Great Green Idea: Green Living: 15 Ways to Cut your Water Bill and Live Greener

15 Ways to Cut your Water Bill and Live Greener

Looking for green ways to reduce your monthly water bill? The trick is to reduce wasteful consumption and use alternative sources for some of your water needs. Read on for the 15 specific ways that you can do these:

1. Collect rainwater using large pails or barrels. You may also have a rainwater collection system installed in your home. The water collected can be used for a variety of purposes, including washing your clothes, watering the plants, and mopping your floor.

2. Water your lawn and plants in the evening or early morning. The lower temperature will reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation.

3. Use a trigger-controlled garden hose when watering your plants. This will help reduce the amount of water wasted as you move from one plant to the next.

4. Install a water-efficient shower head. There are many shower heads in the market with adjustable flows which allow you to use less water per minute in the shower.

5. Recycle water. Water from cleaning vegetables and from fish tanks can be used to water plants.

6. Do not run the dishwasher unless it's full. Dishwashers consume large volumes of water, and a full load will allow you to make the most efficient use of that water.

7. Use the washing machine only for full loads. This will not only help you cut down your water bill, it'll also help cut down your electricity bill.

8. Adjust your toilet flushes so that they only use a moderate amount of water. Old toilet flushes have an adjustable stopper that you can easily adjust. A short stopper equals a large volume of water per flush, while a longer stopper will release only moderate volumes of water per flush. You may also reduce the volume of water stored in the flush tank by putting a sealed and weighted water bottle inside.

9. Use a drinking glass or tumbler when brushing your teeth. Even young children can be taught to conserve water this way.

10. Shower instead of bathing. Bath tubs require large volumes of water to be filled, and you can easily cut your water consumption by opting for quick showers which use up less than half the volume of water.

11. Wash your car only when needed. If you must wash your car, use a pail and soapy sponge instead of using a garden hose.

12. Have a professional do a thorough check of your pipes for possible leaks. Professionals have special tools and gadgets that will allow them to check for leaks in pipes that are hidden underground or behind walls.

13. Instead of rinsing them under a running faucet, use a dish pan or basin for cleaning and rinsing your vegetables. You'll not only reduce the amount of running water that goes down the drain, you'll also be able to re-use the water for other purposes.

14. Grow your lawn an inch or two taller. The longer growth will provide more shade to the soil, thus allowing moisture to be retained for a longer period of time.

15. Don't use running water for thawing frozen meat. You can soak the frozen meat in a pan of hot water.