February 25th, 2010
Now, more than ever, the need to conserve water is at its most important. We are experiencing more frequent water shortages, and limits in some towns are actually being enforced to help reduce water usage. The planet is getting warmer and is causing climate changes, thus resulting in hotter, drier summers and winters with less rain. Our population is increasing by the second, making the water crisis that much more difficult to deal with. In an effort to conserve water, every little bit helps and our efforts can make a difference. Here are five ways to conserve water in your home:
1. Water your lawn during the early morning hour. Watering between the hours of 4 and 8 a.m. is optimum because there is less wind and the sun is not as hot, which decreases water evaporation. Be sure to water thoroughly, at about 1 to 2 inches, throughout your lawn to promote good root growth and to reduce the amount of watering per week. Watering your lawn at night was initially a good idea, but it is found that it promotes insect activity and growth of fungal bacteria.
2. Do not use water to clean your driveway and sidewalk of any waste and debris. Doing so is extremely wasteful. Use a broom instead and sweep up all of that dirt and dispose of it properly in a grass and trimmings garbage bin.
3. Take shorter showers. If you are taking 30-minute showers, then you can be using up to 75 gallons if you are using one of the newer low flow showerheads. If, however, you are using an older showerhead, that 30-minute shower uses up to 120 gallons! Start cutting back 5 minutes off of your shower time every few days until you are able to get in and out in just 5 to 10 minutes. Your monthly water bill will cost less, and you can use that extra time on more important things, such as sleep!
4. Use your dishwasher only when you can operate it on a full load. To prevent having to put the dishes through another cycle because of food that did not come off the first time, soak your dishes in water and use a light brush to loosen up the food debris first.
5. Check for leaks regularly in your home. That tiny leak in your basement can turn into a huge disaster if left unfixed. It is not uncommon to hear of a pipe completely rupturing and causing a huge flood.
Tags: Conservation, Easy, Home, Steps, Water
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February 25th, 2010
Water is a precious, vital resource. The planet and all of its inhabitants need water to survive. Without it, plant life would not flourish, animals would die, and humans would cease to exist. The world would be a barren, desolate desert with no life on it whatsoever. We all realize the importance of water but few try to conserve this precious resource. Our fresh water resources are being used at an alarming rate. With the population increasing by the second and hotter summers and drier winters, we need to save as much water as we can for future generations.
Before you start on what you can do to combat water usage in your home, you must check to see that you do not have any faulty pipes and plumbing. What appears to be a tiny leak in your basement will progressively get worse and will affect your water bill negatively. Making sure that your pipes are in good working order will also ensure that moisture and water accumulation will not occur, which is key to preventing mold growth.
2/3 of water usage in the home is used in the bathroom. Taking a shower or bath uses the largest amount of water in the bathroom, so naturally, it is important to utilize water as effectively as possible. Consider installing a low flow showerhead, which uses less water per minute of usage. Older showerheads can use about five gallons of water per minutes. A regular ten-minute shower Cut down on your shower time in 5-minute increments until you are able to get in and out of the shower in five minutes, which is all you really need to take a shower anyway. If you take a bath, it is not necessary to fill up the tub to the rim. Filling it up to about 2/3 of the way is good enough and will feel just as relaxing.
Replace your current toilet with a low flow toilet if it is using more than two gallons per flush. The most recent low flow toilets only use about 1.68 gallons per flush, which can add up to huge annual savings, especially with bigger families. The toilet is used to flush urine and feces down its drain, obviously, but some people use it as a second trash can. Tissue, insects, and even food items that are harder to dispose of in a regular trash receptacle are needlessly flushed down the toilet.
We must do as much as we can to preserve our water, and as you can see, it will not be very difficult to make just a few minor adjustments in the bathroom to do your part.
Tags: Bathroom, Conservation, Easy, Tips
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