4 tips to reduce water waste at home

About 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by liquid water. But, with all this water available, why do we keep talking about the scarcity of the resource?

The total volume of water on Earth is 1.386 million km3, distributed in oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, underground mantles, and water in the atmosphere. Where 96.5% is saltwater, not suitable for human consumption. In other words, only 3.5% of the water on our planet is fresh, but 70% is frozen, the remaining 30% is found in aquifers, leaving less than 1% as drinking water.

Living beings need water to survive, but people do not only use it for drinking, we also clean, produce the food we consume, and manufacture other supplies. According to the World Water Organization, on average, a person uses 150 liters of water daily, and sometimes a large amount ends up as wastewater in the home.

In addition to contributing to making this planet a better place, saving water will also have positive effects on your pocket, so avoiding water waste in your home in addition to being an environmental responsibility will help you save money. So, take note and put into practice these four simple but effective tips to help save water at home.

Reduce the consumption of water in your small daily activities

  • Start by reducing time in the shower: Taking a five-minute bath can save up to 200 liters of water. Consider turning off the faucet while you soap yourself.
  • Make sure you close the taps well: An open faucet normally uses between 10 and 20 liters per minute. If it is leaking, you can waste up to 1,500 liters per month. What a waste of water!
  • Use a glass to brush your teeth: This way you could save up to 5 liters of water.
  • Be aware when using the toilet: Consider that a single flush can consume up to 10 liters of water, to avoid this you can collect the water from the shower to flush the toilet, generating efficient water reuse.
  • Make the most of your washing machine: If you are going to wash dirty clothes, it is better to put together a full load than to use half loads, this way, you will use less water and less energy.

2. Take advantage of rainwater

Rainwater is the least used, however, it is an excellent source of supply and can counteract the water waste at the home. Installing rainwater collection systems can help you save up to 5,000 liters per year because rainwater is collected through channels that lead it directly to a storage tank that protects it until you need it. If right now, you cannot install one of these systems, you can always place tanks during the rainy season to make efficient water reuse in activities such as irrigation, flushing toilets, car washes, etc.

3. Reuse water you use at home

Even when there is no rain, you can always choose to reuse water from your daily activities. The greywater that results from the washing machine, dishwasher, or the water from the showers and bathtubs, can be reused for watering gardens, orchards, cleaning the patio, car washing, among many other activities.

4. Reduce your water footprint

To reduce the water footprint, choose to consume only what you need in all areas (food, clothing, household supplies, etc.) Since large quantities of water are used to feed farm animals or manufacture certain supplies, reducing the consumption of meat and other consumer products can reduce environmental impact.

Saving water is everyone’s responsibility, and it has multiple environmental benefits, plus your finances will benefit. We invite you to avoid waste water with these small actions to save water at home every day.