9 Ways to Save Water

It is so easy to save money here and there by making very small changes to your daily life. Here are a few ways to save water … and you save money and help the plant and the same time!

1.  Scrape your plates – If you scrape your plate scraps into the trash first versus rinsing in the sink and then using a disposal you use far less water. Since I’m on septic and don’t have a garbage disposal it’s a given for me.

2.  Use the shorter dishwasher cycle – A good scrape in the trash will also allow you to use a shorter dishwasher cycle (my dishwasher has an EcoCycle) that uses up to 20 fewer gallons of water per dishwasher load. Not only do you save water, but you can save you up to $40 a year.

3.  Only run when full – Run your dishwasher and washing machine only with a full load. This could cut down on a load or two a week and save you up to 1,000 gallons of water a month. I can creatively pack that dishwasher to maximize what it holds and only run it once or twice a week!

4.  Wash clothes in cold water - Cold water washes use 90% less power that hot water washes! With less power being used, that also means that less carbon emissions are being released into the atmosphere too. A double plus. My mother-in-law has been doing this since washing began and has the cleanest laundry around (never using the warm or hot water cycles). She also line dries her clothes. Added plus there … more money saved and they smell so fresh!

5.  Don’t let it run – This is an obvious one, but worth repeating. When brushing teeth or washing dishes don’t let the water keep running. Turn it on and off when needed and fill the sink a bit to rinse or wash dishes.

6.  Use drought tolerant plants – These are my absolute favorite type of plants — “full sun, drought tolerant”  These are also hard to kill! My husband has the green thumb in our family… but not me!

7.  Get a rain barrel – We’ve got one and they are great. We use it to water any potted plants, herbs, and anything else that are not drought tolerant and require a bit more water than Mother Nature can provide.

8.  Low flow baby! – Switching out your toilet and shower head to water-efficient versions can save you big time.

9.  Water your lawn sensibly – If you must water, do it wisely. Only water on your designated day. Water over night or very early in the morning for maximum absorption and minimum evaporation. It just kills me when I see these stupid people watering their lawn in the middle of the afternoon and heat of the day. Also, don’t water on windy days … as it blows away to your neighbors lawn versus landing on your grass. Duh! Oh, and one more pet peeve … if you set your sprinklers on a timer make sure it works right. My neighbors are notorious for watering their lawn for the entire day because there sprinkler doesn’t shut off right. My husband has told them countless times and he ends up going to the outside valve and cutting it off. Bad.

We’ll that’s just a start. I could certainly keep passing along my pearls of EcoChic wisdom, but I’d rather get out and enjoy this beautiful day.

Please share your earth-friendly tips.

Peace to the planet!