***Saving Money by Saving Water

The push is on being green in everything we do and use. Today I would like to talk about being frugal with our water use in our homes.

Let’s start with the kitchen. If you have a dishwasher, you will not only save money on water but the electric bill as well if you only do a full load of dishes. If you are single, just rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, thus preventing unpleasant odors while you are waiting to fill the dishwasher to its maximum capacity.

You can also cut down on the number of dishes by having your family serve themselves at the stove from the cookware on and in the stove prior to coming to the table to eat. This is great especially if you are washing dishes by hand.

I know of very few people who look forward to a sink full of dirty dishes. You can save on hot water by filling your second sink or a large plastic bin with clear water to rinse your soapy dishes. Keep in mind the order you wash your various pieces. Wash glassware first, silverware second, cleanest dishes next and greasiest dishes, pots and pans last. The water stays cleaner longer so you may not have to change it as often.

Depending where you live, consider using tap water instead of purchasing brand-name bottled water. If you need to purchase bottled water, consider purchasing a large water cooler for your home and filling reusable drinking containers instead of using pre-bottled smaller units. You will help the environment by cutting down on the number of bottles in landfill sites and the number of units consuming energy in the recycling plants.

Moving to the bathroom, choose a shower over a bath. To prove this point, plug the drain when you shower. See how much water you actually used during the shower and compare it to the amount of water you normally use for your bath. You can lower your water and energy consumption by changing your showerhead to a low-flow showerhead. Low-flow showerheads can reduce the water output of a conventional shower from 20 liters per minute to 5.5 liters per minute. Some people with large families put timers on their hot water tanks. The timer shuts off the hot water to the shower after 10 minutes. This insures everyone has hot water for their shower and not just the first few family members in the bathroom in the morning.

Other water saving tips in the bathroom include take shorter showers, turning off the water while brushing your teeth, fill the sink with water while washing your face instead of leaving it running and installing dual-flush toilets. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimates a savings of 67% or more per family when conventional toilets have been replaced with dual-flush units. Water is also saved when your toilet is not used to throw out garbage.

Saving water during the laundry process can be done through maximizing your loads, using shorter wash cycles and using cold water wash cycles as well as cold water rinse cycles.

For your gardens you can save rain water from your down spouts off the roof. To avoid any breeding of mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus or from our furry friends washing their paws in our reserves, store this water in closed containers and use the oldest containers first. Watering your lawn and garden early in the morning when it is cool outside and the winds are usually lighter helps water conservation as well. Heat and evaporation in the hot sun diminish the effects of watering your lawn and gardens in the afternoon.

Saving on water consumption helps save you money but also helps save the environment as well. When we all so our part we all reap the benefits.