Saving Water at Home - Top 10 Tips

With June 2007 having been the wettest June on record in the UK, you could be forgiven if saving water was not currently high on your list of priorities.  However, saving water, or at least not wasting water, is something that should be considered all year round, regardless of the weather.  So don’t just wait for the next hose pipe ban, follow some of the tips below and START SAVING WATER TODAY!

1. A dripping tap can waste up to 4 litres of water a day so check taps on a regular basis and replace any worn tap washers.
2. Get a water butt to collect rainwater and use it to water plants.
3. Keep a jug or bottle of water in the fridge so you don’t have to run the tap until it runs cold every time you want a drink.
4. Don’t leave the tap running whilst brushing your teeth.  This could potentially waste up to 5 litres of water per minute.
5. Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl instead of under a running tap.  The leftover water can then be used to water plants.
6. Water your garden either first thing in the morning or late in the evening to reduce the amount of water that is evaporated by the sun.
7. When you boil an egg wait for the water to cool down and then use it to water your house plants.  Your plants will benefit from all the nutrients that are released from the shell.
8. Only put enough water in the kettle for what you require, rather than boiling a full kettle each time you want a cup of tea.
9. If you have a fish tank, use the dirty water when cleaning the tank to water your plants.  This water will be a good fertiliser for your plants as it will be rich in nitrogen and phosphorus.
10. Old toilets manufactured before 1993 can use up to 9 litres of clean water with every flush.  You can reduce this amount by replacing the cistern or by placing a ’save-a-flush’ or ‘hippo’ in the cistern.