Australia is one of the driest countries in the world – that’s a fact. In summer, when your thongs melt on the bitumen, you can get sunburnt just by thinking about going out in the sun and icecreams melt before you can finish them... it’s important to keep yourself hydrated.
Usable drinking water may not seem like something you have to worry about (heck you can go to pretty much any tap, anywhere in Australia and get water instantly) but if you’re like us and think global but act local then you will realise that water is a precious commodity and should not be wasted.
Australia is one of the driest countries in the world – that’s a fact. In summer, when your thongs melt on the bitumen, you can get sunburnt just by thinking about going out in the sun and icecreams melt before you can finish them... it’s important to keep yourself hydrated.
Usable drinking water may not seem like something you have to worry about (heck you can go to pretty much any tap, anywhere in Australia and get water instantly) but if you’re like us and think global but act local then you will realise that water is a precious commodity and should not be wasted.
By saving water you’re not only doing the world a favour but also your bank account as saving water can equal saving money. If you’ve looked at your water bill before and thought to yourself “these bills just keep growing and growing” (and let’s face it we’ve all thought that!) then let us help you do something about it by giving you some tips on saving water around the house.
Below are some simple and inexpensive ways to save water around your home. Remember that the more water you can save, the better our earth will be for it and you can save yourself some money along the way!
Water saving tips for in the home
1. Use a dishwasher
This may seem counter-intuitive but dishwashers these days are very water saving savvy! Remember that an average sink holds about 18-19 litres of water and if you have a double sink (one for washing and one for rinsing) you can easily use more than twenty litres of water every time you wash the dishes!
Don’t believe me? Remember that an average plastic bucket will hold 9 litres. If you fill this up and empty it into your sink you will find that it will only fill up with water to about half way (or just over).
If you need help with Dishwasher installations we can organise this for you.
2. Get one cup or glass to drink water from
This sounds simple enough but it’s amazing how often we forget to do this, right? Grab a cup and use it for the day to drink water from. This will cut back on rinsing your cups and also on the total water needed to clean them all.
If you’re drinking as much water as you should each day (about 15 cups) that’s a lot of glasses to wash at the end of the day. If you work in an office think about getting your work colleagues to use the one cup method for their water and even for their tea and coffee.
3. Left over water and dropped ice cubes
If you drop an ice cube on the floor, don’t chuck it straight into the sink, pick it up and put it on a plant or perhaps in the dog's water. Likewise if you have water bottles from the kids schoolbags at the end of the day with water still in them, water your plants with the leftovers or put it straight on the garden.
4. Grey Water Systems
Think about getting a greywater system setup in your home. A grey water system takes the water from your laundry and washing machine and diverts this into your garden and/or lawn.
A grey water system is an ideal way to instantly use water that’s otherwise going to waste AND your gardens and lawns will be green and lush all year round. If there’s water restrictions in your area this is even better as it means all that water that is otherwise wasted is now being used.
5. Take one minute less in your shower each night
Minor changes done regularly can make a huge difference. By shaving off one minute from your nightly shower you can save approx 8 litres per day. If you have a household of four and each of you do this, that’s a saving of 11,680 litres of water each year (or 44,000 glasses of water).
6. Put a bucket of water in the shower with you
When you’re taking your next shower, grab a bucket (or perhaps two depending on how long you shower for) and put it in the shower with you. You will be surprised at just how quickly a 9 litre bucket will fill up. You can then use this water to put on the lawn, on your plants or to wash your pets.
7. Don’t run water when brushing your teeth
This seems simple but there’s still people out there that do this. You’ve probably seen in lots of movies and popular media scenes where people are brushing their teeth and letting the tap run. A running tap will use between 600 and 900 litres per hour, so if you let your tap run for 2 mins while you brush your teeth, that’s about 20 litres (or ten litres a minute). Times that by four people over a year and you’re saving about 29,200 litres a year.
8. Run your dishwasher, but only when it’s full
I know it may seem easy to just run a quick load of dishes through the dishwasher but if you wait it out, and load your dishwasher throughout the day and only turn it on when it’s full, this will save you water, time and energy.
9. Wash your pets on the lawn, not in the bathtub
Next time Rover or Kitty needs a bath, get them out of the house and onto the lawn. This gives you the chance to get a bit of water over your animals and also your yard! I’ve done this a few times with my dog and here’s some tips:-
- li>Put them on a leash (unless you fancy running around after a wet hound)
- They don’t like it so much in winter (summer is the best time to do this)
- Don’t do it after mowing the lawn (first thing they do is find all the loose bits of grass and roll in it)
- If you have dirt in your lawn your dogs will find it (keep them on the grass if you can)
10. Use a broom instead of the hose
I know that getting the hose out to clean up the patio or driveway after mowing the lawn, a windy day or a storm is an easy option, but think about all the water you can save just by getting a broom and a little elbow grease. Not only will you save water but you’ll get a bit of exercise.
So there you have it, our ten tips to save water around the house. We hope you find them useful!
We are a water saving device plumber so if you need this service please call us today on 0412 634 599.