Conservation Tips

There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you.

INDOOR TIPS

Kitchen

• When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run. Fill one basin with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• Dishwashers typically use less water than washing dishes by hand. Now, Energy Star dishwashers save even more water and energy.
• If your dishwasher is new, cut back on rinsing. Newer models clean more thoroughly than older ones.
• Designate one glass for your drinking water each day, or refill a water bottle. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash.
• Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.
• Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Instead, compost vegetable food waste and save gallons every time.
• Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.
• Don’t use running water to thaw food. For water efficiency and food safety, defrost food in the refrigerator.
• Install an instant water heater near your kitchen sink so you don’t have to run the water while it heats up. This also reduces energy costs.
• Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way, every drop goes down you and not the drain.
• Reuse leftover water from cooked or steamed foods to start a nutritious soup, it’s one more way to get eight glasses of water a day.
• Cook food in as little water as possible. This also helps it retain more nutrients.
• Select the proper pan size for cooking. Large pans may require more cooking water than necessary.
• If you accidentally drop ice cubes, don’t throw them in the sink. Drop them in a house plant instead.
• Collect the water you use while rinsing fruit and vegetables. Use it to water house plants.
• When shopping for a new dishwasher, use the Consortium for Energy Efficiency website to compare water use between models.

LAUNDRY ROOM

• When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load.
• Washing dark clothes in cold water saves water and energy, and helps your clothes retain their color.
• When shopping for a new washing machine, compare resource savings among Energy Star models. Some can save up to 20 gallons of water per load.
• Have a plumber re-route your greywater to trees and plants rather than the sewer line. Check with your city and county for codes.
• When buying a washer, check the Consortium for Energy Efficiency website to compare water use between models.

BATHROOM

• If your shower fills a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the showerhead with a WaterSense® labeled model.
• Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 150 gallons per month.
• Time your shower to keep it under 5 minutes. You’ll save up to 1,000 gallons per month.
• Toilet leaks can be silent! Be sure to test your toilet for leaks at least once a year.
• Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak. Fix it and start saving gallons.
• When running a bath, plug the bathtub before turning on the water. Adjust the temperature as the tub fills.
• Upgrade older toilets with water-saving WaterSense® labeled models.
• If your toilet flapper doesn’t close properly after flushing, replace it.
• Use a WaterSense® labeled showerhead. They’re inexpensive, easy to install, and can save you up to 750 gallons a month.
• Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and save up to 4 gallons a minute. That’s up to 200 gallons a week for a family of four.
• If your toilet was installed before 1992, purchasing a WaterSense® labeled toilet can reduce the amount of water used for each flush.
• Consider buying a dual-flush toilet. It has two flush options: a half-flush for liquid waste and a full-flush for solid waste.
• Plug the sink instead of running the water to rinse your razor and save up to 300 gallons a month.
• Turn off the water while washing your hair and save up to 150 gallons a month.
• When washing your hands, turn the water off while you lather.
• Take 5-minute showers instead of baths. A full bathtub requires up to 70 gallons of water.
• Install water-saving aerators on all of your faucets.
• Drop tissues in the trash instead of flushing them and save water every time.
• Look for WaterSense® labeled toilets, sink faucets, urinals and showerheads.
• One drip every second adds up to five gallons per day! Check your faucets and showerheads for leaks.
• While you wait for hot water, collect the running water and use it to water plants.

GENERAL INDOORS

• Teach children to turn off faucets tightly after each use.
• Watch the Home Water Challenge video or use the Home Water Audit Calculator to see where you can save water.
• When the kids want to cool off, use the sprinkler in an area where your lawn needs it most.
• Encourage your school system and local government to develop and promote water conservation among children and adults.
• Play fun games while learning how to save water!
• Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.
• Learn how to use your water meter to check for leaks.
• Reward kids for the water-saving tips they follow.
• Avoid recreational water toys that require a constant flow of water.
• Grab a wrench and fix that leaky faucet. It’s simple, inexpensive, and you can save 140 gallons a week.
• Hire a GreenPlumber® to help reduce your water, energy, and chemical use.
• Be a leak detective! Check all hoses, connectors, and faucets regularly for leaks.
• We’re more likely to notice leaky faucets indoors, but don’t forget to check outdoor faucets, pipes, and hoses.
• See a leak you can’t fix? Tell a parent, teacher, employer, or property manager, or call a handyman.
• At home or while staying in a hotel, reuse your towels.
• Make suggestions to your employer or school about ways to save water and money.
• Run your washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
• See how your water use stacks up to others by calculating your daily water use.

OFFICE TIPS

• Install an instant water heater near your kitchen sink so you don’t have to run the water while it heats up. This also reduces energy costs.
• Upgrade older toilets with water-saving WaterSense® labeled models.
• Install water-saving aerators on all of your faucets.
• Look for WaterSense® labeled toilets, sink faucets, urinals and showerheads.
• Hire a GreenPlumber® to help reduce your water, energy, and chemical use.
• Some commercial refrigerators and ice-makers are cooled with water. Upgrade to air-cooled appliances for significant water savings.
• Post a hotline in bathrooms and kitchens to report leaks or water waste to facility managers or maintenance personnel.
• Create a suggestion and incentives system at your organization to recognize water-saving ideas.
• Include a water-saving tip in your employee newsletter. Find 100+ tips at wateruseitwisely.com.
• Implement a water management plan for your facility, then educate employees on good water habits through newsletters and posters.
• Publish your organization’s monthly water use to show progress toward water-saving goals.
• Invite your water utility conservation staff to your organization for Earth Day and other environmental events to help promote water savings.
• Water audit your facility to find out your recommended water use, then monitor your utility bills to gauge your monthly consumption.
• Have maintenance personnel regularly check your facilities for leaks, drips and other water waste.
• If you use processed water in your business or facility, look into water recycling.
• Contact your water utility to see if rebates are available for purchasing water-efficient fixtures, equipment or for facility audits.
• Consider and compare water use when purchasing ice makers, dishwashers, reverse osmosis units, coolers and cleaning equipment.
• Become or appoint a water ambassador within your organization who creates, implements and maintains your water conservation program.
• Become a proud WaterSense® partner and let all your customers know.
• As part of the WaterSense® Fix-A-Leak Week in March, plan an employee campaign to look for leaks.
• Determine how your on-site water is being used by installing sub-meters where feasible, then monitoring for savings.
• Conduct a facility water use inventory and identify water management goals.
• Don’t forget hidden water use costs, like energy for pumping, heating and cooling, chemical treatment, and damage and sewer expenses.
• Show your company’s dedication to water conservation through a policy statement. Commit management, staff and resources to the effort.
• Shut off water to unused areas of your facility to eliminate waste from leaks or unmonitored use.
• Create a goal of how much water your company can save and plan a celebration once that goal is met.
• Ask employees for suggestions on saving water and give prizes for the best ideas. Incentivize it!
• Write feature articles on your employee website that highlight water-saving ideas and successes.
• Test your co-workers or employees on topics like xeriscape, WaterSense®, and high-efficiency toilets. See how water-wise they are.
• Hire a WaterSense® irrigation partner to help with your landscape.
• Saving water on your landscape adds up quickly. Send the person in charge of your landscape to an irrigation workshop.
• Marry the weather with your landscape water use. Water use should decrease during rainy periods and increase during hot, dry periods.
• Visit your local Water Conservation office’s website to get information on programs available to businesses.
• Make sure your contract plumber and/or maintenance personnel knows about GreenPlumbers®.
• Ask your company to support water conservation events and education. ProjectWet hosts local events throughout the country.
• Support Tap Into Quality and forgo those plastic water bottles to lower your carbon footprint.
• Scrape dishes rather than rinsing them before washing.
• Use water-conserving icemakers.
• A recent study showed that 99% of business managers surveyed ranked water conservation as a “top five” priority over the next decade.
• If your facility relies on cooling towers, have maintenance maximize cycles of concentration by providing efficient water treatment.
• Be sure your irrigation system is watering only the areas intended, with no water running onto walks, streets or down the gutter.
• While cleaning sidewalks, a hose and nozzle use 8-12 gallons of water per minute. A pressurized Waterbroom® uses closer to 3 gallons.
• Inspect your landscape irrigation system regularly for leaks or broken sprinkler heads and adjust pressures to specification.
• Give your landscape proper amounts of irrigation water. Determine water needs, water deeply but infrequently, and adjust to the season.
• Establish a monthly water budget for your landscape based on the water needs of your plants.
• Limit turf areas at your facility. Instead, landscape using xeriscape principles to cut water use in half.
• Put decorative fountains on timers and use only during work or daylight hours. Check for leaks if you have automatic refilling devices.
• Wash company vehicles at commercial car washers that recycle water.
• Wash company vehicles as needed rather than on a schedule. Stretch out the time in between washes.
• Consider turning your high-maintenance water feature/fountain into a low-maintenance art feature or planter.
• When buying new appliances, consider those that offer cycle and load size adjustments. They are more water and energy efficient.
• Support projects that use reclaimed wastewater for irrigation and industrial uses.
• When ice cubes are leftover from your drink, don’t throw them out. Pour them on a plant.

Outdoor Tips

LAWN CARE

• Hire a qualified pro to install your irrigation system and keep it working properly and efficiently.
• Hire a Smartscape Certified professional landscaper who has received landscape training specific to the Sonoran Desert.
• Adjust your lawn mower to the height of 1.5 to 2 inches. Taller grass shades roots and holds soil moisture better than short grass.
• Leave lawn clippings on your grass, this cools the ground and holds in moisture.
• If installing a lawn, select a lawn mix or blend that matches your climate and site conditions.
• Aerate your lawn periodically. Holes every six inches will allow water to reach the roots, rather than run off the surface.
• If walking across the lawn leaves footprints (blades don’t spring back up), then it is time to water.
• Let your lawn go dormant (brown) during the winter. Dormant grass only needs to be watered every three to four weeks, less if it rains.
• Avoid overseeding your lawn with winter grass. Ryegrass needs water every few days, whereas Dormant Bermuda grass needs water monthly.
• Remember to weed your lawn and garden regularly. Weeds compete with other plants for nutrients, light and water.
• While fertilizers promote plant growth, they also increase water consumption. Apply the minimum amount of fertilizer needed.
• Water your summer lawns once every three days and your winter lawn once every five days.
• Catch water in an empty tuna can to measure sprinkler output. 3/4 to 1 inch of water is enough to apply each time you irrigate.

POOL

• Use a pool cover to help keep your pool clean, reduce chemical use and prevent water loss through evaporation.
• Make sure your swimming pools, fountains and ponds are equipped with recirculating pumps.
• If you have an automatic refilling device, check your pool periodically for leaks.
• When back-washing your pool, consider using the water on salt-tolerant plants in the landscape.
• Minimize or eliminate the use of waterfalls and sprays in your pool. Aeration increases evaporation.
• Don’t overfill the pool. Lower water levels will reduce water loss due to splashing.
• Keep water in the pool when playing, it will save water.
• Instead of building a private pool, join a community pool.
• Trickling or cascading fountains lose less water to evaporation than those that spray water into the air.
• Use a grease pencil to conduct a bucket test to check for pool leaks. An unnatural water level drop may indicate a leak.

GENERAL OUTDOORS

• Winterize outdoor spigots when temperatures dip below freezing to prevent pipes from leaking or bursting.
• For more immediate hot water and energy savings, insulate hot water pipes.
• Use a commercial car wash that recycles water. Or, wash your car on the lawn, and you’ll water your grass at the same time.
• Use a hose nozzle or turn off the water while you wash your car. You’ll save up to 100 gallons every time.
• Wash your pets outdoors, in an area of your lawn that needs water.
• When cleaning out fish tanks, give the nutrient-rich water to your non-edible plants.
• When you give your pet fresh water, don’t throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water your trees or shrubs.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean patios, sidewalks and driveways, and save water every time.
• Evaporative coolers require a seasonal maintenance check. For more efficient cooling, check your evaporative cooler annually.
• If you have an evaporative cooler, direct the water drain to plants in your landscape.
• Set water softeners for a minimum number of refills to save both water and chemicals, plus energy, too.
• If you have an evaporative cooler, install a recirculating pump to keep water from bleeding off with one pass.
• Report broken pipes, leaky hydrants and errant sprinklers to property owners or your local water provider.
• Know where your master water shut-off valve is located. Were a pipe to burst, this could save gallons of water and prevent damage.
• Install a thermostat and timer on your evaporative cooler so it only operates when necessary.