#1 In your bathroom: from showers to taps
Making your household water-efficient starts in the bathroom – this surely comes as no surprise as most of our water use occurs here. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth is a great first step, saving up to 6 litres of water per minute. Changing your shower habits comes with even greater efficiency: by spending just one minute less under the shower can save up to 40 litres of water. We recommend setting your phone or a kitchen timer to keep your showers water-saving. Purchasing an eco or water-saving shower head also does wonders to your water usage and bills. Last but not least, switching to a dual-flush toilet saves tremendous amounts of water, using only half (or even less) the amount of a regular flush. If you’re on a tight budget, don’t worry – water saving toilet bags and cistern displacement devices are very cheap yet amazingly useful alternatives, making your toilet more efficient in the blink of an eye.
#2 Save on washing
Every single time you wash a full machine load instead of more half-loads, you save water, energy and therefore money. Cutting out unnecessary in-between washes by always going full loads is also a great standard for using your dishwasher.
#3 Smarter ways of gardening
Rainwater can be a literal gift during the summer heatwaves, and thus collecting it is a logical, useful and environmentally friendly step. Installing a water butt to your drainpipe is an affordable way to save thousands of litres per year, not to mention the benefits of using rainwater instead of chemically treated water on your plants. You can also use this caught rain for washing your car or cleaning any other surfaces such as windows. Timing your gardening is also a truly smart way of cutting your usage: reducing evaporation by watering plants in less sunny hours (early morning or after sunset), and watering the soil directly make caring for your plants a lot more efficient. We also recommend opting for a watering can instead of a hosepipe which can use hundreds of litres per hour.
#4 Water-efficiency in your kitchen
Cooking, drinking, doing the dishes – we use water for a whole range of purposes in the kitchen, and all of them could easily be made more efficient. First of all, drinking enough water is essential for our lives but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t watch our usage. For instance, wasting water by running the tap cold before filling your glass is a habit that should come to an end. Filling a larger bottle of a jug with tap water and keeping it in your fridge provides you with ice cold refreshment in the summer heat, without the unnecessary waste. The next step of making your kitchen water-efficient is giving up your old dishwashing habits. Did you know that a fully loaded dishwasher uses significantly less water than going for the „good old” washing up? These appliances save water and energy, lowering your usage and costs every month. They are also much more affordable and popular nowadays than they were a decade ago, and you can find a great energy-saving option on the market for almost any budget.
#5 Cover your pool!
Pools can be wonderfully refreshing during a heatwave – however, using them without a cover wastes tremendous amounts of water. Covering up reduces evaporation and decreases a heated pool’s temperature, lowering the amount of replacement water needed by up to 45-50%.
#+1 Maintenance is key
We can never emphasize enough the importance of maintenance checks. These not only prevent serious issues in your household but also help you save significant amounts of water, energy and money. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on the whole planet and so every single drop counts – please don’t take water for granted and make sure you live in a well-maintained, water-efficient household.
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