Test Yourself Using Your Water Conservation Checklist
This checklist is designed to help you see how
effectively you are using water, and to alert you to ways
to save. Some actions suggested are more severe than
others and would need to be implemented only in an
emergency situation---and are indicated as such.
As you read this list, check the steps you have
already taken to conserve water. Note what you still need
to do to become a better manager of water resources.
Concentrate on the big water uses first.
Inspect the plumbing system to see there are no
leaks.
Install flow control devices in showers. Or, limit
the amount of shower water by the way you use the
controls for the hot and cold water faucets, or a mixer
faucet.
Turn off all water if you are going to be away from
home on a vacation or trip. This keeps children from
turning on outside faucets while you are away.
Check to see how often your home water softening
equipment regenerates and backwashes. It can use as much
as 100 gallons of water each time it does this. You may
want to cut down on the use of such equipment. Reserve
softened water for kitchen use, bathing, and laundry. Use
unsoftened water for all other purposes. (This may
require a bypassline but this is advisable under any
circumstances).
Insulate hot water pipes. Having to clear the "hot"
line of cooled water is wasteful.
Check all faucets, inside and out, for drips. Make
repairs promptly. These problems get worse---never
better.
Teach children to turn water faucets off quickly and
tightly after each use.
A toilet leak can waste lots of water. Put a small
amount of food coloring into the tank. If the color
trickles into the bowl, there is a leak and repairs are
needed.
Water required to flush some toilets can be reduced.
Experiment by placing a quart plastic (not glass) bottle
filled with water in the flush tank to save 1 quart of
water per flush. (Don't use a brick to fill space in your
toilet flush tank. Particles from the brick could damage
the valve).
Or, you can adjust the float level of the toilet to
reduce the amount of water necessary to flush the toilet.
Do this carefully to avoid damaging the system. Try only
a slight adjustment.
Never use the toilet as a trash basket for facial
tissues, etc. Each flush uses 5 to 7 gallons of water.
Items carelessly thrown in could clog the system and adds
to the sewage disposal problems.
Laundry
Wait until you have a full load before washing items,
or use a lower water level setting.
Save handwashing jobs and do several items at one
time. Example: wash a weeks supply of hosiery rather than
daily.
Check garments to make sure they need washing. Don't
wash clothes more often than necessary.
Encourage children to change into play clothes after
school so that school and play clothes can be worn
several times.
Personal Care
Urge family members to take showers instead of tub
baths. Showers---especially those fitted with flow
restrictors or low-volume heads---usually use less water
than a bath. Plug the tub during a shower and compare the
water used with that for a bath. Limit shower time to 2
minutes or less.
Cut down on the number of showers taken. Replace some
of them with sponge baths using a small amount of water
in a basin.
Seek other ways to relax besides staying in the
shower for long periods of time.
Turn off shower water while you apply soap to body,
or lather hair and massage scalp.
Turn off water while you shave, brush teeth, etc.
Food Preparation
Use a pan of water when peeling and cleaning
vegetables and fruits rather than letting the sink tap
run.
To get warm water, turn hot water on first; then add
cold water as needed. You get warm water quicker this way
and save water, too.
Limit use of a garbage disposal. Save food scraps and
run the disposal once to conserve water. You can use the
disposal even less by saving food scraps for a compost
pile.
Use the smallest amount of water necessary to cook
foods such as frozen vegetables and stews. You'll
preserve nutrients as well as save water.
A tight-fitting lid on a pan saves water from boiling
away and also cooks food faster, thereby using less
energy.
Plan more one-dish meals in which vegetables are
cooked or baked without adding water.
Use a tea kettle or covered pan to heat water and
avoid loss of water through evaporation.
Time foods during the cooking process to avoid over
cooking and loss of liquids through evaporation.
Select the proper size pans for cooking. Large pans
require more cooking water.
Use a pressure cooker to save water, energy, and
time.
A bottle of drinking water kept cold in your
refrigerator saves running the tap to get cold water.
Save leftover vegetable juices for soups, cooking raw
or frozen vegetables, stews, and making gravy.
Refrigerate and use juices within a day or two.
Using syrups and juices from canned goods saves water
and makes foods taste better. Use leftover fruit juices
for drinking and making gelatin salads.
Meal Service
Chill water in bottles in the refrigerator to avoid
running excess water from the lines to get cold water for
meals. Shake bottle before serving to incorporate air in
the water so that it doesn't taste flat.
Put drinking water on the table only if people really
drink it.
Dishwashing
Cut down on the number of utensils used in food
preparation, and on the plates and glassware used with
meals. This will save on dishwashing water used to clean
them.
Wash only full loads of dishes in dishwasher. A
dishwasher uses about 9 to 13 gallons of water per cycle.
Avoid unnecessary rinsing of dishes that go into the
dishwasher for immediate washing. Scrape if necessary.
When washing dishes by hand, use one pan of soapy
water for washing and a second pan of hot water for
rinsing. Rinsing in a pan requires less water than
rinsing under a running faucet.
Household Cleaning
Wipe up small spills as they occur to avoid frequent
mopping of floors.
Regularly vacuum carpets and rugs so you won't need
to shampoo them as often. There is less danger of
permanent stains when you take care of spots as they
occur.
"Collect" household cleaning chores. Do them together
to save water. Clean the more lightly soiled surfaces
first---the mirrors, walls, woodwork, and then floors.
House Plants
Use rinse water saved from bathing or clothes washing
to water indoor plants. Do not use soapy water on indoor
plants. It could damage them.
Water indoor plants only when needed. Too much water
can damage plants.
Outside the Home
Car washing, if you use the hose down method, can use
a lot of water. You may have to lower your standards and
wash the car less often.
Use a bucket of warm sudsy water to remove soil from
the car. Hose down only as a final rinse.
Take advantage of a soft summer rain to wash your car.
Get out there with soap and a sponge! Children will enjoy
this.
If water supply permits use of an outdoor pool, cover
the pool when it's not being used to prevent evaporation.
Clean the swimming pool filter often. Then you won't
have to replace the water as often.
Use a broom, not the hose, to "sweep" the garage, the
sidewalks, and the driveway.
Garden and Lawn
Vegetables requiring more water should be grouped
together in the garden to make maximum use of water
applications.
"Mulch" shrubs and other plants to retain moisture in
the soil longer. Spread leaves, lawn clippings, chopped
bark or cobs, or plastic around the plants. Mulching also
controls weeds that compete with garden plants for water.
Mulches should permit water to soak into the soil.
Try "trickle" or "drip" irrigation systems in outdoor
gardens. These methods use 25 to 50 percent less water
than hose or sprinkler methods. The tube for the trickle
system has many tiny holes to water closely spaced
plants. The drip system tubing contains holes or openings
at strategic places for tomatoes and other plants that
are more widely spaced.
If you are using a garden hose or sprinkler, water
the garden thoroughly, but less frequently. Don't let
water run down driveway or street.
Lawns should be watered during hours when the water
system experiences the least demand---usually avoid
watering when windy or in heat of day---and keep track of
the time. Set an alarm clock or timer as a reminder. A
sprinkler left on overtime in one spot wastes water.
Less frequent but heavier lawn watering encourages a
deeper root system to withstand dry weather better.
This information comes from USDA Program Aid 1192, Water
Conservation Checklist for the Home.