Saving water in the home

By thinking carefully about your water use in the home and changing some water-wasting habits, it is easy to save water.

• Vegetables and fruit should be washed in a bowl rather than under a running tap and the leftover water can be used for watering house plants.

• Use the minimum amount of water required when you boil water in saucepans and kettles; that way, you?ll save energy as well as water.

• Try keeping a bottle or jug of water in the fridge instead of running taps until the water runs cold.

• Half-load programmes on dishwashers and washing machines use more than half the water and energy of a full load. Therefore, wait until you have a full load before switching the machine on.

• Try not to leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, shave or wash your hands, as this can waste up to 5 litres of water per minute.

• A 5-minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath. But remember that power showers can use more water than a bath in less than 5 minutes.

• Old toilet cisterns can use as much as 9 litres of clean water every flush. Reduce this by placing a ?save-a-flush? or ?hippo? in the cistern.

• Cotton wool and tissues should be put in a waste bin rather than flushed down the toilet.

• Dripping taps can waste up to 4 litres of water a day. Replace worn tap washers for a quick and cheap way of saving water.

• Burst water pipes can cause serious damage as well as waste water. Ensure your water pipes and external taps are lagged in time for the cold winter months.

Source: Environment Agency