Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Water Saving Strategies to Keep your Pocketbook Padded

If you live in a place where water is plentiful, you may possibly take this resource for granted. However, you can save money on living expenses if you consider the water-saving tips mentioned in this article.

For instance, one of the most often used ways to save money by using less water is taking shorter showers. Filling the bathwater only have way is another water-saving and money-saving practice.

Aside from that, you may also consider one or more of the following additional water-saving (and ultimately money-saving) tips:

Wash full loads of laundry. It is also recommended that you give your hot-water heater a rest by setting your washer to rinse with cold water. In fact, certain types of clothing are light enough to be washed with cold water.

Run a full dishwasher and rinse just-used dishes. Chances are you use a dishwasher to help save time. If so, it is recommended that you wait until it is full before you run it. Along with that, you can reduce the chance of having to re-wash used dishes when you rinse them off as soon as you are done eating. Otherwise, cleaning your plates, cups, silverware, and other items the old-fashioned way is an alternative.

Keep water refrigerated to drink. If you drink tap or filtered tap water it is advised that you fill up containers of this thirst-quenching liquid and store it in a cool place. If so, you save on the amount of time it takes to run the water until it reaches a drinkable temperature. You can also use ice. Use re-usable ice packs on picnics and in drinks. One way to conserve on water and to save money is to purchase ice packs and reusable "ice cubes." For drinks. They are just as effective in keeping food and drinks cold as ice.

Hand-water gardens. As long as you do not have a huge garden, hand-watering your plants may be feasible. You use less water if you just replenish the immediate plant area using a water container versus when you use a sprinkling system.

Use automatic sprinklers. If you have a large lawn or garden, sprinklers set to spray at certain times of the day (usually at night) would be ideal. Besides, if they are sent infrequently enough they can even scare away potential night time prowlers-an extra bonus besides saving water.

Use hand sanitizer, wipes, or other quick cleansing materials. These are usually used on the go. However, if you want to cut down on the amount of water you use to wash your hands these items are handy, especially the hand sanitizer because it does not leave any waste behind.Â

Compose instead of flush. Sometimes people flush old food down the toilet. However, if you start a compose for your garden you can conserve on the amount of water it takes to use toilet water. The sample applies to using a garbage disposal.

Remember to switch water off. If you are a forgetful person you may want to invest in items such as automatic sink faucets. Either that or set alarms or specific intervals of times in which you check to make sure water is shut off.

Use rain water. Sometimes you can capitalize on nature's shower to clean your car. When you see that it is soon going to rain, or if it is raining already, perhaps you can take some soap and a bucket outside. Rainwater can be collected for a variety of other uses as well, such as for watering houseplants, and so on.

Free tips on water conservation are probably available through your local utility companies. Environmental organizations also can provide free assistance in this area.