7 Tips to Save Water In The Bathroom
- Check your toilets for leaks. Place a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank (behind the toilet). If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl, you have a leak that should be repaired immediately.
- Consider a Water-Saving Toilet. While a conventional toilet uses 4 to 6 gallons per flush, water-saving toilets that use 3 gallons or less per flush, are now widely available. In fact, low-flow toilets are required in all new construction and renovation.
- Put plastic bottles in your toilet tank (if you've got older toilets). To cut down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles to weigh them down. Fill them with water and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from operating mechanisms. In an average home, the bottles may displace and save ten or more gallons of water a day.
- Take shorter showers, or baths. Long, hot showers can waste five to 10 gallons every extra minute. (And don't forget the extra cost of heating that water.) A bath in a partially-filled tub uses less water than all but the shortest showers.
- Install water-saving showerheads or flow restrictors. Your local hardware or plumbing supply store stocks inexpensive water-saving showerheads or restrictors that are easy to install. A low-flow showerhead uses only 2 to 3 gallons of water per minute.
- Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush and while shaving. Many gallons can be lost if you allow the water to continue running.
- Check pipes and faucets for leaks. Even the smallest drip from a worn washer can waste 20 or more gallons a day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds! This tip is useful throughout the house.
