Water Saving Guides
Outside Your Home
Method | Approximate Water Savings |
---|---|
Water your garden with a deep soak once weekly rather than several shallow times per week. | 50 gallons per week in Summer |
Water your yard at night or early in the morning to prevent rapid evaporation during the heat of the day. | 35 gallons per ½ acre per watering |
Use a garden hose nozzle which can be shut off when not in use, and adjusted to a fine spray. | 5 gallons per minute |
Use a broom or rake to remove leaves and debris from driveway, walkways, patios, and pool decks. | 40 gallons per 5 minutes of usage |
Cover swimming pool to reduce evaporation. | Yearly equivalent of the pool’s volume for average sized pools |
Wash your car at home, rather than a car wash. | 500 gallons per wash |
Wash with bucket and sponge rather than hose. Reuse water for chrome, hub caps, and wheels. | 85 gallons or more per wash |
Other Areas of Your Home
Method | Approximate Water Savings |
---|---|
Wait to wash clothes until you have a full load. | Up to 30 gallons of water per load not washed |
Purchase new washing machine with water-saving features. | 10-20 gallons per load |
Insulate hot water pipes to avoid running water while waiting for it to get hot. | Up to 8 gallons per person per day |
Kitchen
Method | Approximate Water Savings |
---|---|
When hand-washing, wash from a filled basin, not with running water. | 25 gallons per day |
Run dishwasher only when full, once per day or less. | 10-12 gallons for each cycle not run |
Run dishwasher on short cycle. | 3-4 gallons per cycle |
Install a low flow faucet. | 2.5 gallons per minute |
Use a bowl of water and brush to clean foods, fruits and vegetables instead of running water over them. | 2-10 gallons |
Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator. | 5 gallons or more per meal |
Bathroom
Method | Approximate Water Savings |
---|---|
Take a 5 minute shower instead of a bath. | 15 gallons |
Install a low-flow shower head to reduce water use by 50%. | 3 gallons per minute per shower |
Bathe in a tub billed less than ½ full with water. | 10-15 gallons per bath |
Install 1.6 gallon toilet. | 4 gallons per flush |
For older toilets, place water filled plastic jug in toilet tank, away from working parts. | Up to 2 gallons per flush |
Flush half as often as toilet is used. | 12 gallons per person per day |
Don’t use toilet as wastebasket, flush only when essential. | 12 gallons per person per day |
When brushing your teeth, turn off tap while brushing. | 2 gallons per person per day |
When shaving, partially fill basin (a few inches) instead of running tap. | 2 gallons per person per day |
Replace old faucets. | 2.5 gallons per minute per person |