7 Low-Cost Ways to Save Water at Home
Reducing water usage in your home conserves water and cuts monthly household expenses. Large or small, every change you make has a positive effect on both.
It’s helpful to remember indoor water usage falls into six categories. From highest to lowest water use, they are: toilets, washing machines, showers, faucets, leaks and other undefined uses. To start saving water right away, try these low-cost solutions:
- Fix leaking toilets. Leaking toilets are the leading cause of wasted water in the home. If your toilet runs all the time or has a slow leak, you’re losing up to 2 gallons per minute or 7000 gallons per month. DIY kits are affordable and readily available.
- Install adjustable toilet flappers. If you have an older toilet, it uses between 3 and 7 gallons per flush. To conserve water without the expense of a new toilet, install an adjustable flapper that allows you to set and control the volume of water used per flush. The flappers are extremely affordable, readily available and easy to install.
- Use toilet tank inserts. To further reduce the volume of water per flush, use soft-sided water displacement bags. Fill the adjustable bag with water, place it in the tank and you can instantly save up to .8 gallons per flush.
- Fix leaking faucets. Up to 16 % of indoor water is wasted due to leaking faucets. Indoors or out, you’re losing about 450 gallons a month with a slow drip and up to 3000 gallons if the drip has turned into a slow stream. To solve the problem, call the plumber or buy a DIY faucet repair kit.
- Install low-flow aerators. Day-to-day faucet use represents about 16% of indoor water use. Low-flow aerators use up to 30% less water, but they deliver the performance you need and come in traditional and dual-flow swivel spray models.
- Replace old showerheads. Showers account for 17% of indoor water use. Replacing an old showerhead with a water-conserving model can cut shower-based usage by as much as 20%.
- Invest in a shower starter. If you waste water by letting the shower run until the water grows warm, this gadget is for you. Installed between the shower arm and your existing showerhead, this little device senses water temperature and when it gets hot it reduces the flow to a trickle. Simply restore full flow with the built-in switch when you get in the shower.
There are many ways to reduce water use in and around your home, but these easy and affordable options will help you get started.