Location: Bathroom
Mission: Eliminate water waste.
It takes electricity to purify water and pump it to your home. It also takes energy to heat water in your water heater. When water is wasted, your family’s water bill is higher and all that energy to treat the water and heat the water is wasted.
Most of the hot water used in the bathroom is used while taking a bath or shower. A short shower uses less water than a regular bath, but a long shower can use more water than a bath.
Most people like to take baths some days and showers on other days. You can save water either way by filling the tub less full for a bath and by taking shorter showers. And whoever has the shower after you will thank you since there will be enough hot water left for them!
You can save hot water by installing a low-flow shower head.
In the shower
You can also save hot water by installing a cut-off switch on your shower head. This allows you to turn off the water while you soap up and use the shampoo. If you don’t have a cutoff switch, simply turn off the water while you lather up!
And speaking of hot water, ask an adult to check the thermostat on your family’s water heater. It should be set at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit if your family does not have a dishwasher, and 140 degrees Fahrenheit if your family does have a dishwasher. Setting the thermostat higher than this can scald!
Save the sink
Install an aerator on your faucet in the bathroom sink. Aerators are small screens that break the water into many small droplets and air. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that aerators can reduce water consumption by 60% while still giving a strong water flow.
When washing your face, turn off the water while you scrub, then turn it on again to rinse.
When brushing your teeth, turn off the water while you brush.
Remind the people who shave in your house to turn off the water while shaving. It saves water to put water in a small cup and rinse the razor in the cup instead of under running water.
Don’t flush money down the toilet!
The average toilet can use 5-7 gallons of water per flush. That’s up to seven full large milk bottles per flush!
Knowing that each flush uses a lot of water, do not use the toilet as a trash can. Put facial tissues in the trash can, not in the toilet. The toilet should be used for human waste only.
Install a low-flow toilet to use less water.
Fix water leaks
Make sure the tub, shower, sink faucet and toilet are not leaking water. Repair any leaks because leaking water means higher bills. Even a small drip can really add up over the course of a day.