| IN THE BATHROOM |
APPROXIMATE SAVINGS |
| Shorten showers to 5 minutes or less |
115 litres/person/week |
| Install low-flow showerheads |
265 litres/person/week |
| Take a shallow bath instead of a shower |
60 -80 litres/time |
| Turn off the water while lathering
in the shower |
280 litres/person/week |
| While waiting for hot water to flow,
catch the cool water in a bucket or watering can. Use
it later to water plants, run your garbage disposal,
or pour into the toilet bowl to flush. |
180 litres/person/week |
| Retrofit your toilets with one of the
many water saving devices on the market, or replace
your toilets with new low-flush models. |
110-1300 litres/person/week |
| Put bathroom trash in the waste basket
instead of flushing it down the toilet |
|
| Check toilets for leaks by dropping
dye tablets or food colouring into the tank. If
colour appears in the bowl without flushing, there's
a leak that should be repaired. |
|
| Turn water off while brushing your
teeth or shaving. |
10 litres/person/week |
| Fit aerators in faucets |
125 litres/person/week |
| IN THE KITCHEN |
APPROXIMATE SAVINGS |
| Run the dishwasher only when you have
a full load |
10 litres/week |
| Hand wash dishes just once a day using
the least amount of detergent possible. This
will cut down on rinsing. Use a sprayer, with
short blasts only, to rinse |
375 litres/week |
| Fit an aerator/sprayer to the faucet |
125 litres/person/week |
| Rinse fruit and vegetables in a filled
sink or pan instead of running water continuously |
135 litres/week |
| Keep a bottle of drinking water in
the refrigerator instead of running the tap for cold
water |
200 - 300 litres/week |
| Plan ahead so that frozen food doesn't
need to be thawed under running water |
50-150 litres week |
| THE LAUNDRY |
APPROXIMATE SAVINGS
|
| When doing the laundry, never do less
than a full load |
375 litres/week |
| AROUND THE HOUSE |
APPROXIMATE SAVINGS |
| Repair leaky faucets and pipes both
inside and outside the home |
500 litres/week/leak |
| OUTDOORS |
APPROXIMATE SAVINGS |
| Water your lawn only when it needs
it. If the grass springs back when you step
on it, there is no need to water it. Usually,
one inch of water once a week is enough. To
measure this, place a flat container like a tuna
fish can, about six feet from the sprinkler and time
how long it takes to fill one inch deep. The
next time you water, set your kitchen timer to remind
you to turn off the sprinklers. |
1150 litres/week |
| Adjust your sprinklers so that they
don't spray on sidewalks, driveways or the street |
950 litres/week |
| Set lawnmower blades one notch higher
since longer grass means less evaporation |
500 - 1500 litres/week |
| Skip watering the lawn on windy days
when there is too much evaporation |
750 - 1000 litres/time |
| Water the lawn early in the morning
when there's less evaporation |
150 litres/week |
| Cut down on watering on cool, overcast
or rainy days. Adjust or deactivate automatic
sprinklers |
750 - 1150 litres/time |
| Plant drought resistant native trees
and plants |
750 - 1500 litres/week |
| Use mulch to cover bare ground in gardens
and around trees to slow down evaporation |
750 - 1500 litres/week |
