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In the Bathroom:
- Flush less — remember the toilet is not an ashtray or wastebasket.
- While brushing teeth, shaving, etc., turn off the water.
- When cold water will do, avoid using hot water.
- Take shorter showers — 5 minutes or less.
- In the shower, wet yourself down, turn the water off, lather up, then turn the water on to rinse off soap.
- Use less water for bathing — close the drain first and fill tub only one-third full. That initial burst of cold water will be warmed by the hot water as the tub fills.
In the Kitchen:
- Operate the dishwasher only when you have a full load.
- Scrape, don’t rinse, your dishes before loading in the dishwasher.
- When purchasing a dishwasher, consider a water-efficient model.
- Use your garbage disposal sparingly and start composting your kitchen waste.
- Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or microwave, not under running water.
- Store drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the tap run while you wait for cool water to flow.
- When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water and fill the rinsing sink to one-third or one-half full — avoid letting the water run continuously in the rinsing sink.
In the Laundry:
- For washers with variable settings for water volume, select the minimum amount required per load.
- If load size cannot be set, operate the washer with full loads only.
- Use the shortest wash cycle for lightly soiled loads; normal and permanent press wash cycles use more water.
- Check hoses regularly for leaks.
- Pretreat stains to avoid rewashing.
Additional Tips:
- Install instant water heaters in bathrooms and in the kitchen so you don’t have to let the water run while it heats up.
- Insulate your water pipes — you’ll get hot water faster, plus avoid wasting water while it heats up.
- Avoid installing a water-to-air heat pump or air-conditioning system — newer air-to-air models are just as efficient and do not waste water.
- Install water-softening systems only when necessary; save water and salt by only running the minimum amount of regenerations necessary to maintain water softness; turn softeners off while on vacation.
- Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it, such as watering a plant or cleaning.
- Replace leaky drain plugs in sinks and bathtubs.