Daily Home Renovation Tips

Editor’s Note: To view the 500+ different energy and water conservation tips for the home we have collected, simply access our Un-Official Guide To Home Energy & Water Conservation, 2nd Edition

Today we review more of the no cost ideas to reduce your home’s clean water consumption. Those of you in drought areas, listen up; lots of ideas here for you. Those not in drought areas, these are so simple to do that there’s no reason for you to start doing some of these if for no other reason that to save money through reduced water utility bills month after month after, well, month.

Number 411, Use Bucket in Shower to Catch Warm-up Water, Number 412, Use Bucket in Sink to Catch Warm-Up Water and Number 413, Use Bucket in Tub to Catch Warm-Up Water. All three of these tips relate to collecting the water within each area’s use before it turns sufficiently warm / hot for your purposes so it doesn’t just go down the drain wasted. I had not thought of this before, yet many visitors to our site suggested these tips so someone must be doing them.

Number 414, Save Outside of Shower. I know a lot of guys might find this hard, but you waste so much water by shaving in the shower vs over a sink. Try it for a week or more and y ou will have created a new money saving and water conservation habit for yourself.

Number 415, Do Not Turn Tap On Full. Great idea for every time we use a faucet in the house to wash our hands and face, rinse fruits and vegetables, etc. Simply turning the tap on say half way will still do the job usually in the same amount of time yet save you half the fresh water. 

Number 416, Scrape, Don’t Rinse, Food Scraps from Plates. If you use a dishwasher pretty near all of them are sufficiently well designed these days that you don’t need to rinse off the plates, bowls, etc. (unless it will be several days before you run the dishwasher). 

Number 417, Collect Dripping Water Until Leak Fixed. Of course, fix a leaking faucet as soon as possible, but it is not always possible to fix leaks right a way … life happens. So, put a cup to catch the dripping water and use it to water your indoor and outdoor plants until such time that the leak is fixed. 

Number 418, Use Flow-Through Humidifier Water for Indoor Plants. Those of you who have one of these devices know that they use a lot of water, which typically simply goes down the drain. Sure, recycle some for your plants. It might take some effort, but it will cost you absolutely nothing and save you a little money at the same time.

Number 419, Use Air Conditioner Condensation for Plants. If the air inside is humid, there should be lots of condensation to use. This likely won’t provide as much water as in tip number 418 above, yet every little bit helps, right? 

Number 420, Collect Rain Water for Clothes Washing Machine. I had not thought of this before, but one of our site’s visitors said she did this. If it works for her, saving her money from lower water utility bills, why not? It might take a bit of effort, but it won’t cost you any money. 

Number 421, Catch Rain Water for Pet’s Water Bowl. Excellent use of rain water.

Number 422, Use Cooled Down Veggie Water for Plants. Sure, why not? After you have finished cooling your vegetables in the pot, once the water has cooled down use it to water some of your indoor plants to reduce your consumption of fresh water. 

Number 423, Use Water from Hot Water Bottle for Plants. In the winter or any time of the year if one has a sore muscle, some people fill a hot water bottle with, well hot water, in order to heat the muscles in discomfort or to heat the entire body in order to keep the temperature a little cooler inside (to reduce the amount of natural gas or home heating oil or electricity used to heat the home). If you are in this group, what do you do with the left over water inside the hot water bottle? Do you throw it down the drain in the sink? Or, do you use it, once it has cooled down, to provide water for your indoor plants? 

Number 424, Use One Glass for Day’s Drinking Water. We know that drinking lots of water is a healthy thing to do. Most areas in North America provide sufficiently clean drinking water right out of the tap. So, if you drink lots of water from your faucets throughout the day, why not use the same cup or glass? Using a new cup or glass every time you want another drink of water from the tap means you then have use more water to wash all of these cups or glasses clean. Save some fresh water; use the same drinking glass throughout the day.

To complete our look at the remaining no cost suggestions to reduce your household’s consumption of fresh water inside your home, saving a prescious natural resource and saving you money at the same time, simply select this link to Part 4.