Wasting Water

The Bureau of Reclamation warns that although water covers about 71% of the earth’s surface, only 0.5% of the earth’s water is available fresh water. After reading that, you might be wondering, “how can I do my part to save and conserve water?” Naturally Ideal is here to tell you how to do that! This article will be going over the best ways that you can improve your water conservation and help to preserve our environment for generations to come.

Leaks

According to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average family can waste 180 gallons of water per week due to household leaks. Household leaks can waste nearly 900 billion gallons of water annually nationwide. The first thing you should do is check if there are any leaks in your household. Leaks account for a large portion of water waste and can be hard to detect. You should always regularly check your plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems at least once a year to prevent any potential leaks.

Bathroom

The bathroom is a common place where a ton of water gets wasted. People often leave the water running while they are brushing their teeth, washing their face, or shaving. There is a simple solution for this. All you have to do is turn off the water when you are not using it. And if you like to take a bath, consider taking a short shower instead. Because showers use less water than baths as long as they are not too long.  

Kitchen

Your kitchen is another perpetrator when it comes to wasting water. If you wash dishes by hand, make sure you plug up the sink, so you are not continually running the water. Even better, consider using a dishwasher that is fully loaded as they are more efficient at cleaning dishes with less water. It is also common to thaw food items under running hot water. But you can thaw your food just as easily in the refrigerator. It is also suggested that you keep a pitcher of drinking water in your refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cold.

Outdoors

Water is not only wasted inside your house, but also outdoors. This actually accounts for 30% of water waste. We all love to have a beautiful landscape in our front and backyards to increase the curb appeal of our homes, but if your landscaping is not a water-smart landscape, you could be wasting an incredible amount of water. A water-smart landscape might consist of utilizing low water-using and native plants, using mulch, raising your lawn mower cutting height, and minimizing or eliminating the use of fertilizer. Other ways to save water outdoors could be sweeping your driveway instead of hosing it off, taking your car to a carwash that uses recycled water, or covering your pool when not in use to prevent evaporation.

Little Changes Can Improve Upon Water Conservation

Water conservation mainly consists of just being thoughtful about your water usage. Think about if you really need to take a 20-minute shower or profusely water that dying lawn. Consider how the clean water we have to drink is a limited resource and we cannot afford to be wasting billions of gallons of water a year nationwide. Everyone can play their part in preserving our nation’s water resources to ensure reliable water supplies for today and future generations.