9 Ways to Reduce In-Home Water Usage

Quality water is something that we all take for granted. The average American uses about 100 gallons of water per day. With more and more droughts happening across the country, water conservation is more important than ever. Taking measures to conserve water at home not only saves you money, but helps your community. Water conservation helps prevent pollution in nearby lakes, rivers and watersheds. Culligan Lake of the Ozarks has come up with a list of ways you can reduce the amount of water you use at home each day. A few small changes here and there can add up to hundreds of gallons of water saved.

1. Don't Use the Toilet as a Trashcan.
The toilet is one of the most water-intensive fixtures in your home. Every time you flush, 5 to 7 gallons of water is wasted. Avoid flushing facial tissues, cigarette butts, and other small bits of trash. Stick to only using the toilet for its intended purpose.

2. Take Shorter Showers. 
One easy way to reduce your water usage is to take shorter showers. In addition, turn the water off while you're lathering up and then turn it back on when you're ready to rinse. Just a 4 minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water.

3. Turn Off the Water When Brushing Your Teeth. Running the water while you're brushing your teeth is extremely wasteful. The average faucet releases 2 gallons of water per minute. After you wet your tooth brush, turn the water off. You can also fill a glass with water to use for rinsing rather than running water to rinse.

4. Only Run the Dishwasher and Washing Machine When Full. 
Dishwashers and washing machines both use a lot of water! Make sure you're not wasting that water by waiting until you have a full load to run them. In addition, beware that the permanent press cycle uses an extra 5 gallons of water for the extra rinse. 

5. Don't Pre-Rinse Your Dishes. 
By rinsing your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher, you're using twice the amount of water. Most modern dishwashers don't require a pre-rinse to get the job done. As long as you're loading it properly, a good scrape to get the majority of the food off will suffice.

6. Minimize Use of Your Garbage Disposal. 
In-sink garbage disposals require a lot of water to work properly. Rather than throwing all your food scraps down the sink, start a compost bucket.

7. When Washing Dishes By Hand, Don't Leave the Water Running.  Just like brushing your teeth, don't leave the water running when it's not needed. If you're washing dishes by hand, fill up one side with soapy water instead of leaving a stream of water running while you're scrubbing. In addition, don't leave the rinse water running throughout the washing process.

8. Keep a Bottle or Pitcher of Drinking Water in the Fridge. 
Waiting for the water to get cold enough for your desired drinking temperature takes time, which results in wasted water. Instead, fill up a bottle or pitcher of water to put in the fridge to get cold. An even better idea could be to invest in our bottled water delivery at the Lake of the Ozarks.

9. Fix Leaky Sinks and Running Toilets.  
At one drip per second, a leaky faucet can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water each year. A running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water each day. Do yourself a favor and get those issues fixed. The amount you spend on getting them fixed will be saved in water usage, reducing your water bill.

At Culligan Lake of the Ozarks, water is our specialty! From water softeners to drinking water systems and bottled water, we'll provide you with the information and resources you need to make sound decisions involving your water problems. Contact your Lake of the Ozarks water treatment experts at 573-346-5221 with any water concerns you may have.

Culligan Lake of the Ozarks

277 Lower Business Park Road • Linn Creek, MO 65052 • (573) 346-5221

www.CulliganPro.com

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