Ways to lessen water usage in an apartment

Water usage is becoming an issue today as scarcity bites and bills become harder to meet. Homeowners can reduce water usage in three ways;

Behavioral Changes

As they say, change starts with you so first are behavioral changes. Some habits are a result of laziness or complacency. Some lazy behaviors and oversights include;

1. Leaving the tap on

Whether it is washing dishes or brushing teeth, many leave the tap on. As the water freely flows down, the bills rise.

The remedy? Turn the tap off when brushing teeth. When washing dishes, use a basin. Alternatively, you can use the stopper to block the sink drain.

2. Letting water run till it heats

After turning on hot or warm water for a bath or shower, the water that flows for the first few seconds is not sufficiently heated. So the perfectly clean water goes down the drain.

Save the water by collecting it in a bucket or other container. Use the water for other cleaning activities or watering the garden.

3. Using the toilet for trash

This is a bad move, but many do it. First, there’s the chance of blocking in pipes. It may also lead to more water usage for flushing the trash. It will take up twice amount of water than the regular flushing.

By using the trash can for trash, there’s no more unnecessary flushing. This saves water.

4. The hose

If you use a hose to wash your car, change to a bucket, and you’ll save a lot of water. The same applies to watering the garden. A watering can wastes less water than a hose.

5. Half full dishwasher and washing machine

Dishwashers and washing machines use a fixed amount of water per wash. Load them full to save on your water and electricity bills.

Water Saving Fixtures

Water saving fixtures for the toilet, taps, and shower can help save water.

1. Toilet

Before rushing off to buy anything, make sure you have checked all possible toilet systems. SaniPLUS toilets not only exhibit pumping power, they also use much less water than regular toilets.

A half flush valve is another option. You can buy this from your local store. It lets you use half the water for flushing liquids and the full volume of water for flushing solids.

2. Taps

Taps let out more water than you use. Adding an aerator to the faucet can reduce the amount of water you use. It mixes water with air.

3. Showers

Old showers can also let out more water than necessary. In such a case you can buy a low flow shower head. It reduces the amount of water flowing down the shower.

Recycling

Some water can be reused. If you trap the water used for washing groceries, you can use it to irrigate your garden. Water from the washing machine can also be used for watering the garden as long as you’ve not added a detergent.

If you added detergent, you could use the water to clean the driveway. How else can you recycle water safely?