Between watering the lawn, washing the car and that killer slip ’n slide in the backyard, it’s no surprise that we use more water during the summer than at any other time of the year.
Fortunately, scaling back your water-use is easy. Here are four tips that will help you conserve our most precious natural resource so you can speed across that slip ’n guilt-free.
Install Low-Flow Fixtures
Low-flow fixtures use 20 percent less water than conventional fixtures. Let's say you have a two-bathroom house and a trendy new farmer's sink in your kitchen. If you're a family of four, assuming one shower each per day, you will use about 68 gallons of water per day. During this pandemic, each person will wash hands seven to 10 times daily for 20 seconds each time. Hand washing uses 3 gallons per minute. Doing the math, that's another 40 gallons. Installing low-flow fixtures will, therefore, save a total of 21.6 gallons per day.
Take Showers, Not Baths
Your newly installed low-flow showerheads will use only 12 gallons per shower. Compare that with somewhere between 30 and 40 gallons of water for a bath. We understand that bathing is a great way to unwind, so maybe reserve that luxury for special occasions.
Turn Off the Water While Shaving or Brushing Your Teeth
A sink faucet uses about 3 gallons per minute. If you brush your teeth for a minute and only turn on the water to rinse your brush, which takes all of about 10 seconds, you'll save 2.52 gallons! If you're shaving, just rinse your razor in the sink. There, you just saved 5.04 gallons of water without even really trying.
Water Your Lawn in the Morning or Just After Sunset
According to the EPA, up to 50% of the water used for landscaping is wasted due to evaporation or runoff. Water your lawn once a week and minimize the evaporation by watering very early in the morning or after sunset. That will use 14 percent less water, which is about 18 gallons with a hose or 280 gallons with a sprinkler system.
Your lawn will be just as green without excessive water waste.
For all of your plumbing needs, rely on Mainline Plumbing Inc.. To schedule your appointment, call (209) 560-6652.