tap running while you shave, you can waste up to 40 litres of water. If you put a lid on the sink, you'll only use 2 litres.
2. Opt for the shower
Swap baths for showers. And the quicker the better.
A 15-minute shower with the tap running consumes around 180 litres. But if you turn off the water while soaping up and cut the shower time to 5 minutes, you'll reduce consumption to just 60 litres.
In a bath, water consumption can easily reach 200 litres.
3. Use the water from the shower
Few people use this trick, but believe me, it's one of the most effective for saving water.
While you're waiting for it to heat up, store those good litres of water that would otherwise be wasted. You can then reuse it for flushing the loo, watering the houseplants or even washing small items of clothing by hand. Try it out.
4. Don't use the toilet as a rubbish bin
If you're in the habit of putting rubbish down the toilet, know that every time you flush you're wasting between 7 and 15 litres of water just to get rid of it. When you put your rubbish in the bin, you don't waste any water.
5. Take care of your cistern
With flushing, we can save enough water to significantly reduce the bill at the end of the month.
Firstly, check for leaks. To do this, put some food colouring inside the cistern. If you see coloured water in the toilet without flushing, then there are leaks to deal with.
The next step is to reduce the volume of water that is released with each flush. You can do this by installing a dual-flush cistern or simply placing a full plastic bottle inside the cistern.
6. Install a flow-reducing compressor
Installing a flow reducer on a tap will reduce water wastage by around 50 per cent. If you install one in the shower, you can save up to 80 per cent. If possible, do this for all the taps and showers you have at home, and with this small step you'll save a lot of water.
In the kitchen
7. Pay attention to the machines
In the kitchen, dishwashers and washing machines consume the most water. In this sense, only run the machines when they have a full load. Nowadays, there are also machines with a half-load option.
8. No dripping water
Dripping pipes or taps are one of the main sources of wasted water. A drip may seem minimal, but a tap dripping every 5 seconds for 24 hours can waste 30 litres of water a day, which corresponds to more than 10,000 litres of water a year.
Always keep an eye on your plumbing and taps and try to fix any that aren't working properly.
9. Only use the water you need
When you boil eggs, for example, you don't need to fill the pan with water. Just add enough to cover the food. Otherwise, as well as water, you'll also waste more gas or electricity while you wait for it to boil.
10. Don't defrost food in running water
If you defrost food under running water, think twice before doing so. Not only are you wasting water, but you could also jeopardise your health. Defrosting should not be done under running water, nor should it be done in the microwave or at room temperature, as this encourages the proliferation of bacteria. Instead, you should leave food to defrost in the fridge.
In the garden
11. Don't hose down the leaves
In the garden, water should only be used for washing, not sweeping. Many people use the pressure of the water jet to sweep up leaves and other debris without realising that they are using much more water than they should. For this type of cleaning, use a broom.
12. Water the garden at specific times
If you water your garden during the hottest hours, some of the water that is being used will evaporate, making it completely unusable. Choose to water your garden first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. Also remember that you don't need large amounts of water, as plants are not able to absorb it all at once.
13. Save money when you wash your car
Don't wash your car with a hose. This not only wastes water but also leaves the car badly washed. A bucket of water, a sponge and some soap will save water and wash the car better, even if you fill the bucket several times.
If you wash your car with a hose, you can waste around 500 litres of water. If you wash it with a bucket and sponge, you'll reduce your water consumption to 50 litres.
14. Reuse water for watering plants
If you've just used some water to boil some vegetables or eggs, this water is perfectly fine for watering plants. In fact, by boiling the water, you've purified it, so the plants will thank you. Make sure, however, that you let the water cool down so as not to cook the plants.
Now that you know how to save water, all that's left is to put it into practice!
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