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Every drop counts: Easy ways to keep a natural resource—and your money—from washing down the drain
Posted by Sunset, January 12, 2009 in Green living

2235589675_cf17044c7a_b_2By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer
(photo from here)

Visualize this: Leaving the water running for 2 minutes in the shower or at the sink (while soaping up, shaving, or brushing your teeth) sends about 5 gallons of water down the drain. Okay, but how much is 5 gallons really? Those water cooler jugs (you know, like Culligan, or Alhambra) in your office are 5 gallons in volume.

That's a heck of a lot of (drinkable!) water going to waste.

In addition to the tips and water-smart products featured in our February issue (on newsstands next week), here are some cost-free (and low-cost) ways to save water in your bathroom:

Cost-free: Simple tools from around the house

A gallon-sized bucket (or two)
Keep a bucket shower-side to collect warm-up water. Put this water to use in your garden.
H2O savings: 2.5 gallons per minute

A 2-liter water bottle*
Displace water in your toilet tank with a water-filled 2-liter plastic water bottle.
H2O savings: 2 liters per flush

A kitchen timer (or stop watch)
No, standards oven timers aren’t water-proof, but keep one within view from the shower with a goal of keeping showers to 5 minutes or less.
H2O savings: 2.5 gallons per minute saved

Low-cost: Some inexpensive gadgets

For the sink: Faucet Aerator ($6)
Attaches to your current faucet (see specifications) and can cut water use by 50%!

For the shower: Aqua Helix* ($36)
“The world’s lowest flow shower nozzel” (only 1/2 gallon per minute).

For the toilet: Controlable flush by Gaiam* ($36)
Converts a standard toilet (which can consume as much as 7 gallons per flush!) into one with low-flow capacity.

*A special thanks to one of our eco-heros, Eric Corey-Freed, for his water-wise recommendations. Look out for his new book Green Homes, Green Pockets due out later this year.

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Posted at 03:00 PM in Green living |
Comments

With regards to faucet aerators also keep in mind that the kitchen faucet also should have low flow aerators. There are swivel spray low flow aerators that start at 2.2 gallons per minute (there are lower flow options), typically people like a little higher flow in the kitchen. Here is a linke to examples, you can't buy them there but it will give you and idea what to look for at the hardware store. http://www.faucetaerators.com/swivel-head-faucet-aerators-c-25.html

Posted by: Greg | January 12, 2009 at 06:33 PM

Did I imagine a feature in either January or February about water saving, which mentioned a specific Toilet? I think it was an article about a woman who redid her home, and installed such a toilet. Thanks for any help.

Posted by: Joan | February 10, 2009 at 01:46 PM

In regards to the article in the February issure, you mention a faucet at a flow of 1.5 gpm for $58, but even better, why replace a perfectly good faucet when you can just replace the aerator for a couple of bucks from your local hardware store. I did this for all my bathroom sinks, which are all now at 1.5 gpm. This is a much more economical fix. I now feel that my kids are not wasting so much water when they turn on the bathroom faucet to wash their hands.

Posted by: Michelle | February 20, 2009 at 02:11 PM
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