How-to-Use-Water-Wisely-Tips-for-Saving-and-Reusing-Water-at-Home

Clean Freshwater is a scare and vital resource here on Planet Water (that should be the name, rather than Planet Earth, as water is vital for life as we know it). Most people are trying to save water to save money, but it is hard to know whether its worthwhile. If we could all save and reuse water there would be less need for expensive dams and water supply devices such as desalination plants. These water capture and storage systems are bad for the environment.

So what water saving methods are worthwhile, and how much of a difference to they make? The images below show what a typical family of four (2 parents and 2 children) uses water on.

The Figure shown below shows the water use pattern of a typical American household. It highlights that more than 50% of the water is used for washing - showers, dishwashers, washing machines. Australian families used much more water on their gardens and lawns - as is shown in the tables below. These are the main useage areas where savings can be made.

Typical household water use
Typical household water use. Source: Pubic Domain

One way of exploring your water use and seeing what impact various will make is using a calculator. You can do the calculations on various websites. You can also download an Excel version of the same tool from the same site. Another version is available here. Below is a summary of typical water use before savings applied, and after the major saving have been implemented.

BEFORE SAVINGS APPLIED

Water Use
Estimated Water Quantity (L)
How many times per day (per family)
How many times per week
Total litres per day
Percent of Use (%)
Flushing Toilet - Full Flush
11
8
 
88
8
Showering (5 min)
100
4
 
400
35
Having a bath - Full
120
1
 
120
11
Cleaning teeth - Tap Running
5
12
 
60
5
Washing hands
2
16
 
32
3
Washing Dishes - Dishwasher
35
5
 
175
15
Cooking a meal
7
3
 
21
2
Drinking a glass of Water
0.25
16
 
4
0
Washing clothes (old washing machine)
160
 
4
91
8
Washing Car/s
180
 
1
26
2
Washing Pet/s
50
 
1
7
1
Hand Watering the Garden Or Garden Sprinklers
400
 
2
114
10
     
Total per day
1139
 
     
Total per week
7970
 

The First Table above shows calculated water use for a typical family of two adults and two children. It shows that most of the water was used for the following purposes:

Applying the various savings shown in the second table produced a total reduction of more than half - from1139 litres per day to 500 litres per day.

Figures in the Second Table show that most of the savings occurred in:

This summary shows that relatively small changes can produce substantial water saves.

Some of the Tips for Saving Water are shown below

AFTER SAVINGS APPLIED

Water Use
Estimated Water Quantity (L)
How many times per day (per family)
How many times per week
Total litres per day
Percent Reduction (%)
Saving as Percent of Total
Flushing toilet - Half Flush
5
4
 
20
77
11
Showering (5 min low flow showerhead)
45
4
 
180
55
34
Having a bath - Half Full
60
1
 
60
50
9
Cleaning teeth - Tap Turned off
1
12
 
12
80
8
Washing hands
2
16
 
32
0
0
Washing Dishes - Kitchen Sink
15
5
 
75
57
16
Cooking a meal
7
3
 
21
0
0
Drinking a glass of Water
0.25
16
 
4
0
0
Washing clothes (front loader washing machine)
60
 
4
34
63
9
Washing Car/s
180
 
1
26
0
0
Washing Pet/s
50
 
1
7
0
0
Hand Watering Garden
100
 
2
29
75
13
     
Total per day
500
   
     
Total per week
3498
   

Quick Tips for Saving and Reusing Water at Home

Become a Water Wise Advocate in your Community - Encourage your associates and friends to be part of a water-saving and aware community. Encourage your friends, co-workers and neighbours to do their bit. Like the water drops falling into a river it all adds up and if the whole community becomes involved the savings can become very effective - we can't rely on Governments - Water Authorities have a vested interest in keeping us wasting water.

Install rainwater tanks in your backyard A rainwater tank of various size and design can capture and store many thousands of litres of water each year. It is a great way to teach you that water is a scare resource and that its supply is variable. Use it on the garden, for drinking water (if its not polluted by the roofing materials or the atmosphere), or for the grey water

Reuse your grey water - Whether you use the simple 'bucket' or drain-hose procedure to collect grey water, or have an entire grey water system established, reusing precious water assets can substantially decrease your water use.

Buy Water-Conserving Appliances - New appliances for example washing machines and dishwashers have water use labels on them that let you know how much water they use. Modern appliances are much better than the old ones.

Check Everything for Leaks - This applies to valves, taps, pipes, swimming pools and dishwasher hoses. Leaks are a surprisingly large source of water loss and plugging the leaks is a good way to save on your water bill. Remember, one simple dripping tap can waste you more than 2,000 litres every month. To do a basic check - turn off every tap and appliance in your house. Then read your water meter and wait for an hour of so, or overnight if you can, and read the meter again. If the meter shows a higher reading, there 's a leak in your house somewhere. The first place to check are dripping taps and your toilet. The washers are easy to replace.

In the kitchen

In the Laundry

In the Bathroom

In the Toilet (flushing)

For your Pool

In the Garden