Indoor Conservation Tips

Indoor Tips

• Fix leaky faucets and plumbing fixtures. This will save you 20 gallons a day for every leak fixed. For an estimate of how much water your leaky faucet is using click on  http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sc4.html
• Turn off the water when you brush your teeth.  This will save you 3 gallons per day.
• Install water saving shower-heads and shorten your showers. Even if you shorten your showers by only 1-2 minutes, you can still save up to 1,500 gallons per month.
• Retrofit all household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors to slow the flow of water.
• Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes.
• Don’t let water run while shaving or washing your face. Brush your teeth first while waiting for water to get hot, then wash or shave after filling the basin.
• Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
• Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher. This saves up to 800 gallons per month. For additional information on purchasing energy saving appliances click on to http://www.energystar.gov/. For information on $100 High Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebates visit www.sce.com.
• If your toilets are old, consider installing low flow toilets in your home. For more information on toilets visit http://www.toiletology.com/index.shtml
• Place a bucket in the shower to hold water when shower water is warming up and then reuse the water in your garden.
• When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.
• Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting on your microwave.
• Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing of food waste, instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50 percent to the volume of solids in the sewer system or they can lead to problems with a septic tank.
• Talk to your friends and family about saving water – swap water saving tips!