TIPS
Save Water in the Bathroom!
We all can use a reminder list of ways to cut back on our water consumption around the house.
We hope this list is helpful......
In the bathroom / toilet:
A running tap will dispense up to 26 litres of water a minute. Don't leave it running while shaving, washing your hands or brushing your teeth.
Shave from a cup.. Rather than let the water run during a shave, just rinse your razor in the cup. Better yet, if possible, use an electric razor.
To save water and time, consider washing your face or brushing your teeth while in the shower.
Let the kids skip a bath. If you want to be a hero to your children, provided they're really not dirty and don't need it, let them skip every other day's bath or shower.
When running a bath, plug the tub before turning the water on, then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up.
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Bathe your young children together.
Put food colouring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing it can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
Turn off the water while you wash your hair to save up to 150 gallons a month.
Liquid soap. For hand washing, nothing saves water like liquid soap since it lathers more quickly than bar soap. Squirt a small dollop of liquid soap, give a quick burst from the tap, lather, and turn the tap back on briefly to rinse.
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Keep a bucket in the shower to catch water as it warms up or runs. Use this water to flush toilets or water plants.
When you are washing your hands, don't let the water run while you lather.
Drop your tissue in the trash instead of flushing it and save water every time.
A brick in the toilet tank takes up space to replace water. If a brick uses half a quart of space, you save half a quart per flush. Hint: Since bricks can dissolve, paint it with basement water sealant.
Buy a low-flow toilet. Though an expensive option, it's easy to incorporate into your lifestyle.
While staying in a hotel or even at home, consider reusing your towels.
Share and share alike
Share your shower!
Reduce the time you spend in the shower. A power shower will use over 125 litres in less than five minutes (a bath takes 80 litres of water).
If your shower fills a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the shower head with a water-efficient model. You can buy shower setups that have squeeze-lever-activated heads on the hose. This will let you wet down, lather up, and then rinse off without leaving the shower running.
If you don't like the squeeze-handle variety, you can find low-flow shower heads.
Skip a shower. If you're not dirty and you're not going to do anything but hang around the house, especially if by yourself, why take a shower?
Every drop helps!
Save Water all around the house!
Wash your pets outdoors in an area of your lawn that needs water!
Fix leaking taps as soon as you hear them. A dripping tap could waste as much as 90 litres a week.
Teach your children to turn off taps tightly after each use.
Remember to check that your home is leak free and fix those dripping taps.
Phone and report water leakage from burst pipes to your local authority.
No new aquariums. If the kids come home wanting anything more than a fishbowl for a new aquatic pet, do what you can to talk them out of it. Unless of course, you fill it and maintain it with rainwater.
Lag your pipes to avoid bursts and leave your heating on a low setting while you are out in cold weather to prevent pipes freezing.
Encourage your school system and local government to develop and promote water conservation among children and adults.
Make suggestions to your employer about ways to save water and money at work.
Support projects that use reclaimed wastewater for irrigation and industrial uses.
Report broken pipes, open hydrants and errant sprinklers to the property owner or your water provider.
A single drop of oil can pollute 1,000 gallons of water, so just imagine how much water you could potentially pollute if you decided to hose down your car in a driveway with a tiny oil slick. Then think about all the water you're using: A standard garden hose spews roughly 10 gallons of water per minute, adding up to between 80 and 140 gallons per wash. (A quote from National Geographic )
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Fire Safety. Summer brings heat, dryness, and winter sees increased house fires from additional heating sources. Since a fire would need hundreds or thousands of gallons of water to fight, any fire prevention steps are water saving steps.
Almost 100,000 litres of rain falls on your roof every year. A water barrel will let you collect this water. While you can't immediately drink this water, you can use it in food gardens, for outside washing, and you can purify it for bathing. Also, buy storage barrels to keep in the garage, and use them to store water saved by methods listed here. Mark the barrel as to whether the water is drinkable
Pass the NOWET website address to your friends, www.nowet.ie . It's good that you're reading these ways of saving water. Passing it along to others helps them conserve it too. With conservation, it really is "the more the merrier"
Save Water for a Greener Garden
How Green is your Garden?
Cut-down on the amount of lawn you need to water using pavers or water efficient groundcover plantings.
Grass can survive for long periods without water and will quickly recover when the next rain showers arrive.
Forget the hose and always use a watering can. Make sure the rose is fitted to your watering can.
Watering Cans. If you have to water do so in the early morning or evening when it is cooler to minimize evaporation.
Compost. Recycle your green kitchen waste in a compost bin. Compost provides valuable nutrients and keeps the soil moist.
Don't Hose that Path. Paths, patios and driveways must never be hosed. Use a yard brush, a rake or an outdoor blower for cleaning.
Mulches. Using mulch such as wood chips, bark or gravel will help prevent water evaporation and will suppress weed growth saving water and time weeding. These are especially valuable for shrubs, flowerbeds and new plantings.
Spreading a layer of organic mulch around plants retains moisture and saves water, time and money.
Rainwater is excellent for your garden. Collect it in a water barrel fed from your gutters but always make sure to securely cover large containers for safety. Talk to your local garden centre they will be able to advise you about modern safe water collection systems.
Never use a sprinkler system in your garden.
Weed those Beds. Regularly weed and hoe your garden, to ensure that watering helps your plants and not your weeds.
Spot those Leaks. Regularly check your outdoor taps, pipes and plumbing fixtures for leaks.
Reuse Water. Use a basin in your sink to collect and reuse water for your garden plants.
Trees, Shrubs and Plants. Plant flowers and shrubs that like warm and dry conditions. Your local garden centre can give you advice.
Established trees and shrubs do not need to be watered.
Choose shrubs and groundcovers, instead of turf, for hard-to-water areas such as steep slopes and isolated strips.
Plant in the Autumn when conditions are cooler and rainfall is more plentiful.
Check the root zone of your lawn or garden for moisture before watering using a spade or trowel. If it's still moist 2 inches under the soil surface, you still have enough water.
Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. A taller lawn shades roots and holds soil moisture better than if it is closely clipped. Raising the lawnmower blades to a higher level will also help stop the grass from scorching in warm weather. Leaving the clippings on the lawn will protect the roots and returns nutrients to the soil.
When cleaning out fish tanks, give the nutrient-rich water to your plants.
Use sprinklers for large areas of grass. Water small patches by hand to avoid waste.
Collect water from your roof to water your garden.
Rather than following a set watering schedule, check for soil moisture two to three inches below the surface before watering.
Use drip irrigation for shrubs and trees to apply water directly to the roots where it's needed.
Don't water your lawn on windy days when most of the water blows away or evaporates.
Group plants with the same watering needs together to avoid overwatering some while underwatering others.
Use a lawer of organic material on the surface of your planting beds to minimize weed growth that competes for water.
Trickling or cascading fountains lose less water to evaporation, than those spraying water into the air.
Use a rain gauge, or empty tuna can, to track rainfall on your lawn. Then reduce your watering accordingly.
Set a kitchen timer when watering your lawn or garden to remind you when to stop. A running hose can discharge up to 10 gallons a minute.
Make sure your swimming pools, fountains, and ponds are equipped with recirculating pumps.
Consult with your local nursery for information on plant selection and placement for optimum outdoor water savings.
Winterize outdoor spigots when temperatures dip below freezing to prevent pipes from leaking or bursting.
Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, footpath, or street.
Direct water from rain gutters towards water-loving plants in the landscape for automatic water savings.
Leave lower branches on trees and shrubs and allow leaf litter to accumulate on the soil. This keeps the soil cooler and reduces evaporation.
Plant with finished compost to add water-holding and nutrient-rich organic matter to the soil.
Use sprinklers that deliver big drops of water close to the ground. Smaller water drops and mist often evaporate before they hit the ground.
Water only when necessary. More plants die from over-watering than from under-watering.
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Apply water only as fast as the soil can absorb it.
Aerate your lawn at least once a year so water can reach the roots rather run off the surface.
For hanging baskets, planters and pots, place ice cubes under the moss or dirt to give your plants a cool drink of water and help eliminate water overflow.
Xeriscape means 'to landscape for water conservation.' The idea is to use plants that require less water. You can also utilise objects for decorative effect such as rocks, bricks, benches and gravel.
Screwdriver - Use a long screwdriver as a soil probe to test soil moisture. If you can push it easily into your lawn for several inches, don't water. Proper lawn watering can save thousands of gallons of water annually.
