Water Conservation at Home

With the recent occurrence of some of the more serious droughts in recent US history, Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about how a potential water shortage could affect their lives. Many are seeking solutions for water conservation, both in and outside of their home or business.

It is essential for each and every one of us to rethink our daily water use. Here are some additional tips and recommendations that could save your household (and the environment) thousands of gallons of water annually:

Kitchen:

• Only run the dishwasher when full Install a water- and energy-efficient dishwasher
• Install aerators on the kitchen faucet to reduce flows to less than 1 gallon per minute
• Soak pots and pans instead of running water while you scrape them clean
• Use a compost rather than the garbage disposal and save gallons each time
• Rinse fruits and vegetables in a pan of water and re-use that water to soak the plants!

Bathroom:

• Install low-flow shower heads – this saves 2.5 gallons!
• Take 5-minute showers instead of 10 minute shower to save gallons…
• Fill the bathtub up only half way
• Turn water off when brushing teeth or shaving to save up to 10 gallons/day
• Plug the sink instead of running the water to rinse your razor and save up to 300 gallons a month
• Turn off the water while washing your hair and save up to 150 gallons a month

Outdoors:

• Water early in the morning or later in the evening when temperatures are cooler and save up to 25 gallons/each time you water
• Check your sprinkler system frequently and adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street to save 15-12 gallons/each time you water
• Water deeply but less frequently to create healthier and stronger landscapes
• Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants to reduce evaporation and keep the soil cool.
• Organic mulch also improves the soil and prevents weeds. This will save you 20-30 gallons/each time you water/1,000 sq. ft.

Efficiency is also key to water conservation. With patented smart technology that makes water softeners up to 46% more efficient than other softeners, Culligan’s Aqua-Sensors ®can be integral to your household or business water conservation solution:

Culligan High Efficiency Water Softener

Source: http://saveourh2o.org