It’s up to you.

Learn, experience, and share more with fellow Hydroholics. Empower your voice of restraint and utilize our resources for successful rehabilitation. By joining Hydroholics, together we can chip away at our current levels of water consumption. Take larger steps towards water conservation. Don't let convenience blind your sense of duty to yourself, your family, and your world. It is easy to significantly reduce your personal water use. Installing water-saving features in your household could decrease water use by 30%, saving an estimated 5.4 billion gallons per day. And, always take into consideration the impact on water resources when making decisions—on the job, in society, as a parent, and as a leader. Here are a few tips to get started:

Indoor Tips

Bathroom

• Time your shower to keep it under 5 minutes. You'll save up to 1000 gallons a month.
• Put a bucket in the shower while you’re waiting for the water to warm up, and use the water you catch for watering plants or cleaning.
• If your shower can fill a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, then replace it with a water-efficient showerhead.

• If you don’t have a low-flow toilet, put a plastic bottle filled with water in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
• Install low-volume toilets.
• Turn off the water while shaving, and instead fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor.

Kitchen

• If you’re planning on steaming veggies to go along with rice, potatoes or pasta, put your vegetable steamer right on top of the starchy foods you’re boiling. This way you’ll save water and space on your stove, and have fewer pots and pans to clean up afterwards!
• Boil food in as little water as possible. You just need enough to submerge your pasta and potatoes, and with less water you keep more flavor and nutrients in your veggies.
• Use the water left over from boiling to water your plants (just let it cool down first!)

• When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• When washing dishes by hand, use the least amount of detergent possible - this minimizes the water needed for rinsing.
• Scrape dishes into the trash rather than rinsing. New dishwashers don’t even require pre-rinsed dishes.
• Only run the dishwasher when it’s completely full. You could save 1000 gallons a month.
• Use the garbage disposal less and the garbage more (or even better, start composting!).
• For cold drinks keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way, every drop goes down you and not the drain.
• Wash vegetables and fruits in a large bowl of water and scrub them with a vegetable brush your faucet is not a power-washer!
• Think ahead! Don’t use water to defrost frozen foods instead, leave them in the fridge overnight to defrost.
• When you shop for a new appliance, consider one offering cycle and load size adjustments. They are more water and energy-efficient than older appliances.

Laundry

• Wash clothes only when you have a full load and save up to 600 gallons each month.
• If you’re in the market for a new washer, choose an energy star certified model √ it will save you gallons of water per load.
• Choose new water-saving appliances, like washing machines that save up to 20 gallons per load.

Outdoor Tips

Lawn

• Direct the water drain line from your air conditioner to a flower bed, tree base or onto your lawn.
• Don’t over-water your plants! Many plants die from over-watering. When you water your plants, poke at the soil with your finger. If the soil is dry and hard, give your plants some water, but if the soil is damp, leave your poor plant alone!
• Water your lawn during the cool parts of the day, like in the early morning or late evening. This helps to prevent evaporation that happens during the hot hours of the day.

• Don’t water the lawn on windy days, because wind increases evaporation.
• Set up your sprinklers so they are not spraying the sidewalk or driveway.
• Use a drip irrigation system instead of a hose or sprinkler to water your garden. Hand-water your lawn or garden instead of using sprinklers when possible. You’ll use less than half as much water this way.
• Get a rain sensor for your automatic sprinklers, or just make sure to turn them off on days when rain is expected.

Recreation

• Install covers on pools and spas and check for leaks around your pumps.
• Periodically check your pool for leaks if you have an automatic refilling device.
• Don’t buy or use a decorative fountain unless it re-uses its water.

• Make sure your swimming pools, fountains, and ponds are equipped with recirculating pumps.
• When backwashing your pool, consider using the water on your landscaping.

Carwash

• Wash your car on the grass. This will water your lawn at the same time.
• Use a hose nozzle and turn off the water while you wash your car and save more than 100 gallons.
• When taking your car to a car wash--a good idea for saving water--be sure it's one of the many that recycles its wash water.

Grocery Shopping

• When grocery shopping, try to buy more whole foods like vegetables, rice and potatoes. Processed foods and beverages like chips, candies, pre-made meals and sodas take a lot more water to produce than foods that come straight from the farm.

Driving

• We rarely think about water when we see an automobile, for example, but producing a typical U.S. car requires more than 50 times its weight in water (39,090 gallons)! Choosing a fuel-efficient model will help--it takes 44 gallons of water to refine one gallon of crude oil and 1,700 gallons of water to produce a gallon of ethanol.

Next Door Tips

• Talk to your elected officials about their views on water
• Fight for water conservation policy
• Encourage infrastructure initiatives that increase watershed recharge
• Volunteer for eco-friendly development
• Implement water conservation best practices within your work environment
• Make decisions with water in mind!