20 Ways to Conserve Water

Most households use around 350 gallons of water per day, but there are easy steps to lessen this amount!

1. Switch to Energy Star rated washing machines. Older washing machines can waste hundreds of dollars per year, while Energy Star rated machines have many energy and water saving options.
2. Use cold water for some washes. This will cut down on energy use and make your clothing last longer, which in turn, will lead to less washes.
3. Inspect and replace dripping laundry pipes. These add up!
4. Switch to filtered tap water. One gallon of spring water (or bottled water of any kind) uses much more than just the water in the bottle. Energy and water is used to transport the water, make the bottle, and run the equipment. Buy your own filter and place it on the tap, or place a water filter in your fridge.
5. If you wash dishes by hand, fill the basin with water to wash your dishes. Wash all of the dishes in the basin, then rinse all of the clean dishes. This wil cut down on water since you won't be running it the entire time while washing the dishes.

7. When waiting for your hot water to heat up in the shower, place a bucket at the bottom of the tub to catch the wasted water. Use this for houseplants and outdoor plants.
8. Check the kitchen sink for leaks. It's not uncommon for kitchen sinks to leak hundreds of gallons per month. a> to save these valuable gallons of clean water.
9. Check all toilets for leakage. The back of the tank of toilets are another common place to find leaks. It's a simple task that might not take much time at all, and you can do it yourself.
10. Switch to a low flow shower head. This another easy fix.

Picture: By DO'Neil, licensed under GNU Free Documentation License 1.2.

13. Consider upgrading to a dishwasher. Energy Star rated dishwashers are much cleaner and more efficient than hand washing.
14. Don't run the dishwasher or washing machine unless it's a full load! Get the most out of that water by making sure you really have a full load.
15. Water your grass/plants in the morning so the water doesn't evaporate right away.
16. Don't flush the toilet every time you pee. Some people have a phobia about this, but the toilet is the #1 culprit of water waste in the home.
17. Limit your shower time -- and your kids. Limiting your kids (and you) to ten minutes instead of 30 minutes will drastically slash your water bill.
18. Reconsider installing that new pool. On the average, pools use 18,000 - 20,000 gallons to fill it. Warm weather can evaporate several inches of water in dry climates each day, resulting in hundreds of lost gallons! Make sure your pool is completely sealed off and free of cracks and leaks to save this valuable water.
19. Calculate your water footprint to see how much water you waste. These results might get you motivated!
20. Don't use soaps that take extra water to rinse off. These chemical agents can be harmful to the human body. Opt for more earth friendly hand soap, organic shower gel, cleaners and detergents.

This article also gives a great idea of how much water some of the items you eat consume.