Other Ways to Save Water

Washing dishes

If you let the water run while you wash dishes by hand, you will use 20 to 30 gallons of water. But if you fill the sink or a washtub with soapy water and turn on the tap only rinse the dishes, you will cut your water usage to 10 gallons.

Automatic dishwashers can be water-savers. They typically use 20 to 25 gallons of water. Run the machine only when it is full, and run it on the “short” or “light” cycle. That should not consume more than 10 gallons of water.

Washing clothes

A top-loading automatic washer run at full cycle uses 50 to 60 gallons of water. Use it only when you have a full load, or else adjust the water-level setting. The short or gentle cycle is perfectly satisfactory for typically soiled clothes. It uses only 25 to 30 gallons of water, a savings of about half. You will also be reducing the cost of heating so much hot water.

Washing the car

The most water-efficient way to wash your car is to fill a bucket with soapy water and use a hose only to rinse.

If you use a hose, make sure it has a shut-off nozzle. If you simply put the hose on the ground and let it run while you wash the car, 100 gallons or more are likely to be wasted.

If you go to an automatic car wash, patronize one that recycles the water.

Watering the lawn, trees, and shrubs

• If is best to water outside before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. to prevent the sum from evaporating the water before it can soak into ground.

• In hot weather, let the grass grow a little taller before you mow it – or set the lawn mower blade a notch higher. Longer grass means less evaporation, so you can save hundreds of gallons of water a month.

• Position your sprinkler so as to avoid watering the sidewalk or driveway.

• To retain as much moisture as possible, put mulch around plants and dig a shallow basin around trees and shrubs to prevent runoff.