How To Save Water This Summer Without Spending Any Money

It was recently announced that level one water restrictions here in NSW will be scrapped in favour of water-wise guidelines instead (source) because Warragamba Dam, our major supplier of water is at 95% capacity. Previously, households and businesses were on level one water restrictions and anyone found to be wasting water could be fined. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to list some of the best ways to be water-wise and let you know know how to save water this summer without spending any money through simple solutions.

How to save water this summer without spending any money

Kitchen

• Rinsing your fruits and vegetables

When preparing meals it is always good to rinse your fruits and vegetables before using. When washing foods you can save lots of water by filling a bucket, container or pot with water, or even in a low filled sink.

• Pre-rinsing dishes

Another easy way to save water is to avoid rinsing your dishes under a running tap before placing them in the dishwasher. If you need to rinse them then it would be better to fill the sink with a small amount of water or the same water you used to wash your fruits and vegetables.

• Full dishwasher

In most cases, a half-filled dishwasher uses the same amount of water as a fully loaded dishwasher so you can save water by only turning it on when it is completely full.

• Waiting for hot water

When it comes to hot water sometimes you have to wait for it to heat up. If this happens, rather than wasting that water down the sink why not fill a cup or bottle. The water can be used to water your plants, drunk, used to wash fruits and veg or for when you're brushing your teeth (more on that later) and for many other uses.

• Boiling water reuse

Many of us use water to boil things, whether that is rice, pasta, vegetables or other things and then the water is often discarded. That water could be reused for other things. The water once cooled down, could be used to pre-rinse your dirty dishes. It could also be used to water your garden or kept as a soup stock for future meals.

Laundry

• Fill your washing machine

Much like the dishwasher, it is best to save up all your dirty laundry and only turn the washing machine on when it is completely full or change the settings on your machine to correspond with the amount of washing you have. Don't use the full water setting if there is only half a load

• Catch your greywater

The water used to clean your clothes is a great resource to catch in buckets. You can use that water in your garden, as long as you are using environmentally friendly detergents. If you have the money to do so you could install a greywater recycling system at your household. These systems can be expensive so for most of us this isn't possible to do.

• Soaking

There comes a time when some items need to be soaked for a few hours or in some cases even a few days to remove some stains. What most people do is soak them in the laundry sink and when it has finished the plug is pulled out and the water drains away. An alternative to doing this is to soak these items in a bucket or a plastic tub. Once the soaking process is done you can reuse that water in the garden. Just make sure the cleaning products you use are natural and environmentally friendly.

Bathroom

• Brushing Teeth

Don't leave the tap running while brushing and don't rinse your toothbrush under the running water either. Instead, fill a cup with water before you start and use that water to wash your mouth and toothbrush once you're finished.

• Half flush

Most households nowadays have a dual flushing toilet which is much more water-efficient than single flushing toilets. When you relieve yourself you can save up to 12 litres of water per flush when you press the half flush button. Save the full flush for the number twos.

• Shorter showers

A water-efficient showerhead can use up to nine litres of water per minute so keeping your showers as short as possible is a great way to save on water. An 11-minute shower uses 99 litres of water whereas a six-minute shower uses 54 litres of water, that's roughly half. A few minutes less in the shower makes a huge difference.

• Catch your shower water

You can save much more water by placing a bucket or two in your shower. These buckets can catch that water that would otherwise go down the drain. As long as you are using eco-friendly cleaning products the water can be reused to water your gardens.

Outdoors

• Mulch your plants

Apply about 10cm of mulch to your garden beds and even pots. Mulch will prevent your garden beds from drying out and water loss due to evaporation. The quicker your plants dry out, the more you will need to water them.

• Watering your garden

It's best to water your plants in the cooler times of the day like early in the morning and in the late afternoon. Watering in the middle of the day can cause water to evaporate much quicker. This means you will likely need to water more often.

• Catch Rainwater

An easy way to conserve water is to collect rain and you can do this without a rainwater tank. Just place some buckets or tubs, old cooking pots, jugs, cups, jars, or pretty much anything that has a solid base with no holes, around the house when it is raining. You could use the collected water to water your plants. You could also wash your fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, boil it for your pasta or instant coffee or just pour it into a glass and drink it. It is entirely up to you. Just be aware that mosquitos breed in stale water. It is best not to leave the water lying around, use it straight away or place a cover on top.

Keep Saving water

It's extremely important that we all play a key role in conserving water and use it wisely. I hope you have enjoyed reading this article on how to save water this summer without spending any money. Let me know some more, I would love to write a how to save water this summer without spending any money part two. Until next time keep using our most precious resource sparingly.