Tips on How to Save Water

Water is an essential part of life. We use it for drinking, bathing, washing, cooking and so many other activities. We really can’t live without it, but it is one of the natural resources that we may lose in the near future if we do not do our part to preserve it.

In the UK we generally use around 150 Litres of water per day for various different households activities. That's a lot of water and it’s not even scrapping the surface of the embodied water footprint of the items we buy, use or consume outside of our homes. Reducing our water footprint starts at home though. There are so many simple things you can do to improve here first.

These are just common sense really but worth a quick list of them, just in case for housemates and landlords alike. Awareness is the first step to making your impact!

Fix leaks and drippy taps!

Obvious? Yes, a little. This could be anything from a dripping tap, to a leak underneath the building. Either way you are paying for that water that you are not using! Over time this can really add up.

Dripping taps (or leaking appliances) are generally easy to spot: drip... drip... drip..... or a giant puddle on the floor. The more fun ones are the hidden ones..... How do we pick those up?

Look for rising areas of damp. Look for warping floorboards or doors.

In the garden look for squishy soil or a sudden sprouting of grass in one particular area.

Turn off everything you can find in the house (maybe over the weekend when you are away) and record your water meter before and after.

There are more exact science methods too and your plumber will be able to help with devices that can pick up sounds or vibrations that can indicate leaks!

If you suspect bigger water leaks, maybe in the street or your front garden then also report it to your water company: it might be their responsibility to fix if it’s on the mains (or before the meter) and it might be a sign of a more serious problem.

Turn off the tap when you're brushing your teeth

Are you guilty of just letting that water all out while brushing your teeth?

Here’s a very important fact you need to know. Letting that water run while brushing your teeth every time means you are wasting 24 liters of water per day according to this study. That is the same amount of water your body needs to stay healthy for 8 days!!

That is a lot of water right? We don’t even realize that it’s that much for just a couple of minutes. So just be mindful of this simple tip every time you pick up your brush and teach your kids, your tenants or your housemates to do the same.

Only put on a full washing machine or dishwasher load

Dishwashers and washing machines are now essentials in our busy daily lives. But are you using yours in the most optimal way?

Using a dishwasher actually uses less water than washing up in the sink…. BUT we can save more if we maximize it and run it only when it’s full. This way we can save both electricity and more water. Get your OCD on and stack those dishes beautifully!

As for washing clothes, a standard washing machine uses 33 liters of water or more depending on the type of machine, so instead of washing just your clothes, bulk wash with the rest of the families or housemates. This way you also have enough of those pesky whites to do a proper wash (although watch out for that evil dye spreading red sock!!!). This way you can save a lot on water and that means you are helping our environment as well.

For landlords, this will also make sure that the machine is used as it was designed: to its maximum. Using appliances at half loads can add additional stress to the machine. It seems counterintuitive but as the machine is designed for the max, less can lead to more vibration and less efficient use of energy.

Don't wash pots in the sink with a running tap, fill the sink instead (as long as you have enough dishes)!

If you don’t have a dishwasher and you need to wash a lot of dishes. It’s best to fill the sink and wash them there instead of just letting the water flow while you wash each of the dishes. It’s too easy to leave the tap running whilst “just finishing that one more cup”. It’s never one…. I swear dirty plates and cups multiply!

It’s best to weigh up how much water you use and choose the best solution depending on how many dishes you need to wash.

Capture water from washing vegetables (or even the shower!) to water your plants

Don’t just throw away the water you use to wash your fruits and vegetables. Reuse them, especially during those lovely summer period (yes, they can happen!). Your plants will appreciate those recycled water for sure as they also come with some of the goodness from your veggies, with organics from washed off soil or seeds.

If you live in a water stressed area, this tip will definitely help. Do your best to capture the water from anywhere really. If you can reuse them to help those plants live, you can always use a bucket to store your water to be able to water more plants in your garden. Encouraging your garden to grow strong will help to stabilise the soil and help with natural water retention and so helping the water scarcity overall too!

Boil only water you need in the kettle

Need water for your coffee? Do your best to boil just enough water. If you’ve boiled too much, it’ll end up being thrown away so that’s both water and energy wasted. Or that water gets boiled again for the next cup…. So twice the energy for the same amount of water! What a waste!

It would help to ask your housemates or tenants if they also need it, don’t just assume they need hot water and include them. Gives a great excuse for a good chat over a cuppa.

Use the dual flush in your toilet and use them properly

Dual flush toilets are a great sneaky little device!

Okay, so toilets are not the most glamorous talking point but they can use a lot of water (especially in a house with multiple people!). You will have seen more and more of these dual flush toilets in most places. Are they worth it? YES!

When used correctly (a little bit of awareness might be needed here..), you can save up to a third of the water used for flushing! This is big! So using the right button for the right need will make a difference to your bills. Also making sure that the right things go down the toilet can avoid any blocking (and so more flushing to remove said blockage!). No wipes down the loo please. And little button for little *ahem* liquids… ie pee.

Even on more conventional, older models you can use "save a flush" devices (ie even a brick) that will fill the cistern and displace some water so less water per flush.

Check with your water company or other organisations to see what is available for free devices or invest in that nicer (or pro) toilet in your refurb.

Shower for 8 mins, don't bathe! A tub is a lot of water to fill and a short shower is much more efficient.

A bathtub needs 180 litres (40 gallons) to 360 litres ( 80 gallons) of water depending on how big your tub is. Imagine that much water used every time you use your tub?

So opting to use the shower will help save a lot of water. A standard showerhead flows at a rate of 11 litres (2.5 gallons) per minute so if you shower for 10 minutes that’s only 110 litres (25 gallons). A LOT less water compared to your relaxing bath and you can still save more water if you lessen your shower time.

The savings may not be that much but it will definitely add up and that’s a lot of water saved over time.

Know when your plants need watering, overwatering is bad for your consumption AND the plants!

This is another thing about watering plants. Some plants don’t really need to be watered everyday because if they’re soaked with water their roots will rot and they will surely die.

It happened to me when I was caring for some succulents. I even thought they were dying because I have not watered them that much so I watered them even more but after researching, these guys don’t really need much watering.

So try and research about the plants you have. You will prevent them from dying of overwatering and you can save water at the same time.

Check our post on the Plant Net app to find out what plants you actually own!

Reuse pasta & rice water for plant fertiliser

Do you cook pasta or rice at home?

Don’t waste the water and use them to water your plants instead. The starch from the pasta and rice can serve as a fertilizer to your plants and can help stimulate growth of the plants.

Awesome right? So you don’t have to waste that water anymore. Let it help your plants at home.

Have a water butt

What's a water butt?

These are big barrels that take water from your drain pipes and act as temporary storage. These are cheap, pretty efficient, and will definitely be useful through those heat waves!

As we know rain is intermittent in the UK and never comes when you want it. Droughts are becoming more common along with hosepipe bans. Ironically this is the time when we want to enjoy our gardens the most, not be surrounded by dying trees and plants. Hello, water butt! Usually, these barrels can store around 250l of water from the past rainfall and you can use them when you need them (rather than depending on the hose pipe).

A couple of benefits of this. Firstly, no bills! This is free water from the sky!

Secondly, there is less chance of overusing water when you have to use a bucket or use a finite amount from the water butt. It is MUCH easier to just leave the hosepipe running (and often leaks appear leading to more consumption!).

Thirdly, it is likely better for your plants! Water from a hosepipe is potable water. So it has been treated to drinking water levels and contains very little nutrients (not great for plants to drink).

Using a water butt though, allows for growth due to the water washing down anything in the drains meaning it already has good nutrients and organic matter to feed your plants.

Use Tap Aerators

These little guys are no-brainers. They are tiny, super cheap and can save a lot of water by converting the flow into pressure. You will have seen them in every shopping centre or commercial location. They have small holes to push the water through so you feel like you are using the same amount of water, but actually it is less flow (so less water) with a higher pressure.

You can buy these as part of your new taps during refurb, or get inserts to go inside existing taps.

Check with your water company or other organisations to see what is available for free!

Buy Quality Appliances

This one is so simple. Nowadays appliance manufacturers are conscious of our bills, whether we are home owners or landlords. And they pitch products that thankfully have water saving measures embedded into them.

How do you know which is better?

The UK introduced energy labelling for all home appliances which will give you an energy efficiency rating and for items related to water they will also give a temperature range and water consumption. So for the energy go for A (the green one). For temperatures look for appliances that can efficiently run at lower temperatures (although having a range is always useful!). For water consumption you are looking to go low!

Finally you can look for the features: many washing machines now provide a wash cycle that is based on the weight of clothes you put in (so you only use what you need)! Half load settings are also great. Dish washers can often come with low temperature, low water eco settings.

Conclusion:

Water is life, we can live for several days without food but we can only live for 3 days without water.

So it is important to save water and saving water doesn’t have to be that complicated.

It can be as simple as turning your water off while you’re brushing your teeth, reusing it to water plants, having a shower and choosing to save by making the right choices like washing your clothes only when your washing machine is full or washing your dishes when your dishwasher is full as well.

You can also buy things like a tap aerator and water butt, quality appliances and a dual flush toilet. These things can help save water and help you save energy as well.

And of course, NO LEAKS!

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