Ideas - What can I do to save water?

• Showering for 5 minutes each day will use less than half the amount of water as a bath, saving up to 400 litres a week - but remember a power shower can use as much water as a bath.
• Avoid using your washing machine or dishwasher until it has a full load. The average washing machine cycle uses 95 litres of water. A full load uses less water than 2 half loads.
• Vehicles can be washed effectively using just a few buckets of water, instead of a hosepipe.
• Empty water from your washing up bowl onto garden plants or the lawn instead of pouring it down the sink. Don’t use your sprinkler or hosepipe.
• Water your garden in the evening when it is cooler and less of the water will evaporate. Add mulch such as tree bark and peat-free compost to keep the sun off the soil and retain water.
• A water saving device in your toilet cistern can save up to a litre of water with every flush. You can get hold of a ‘hippo’ or ‘save a flush’ bag from your water provider. Alternatively, fill a bottle with water, pop the lid on and sink it into your cistern.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. In a household of 4, where the tap is left running whilst brushing teeth, up to a bathful of water is wasted every day!
• Each time you need to boil a kettle or heat water for cooking, be sure you only use as much as you require. This not only saves water but will save you money on your energy bill too.
• Repair dripping taps and leaks - a dripping tap can waste as much as a bathful of water