It is always important to think about water conservation, but especially as we enter into warmer temperatures in the Atlanta area. Here are some tips for saving water in the bathroom:
- Don’t run water continuously while washing your hands. Turn off the water while soaping up, and turn it on again to rinse.
- While shaving, fill the lavatory with a few inches of warm water for rinsing your razor.
- Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush. Fill a glass with water for rinsing your mouth.
- If you take baths, start off by immediately stoppering the bathtub drain. The initial burst of cold water from the faucet can be offset with hot water later during the fill. Then fill the tub only 1/3 full.
- Long showers waste 5 to 10 gallons of water every unneeded minute. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down, and rinse off. Showerheads are available that allow you to cut off the flow of water without turning off your hot- and cold-water valves each time. Better yet, take a bath instead of showering. A bath uses less water than all but the shortest showers.
- Install a low-flow showerhead that restricts water flow to three gallons per minute or less.
- Never use your toilet as a means of trash disposal. Throw tissue, insects, cigarette butts, and similar waste in the trash.
- Leaking toilet tanks are a major waste of water, and they are hard on septic systems. Check for leaks by adding some food coloring to your toilet tank. If the tank leaks, color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes. Worn, corroded, bent or maladjusted parts are the usual cause of such leaks. Replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. Food coloring may stain the tank if left for an extended period of time. So flush the toilet as soon as the leakage test is finished.
- Replace your old high water-use toilet with a modern low water-use model. It will save thousands of gallons of water per year, save energy (for pumping water), and cut your water and sewer bill. Also, it will substantially reduce the load on your septic system.