How to Save on Water to Save on your Finances

Water conservation is one of the most important environmental issues that we face today. Every year, thousands of people die due to a scarcity of clean drinking water, when the amount of water wasted in urban areas grows every day. Most of us don’t think about the fact that the water that flows out of the tap in our homes is treated at a plant, and should be used wisely.

Even those of us who intend well may not understand how to conserve this precious resource. Basic steps like fixing leaky taps or turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth may be all that comes to mind. Surprisingly few people actually bother to do either of those basics, but there are a few more things that each of us can do to prevent water wastage.

How to Conserve Water and Prevent Wastage

Within our homes, in our daily lives, there are a few steps we can all incorporate to prevent the loss of water. Even a small quantity of water, saved by each household, adds up every day. Over a period of a year, your house alone may prevent the wastage of thousands of litres of clean water!

Let’s take a look at how this can be accomplished:

1. Fix the Leaks – This is the simplest way to ensure that clean water is not running into the drains, without even being used! Plug all the leaks in water pipes, replace or repair dripping taps and turn off the garden hose from the tap when it is not in use. 
2. Collect ‘Clean’ Water – When you rinse vegetables or fruit in water, don’t throw it down the drain. You could either use a separate sink that drains into your garden or wash these items in a bowl and use the water collected for house plants or garden. Do not use the water from your dishwasher or anything else that uses soap or chemicals for this. 
3. Collect the Rain – Install rainwater tanks to catch the clouds’ bounty and use it in the house. Since piped water is chemically treated and processed, you will be doing the environment a great favour by reducing your consumption of treated water. Rainwater Tanks Direct offers tanks that are quite affordable and suited to your needs. 
4. Install Two-Flush Systems – These nifty devices are not as complicated as they sound, as they can be fitted into your existing toilet. They offer two flushing modes instead of one, the first is a ‘light’ flush and the second a longer ‘heavy’ flush. Traditional toilet flushes use much more water than is generally required, resulting in huge amounts of wastage! 

Other things you could do at home include running large loads of laundry instead of multiple smaller ones, washing your car with a bucket and sponge rather than hosing it down and turning off garden sprinklers when it rains. With simple changes like these, you can conserve water on a daily basis and reduce the load on the environment too!