Calculating the savings: 2 gallons a day (AM and PM) = 14 gallons in one week or 14 x 52 weeks = 728 gallons a year I was throwing away. Now I simply use the pitcher of water to make tea, coffee, or to water plants. I cannot imagine how much the gallon of water was costing me while I waited on the water to turn to hot. This is the most simple "going green water" solution I have come across yet, and all you need is a pitcher.
By Marsha from Greenville, NC
Don't rinse the dirty dishes as you place them in the dishwasher. Just make sure all soiled sides face to the middle. Any small chunks of food will be ground by the garbage disposal in the bottom of every dishwasher. Use the hottest water possible. If your dishwasher doesn't have a hot water booster, be sure to draw water into the sink until the colder water that has lain in the pipes is gone. (I try to use this water for another purpose rather than to waste it.)
I only use the shortest cycle. Mine is called the "light cycle". You will find this works for really dirty dishes. When I wash a really dirty broiler pan or other pan with baked-on food, I use the regular cycle. However, I find the shortest cycle is sufficient for just about all my needs.
I find that I can use HALF the amount of detergent in each cycle. My favorite is to break one of those little tablets in half and put one half in each detergent cup. I do not use rinse aids of any type. (For a while I tried using vinegar, but found I didn't need it.) I have very hard well water, and I find half the amount of detergent works fine. Just be sure not to overload your dishwasher. You want to have it be full of dishes when you run it, but don't overload it.
I buy brand name detergents for the dishwasher. Cheap detergents have too much "filler." It's not all detergent, but rather stuff used to fill the box so you think you're getting more for your money. This filler can etch your dishes or cause grey streaks on your dishes that won't come off. Just don't buy the cheap stuff. Use the better, but only use half as much. You will be pleased with your results.
Let the dishes air dry. In the winter, I open the door and let the moisture out into the house.
By Carol from Wyoming, PA
There are two types of waste water. You have your black water (toilet water) and grey water (sink and shower water).
Black water generally can not be recycled, but you can make the most of your grey water. Grey water (from your sinks, clothes washer, shower, and bath tub) can be captured and reused in several ways.
Grey water that contains a lot of detergents or bleach can be used to water your foundation (recommended in extreme drought conditions to prevent cracking and settling of the house). It can also be used to flush a toilet or wash a car. It should NOT be used to water plants as heavy detergents and bleach can kill them.
Grey water without heavy detergents can be captured and used to water plants, gardens, flush the toilet, and more.
One easy way is to do your dishes in dishpans (a canner or large bowls work great also) set inside your sink. When finished, you can use the water to then mop your kitchen floor, wipe down tables and counters, give the dog a bath, flush toilets, and wash the car with it. Rinse water from one batch of dish washing can also be used as part of the soapy water for the next batch of dish washing, or dumped into the clothes washer for the next load of laundry.
If you are under a severe water restriction, take a short shower or shallow bath, and wash your hair in the sink. That generally uses less water as the water isn't left running as when we shower.
Container gardening and raised bed gardening do not require as much water as a traditional ground garden bed.
By using some of the above methods, our water bill has only gone up a few dollars despite having to water animals and 11 raised garden beds for the past 3 months of no rain.
Don't forget your animals should always have clean fresh water available at all times, especially during severe heat and drought conditions.
By April from NW, MO
Now in San Diego, we have the same thing. Most of us take things like water for granted. We waste so much of everything, and it's all catching up to us. Changing your habits on a few things will make it second nature.
There are many ways to save, the dishwasher being the first. Always make sure you have a full load before running. If pots, pans, skillets, etc. are really dirty, try letting the bottoms set with water in them, and wash by hand. If your dishes are coming out of the dishwasher dirty, running it again is not the answer.
I made it so everyone used the same glass all day, instead of always getting a clean one. You will be surprised how few dirty glasses there are at day's end. You can also do this with everyone having a bottle of water in fridge with their name on it, instead of dirty unlimited cups or glasses.
When you cleaning, don't let the water just run. There is no need to let water run and run to "get hot". If it doesn't warm up, take a look at the water heater. You can put a bucket under the faucet. Instead of it going down the drain, it can be used for cleaning or watering.
I have even dumped this water in the washing machine for the next load. Make sure your washing machine always has a full load, or adjust the setting, according to size of the load.
Baths are great but filling tub up to the top is wasting water, or letting it run until it is hot. It will get hot, so just be patient, and don't let it run down the drain. Bubble baths or salt baths are great, but if you are using toxic things to make this happen, you need to think, "do I really want that on my skin?". Use organic salts or bubbles with only a few drops of liquid soap.
After enjoying your bath, you can take bucket and use this water for plants, gardens, or even for washing the car. You can put this water is washing machine also before doing a load of laundry. If you weren't planning to do laundry until morning, it's fine. Pour water in washer and leave it until the am.
Toilets take so much unnecessary water. One solution is either go to hardware store or place like Home Depot and purchase a low flow kit for your tank. My thrifty way is put a brick in the tank. You also can use a bottle or plastic bag filled with water. This makes it so when tank is refilling it doesn't use more water than needed.
Watering your grass doesn't need done near as often as you think. Our city allowed only before 9am and after 6pm on alternating days of the week. San Diego is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. It has beautiful landscapes, and this did nothing to change that.
Water less; if when watering there is run off, it is being wasted. The ground only takes what it needs. Make sure if you have automated system, you adjust settings.
Washing your car is another way we can all waste water. Do not let the hose just run. Instead use a bucket (this is where bath water can be recycled). Soap down your car, and then only use hose to spray off. I promise its takes less time than you think to have a clean car.
Here are a few solutions that year around will help save on your water bill. Remember water shortage is a problem for everyone. Try to do your part. It's about more than being able to afford the fines. It's about having enough water for everyone to have and even water for the crops which we need to eat. Once you start doing these things it gets to be second nature. One hour showers should be a thing of the past.
By Luana M. from San Diego, CA
I have tapped a hole in the wall by the bath tub, and I run a siphon to my ferns.
I use my dishwater to water my potted plants. I only do dishes once a week (1 person).
I take a gallon pitcher of water and dump in the toilet bowl, when I do not need to do a full flush. If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down.
I would like to collect rainwater in my 3 - 55 gal. drums, but we've rarely seen rain. I have 15 fruit trees, several grapevines and a nice size vegetable garden. I really don't want to lose them, so that's where all my water goes.
I am allotted 10 units at $2.36. I went over by 12 units at $3.28 last year. This year I used 5 units less. Last year's bill was $110.74. This year, it is $103.06.
By Babette from Lemon Grove, CA.
Everything seems to just keep going up, up, up these days! To say things are tight around our house is a major understatement! So, I have decided to do a few short articles on the things our little family does to try to save money/keep costs down. Some of these things you may have already heard, but I am sure it is not a bad thing to be reminded occasionally.
Some expenses can be controlled easier than others. In the past few months, we have had a regular expense that has never been what we would consider a major one before become a major one right before our eyes. Our city decided that it would be a good thing to double, and in many cases even triple, water bills for its residents. Residents of our little town have been up in arms about this, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. Our water bills went from running $33 a month to, so far, the lowest being $65 and the highest being $75. So we have come up with some ways of saving water that actually helped that $75 bill become a $65. Here are a few things we do regularly to try to save on water.
We take showers and not baths, and we stay in no longer than necessary to get clean. Showers typically use less water than baths. It has also helped that we have a low-flow shower head which was installed a few years ago by our local utility company when they came to our home to do a free energy audit. If your utility company offers something like this, I would encourage you to take them up on it! We not only received a new, low-flow shower head, but also a programmable thermostat and energy efficient light bulbs. My daughter and her husband just had one done and they got everything we did, plus an aerator for their kitchen sink to help conserve water. We got all these items plus the audit of our home done absolutely free!
We have two dogs for whom we keep water in large bowls. When their water needs to be changed, I take that old water and use it for my houseplants and outside flowers in the summer. We change their water every day or two so I always have plenty to use and seldom have to get water from the tap to water plants with.
We dont run the water while we are brushing our teeth. We run it just enough to rinse and shut it off! Its amazing how many people I know who let the water run while brushing their teeth. They are letting lots of water just run down the drain and running up the cost of their bill.
I only do full loads of laundry. I do not have an energy efficient, low-water usage machine, so I try to make sure that I have the machine full before I fill it up with water.
I try to run my dishwasher no more than once a day and I always make sure it is full. Since our children are grown and have left home, I can usually go at least 2 days before I have to run the dishwasher at all. When I wash the dishes by hand that cannot go in the dishwasher, I dont just let the water run. You can fill one side of your sink with soapy water and put a fairly small amount of rinse water in the other side. Youll use a lot less water this way.
In the summer, we are not watering our lawn. Usually, there is enough rain to keep our lawn looking fine, but even if we have a dry year, if money is tight enough as has been the case the past few years, it just has to look less attractive.
These are just a few things we have done to try to save money on our water bill. I will do a few more articles on some other things we have done to save money as well and I hope this one and the ones to come are a help to many!
By Robin from Washington, IA
By Dakota from Denver, CO
Once I have washed up, I then take the jug of water outside to water my pots and window boxes. This not only saves water but also keeps my plants from drying out. Furthermore, if the dishwater in the bowl is not too dirty, I throw it over my runner bean plants (pictured below), or my roses when they are growing, as the soapy water discourages the blackfly and greenfly. :-)
By Richard from UK
Our water bill was cut in half when we started doing this and also washing our dishes by hand. Only two adults in this home did not justify running dishwasher every day. Our electric bill went down by a significant amount, too.
By haba from Aurora, Colorado
By Kim F from Kingsport, TN
By Linda from Lexington, KY
You may only be able to put one jar in due to the size and shape of your tank, but make sure the jars do not interfere with the working parts. This will save on the amount of water it takes to fill your tank.
Source: My 80 year old brother showed me this trick to save on water bills.
By Patsy L. from Edmonton, KY
By coville123 from Brockville, Ontario
By Ellen Brown
By Nightsong from Yates Center, KS
By Karen H. from Gaston, SC
My son installed a $20 something on even a lower-gallon toilet that has two buttons that allows for a lower gallon flush (for liquid only) and the normal flush (solids). Replacing the toilet itself is a relatively-low cost proposition that pays for itself in short order, especially with the two-button contraption on it.
Other things:
By abcs from Shoreline, WA
By Rhema from Charleston, SC
Of course there are other ways also, catching the wash and rinse water from you washer. All you need to do here is fix an extension for your water outlet on the washer so it will reach the large container you want to use.
Using rain barrels is catching on quick too. Just remember your grass will always go dormant without water and rebound when it gets plenty of rain.
By Shelby24019 from Roanoke, VA
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Saving Money on Irrigation