Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 6: Saving water indoors in general
• Part 2 of 6: Saving water in the bathroom
• Part 3 of 6: Saving water in the laundry and kitchen
• Part 4 of 6: Save water outdoors
• Part 5 of 6: Conserve water when gardening
• Part 6 of 6: Water use table
• Tips
• Warnings

Water covers 70 percent of the earth, but less than one percent of it is clean water that humans can drink. Even if you live in an area with a lot of rainfall, processing, pumping, heating, re-pumping and reprocessing water is required to use it. Fortunately, there are ways to conserve water for everyone, from those with contamination fears to environmentalists with a compost toilet. An average family of four uses 450 liters of water per day, which equates to 164,000 liters per year.

To step

Part 1 of 6: Saving water indoors in general

1. Save water from your taps. Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth, shave, wash your hands, do the dishes, and so on. Also turn off the tap while showering. Wet yourself, then turn off the tap while you soap yourself. Then open it long enough to rinse off. Buy a mixer tap with one knob so that the shower water temperature stays the same while the tap is closed.
   • Catch the cold water coming out of the fountain, faucet or shower while you wait for the hot water. Use it to water plants or pour them into the sink of your toilet after flushing.
   • Water from a hot water tank may contain more sediment or rust than water from the cold water tank, but it is otherwise suitable for drinking. If you use a water filter, you can filter the collected water and put it in bottles in the fridge as drinking water.
2. Check the pipework for leaks, especially leaking toilets and faucets. Repair all leaks. An unnoticed leak in the toilet can cause a waste of 100 to 2000 liters per day!

Part 2 of 6: Saving water in the bathroom

1. Install economical shower heads and faucets or aerators. Devices that limit the water flow are not expensive (7.50-15 euros for a shower head and less than 4 euros for a tap aerator). Most just screw on (you may need an adjustable wrench), and good, modern units maintain the pressure and feel of the flow, while using half the amount of water of conventional units.
2. Take shorter showers. Bring a timer, clock or stopwatch to the bathroom and challenge yourself to beat your shower record. Shave outside of the shower, or turn off the shower tap while you shave.
   • Take a shower instead of a bath. By taking a bath, you use up to 100 liters of water! When you shower, you usually use less than a third of this amount. See the water usage table below.
   • Install a faucet right behind the shower head. These faucets are cheap and can easily be screwed into place. Run the water long enough to get wet. Then use the tap to turn off the water flow, while maintaining the temperature of the water while lathering. Open the tap again to rinse off.
3. Use waste water or gray water from the bath, washing machines or from the dishes in the garden. If possible, connect a hose to the drain of your machine to send the water straight to your yard. To reuse bath water, use a manually operated siphon pump. If you do the dishes by hand, rinse them in a tub and empty the tub in your garden.
   • Collect water for reuse every time you run the water to wait for a certain temperature. Just leave it in a bucket, watering can or can run.
   • If you collect clean water (such as when you adjust the water temperature), you can also use it to do delicates by hand.
   • Also collect water that you use for washing vegetables and for cooking pasta or eggs.
   • If you are collecting gray water for gardening, use soaps and cleaning products that are suitable for the garden.
   • If you are unsure whether gray water is suitable for plants, you can use it to flush your toilet. Pour it directly into the pot, or (provided there is no sediment in it) use it to refill the cistern when you flush.
4. Rebuild your toilet to use less water. Place a plastic bottle of water in the cistern to move some of the rinse water. If necessary, fill the bottle with pebbles or sand to allow it to sink. Or buy a flushing interrupter to use less water.
   • Not all toilets will flush effectively with less water, so check if this applies to your toilet.
   • Make sure there is a cap on the bottle, especially if you filled it with pebbles or sand. You don't want the pebbles or sand to float loose in your cistern.
   • Purchase an economical toilet. There are economical toilets that can flush well with 6 liters of water and less. Read reviews to find a good one.
5. Buy or make a toilet with a double flush button. This is basically a toilet that flushes less water for a small message and more water for a large message, thus saving water. Use the button for a smaller flush on a toilet with two buttons.
   • You can also purchase a dual flush conversion kit to turn your water-guzzling toilet into a water saver you can be proud of. Search the internet for these devices, which work well and will save money.
6. Use your toilet properly. Don't go through every time. You don't always have to flush after a small message. Also, don't use your toilet as a trash can. Each time you flush, you use up to 9 liters of clean water, which can be quite a waste!

Part 3 of 6: Saving water in the laundry and kitchen

1. Replace your washing machine with an efficient washing machine. Old-fashioned top loaders use 150 to 170 liters per wash, and an average family of four runs 300 washes a year. Efficient washing machines, usually front loaders, only use 55 to 115 liters per wash. This equates to savings of 11,400 to 34,000 liters per year.
2. Wash with a full washing machine or dishwasher. Wait until your washing machine is full before you start washing. Don't do laundry just because you want to wear the same pants tomorrow! When you wash your clothes, use the economic setting to save both water and electricity! This also applies to dishwashers. Load the dishwasher full, but not too full.
   • Don't wash your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Do scrape off large pieces of food scraps and dispose of them in the dirt or compost. If your dishes don't get clean without rinsing beforehand, check that you put them in the machine correctly, that your dishwasher is not defective, and that you are using an effective detergent.
   • Dishwashers, especially modern, efficient ones, can save water compared to manual dishwashing, as they pump the same water around the machine. If you are going to buy a new dishwasher, look at energy and water usage before purchasing.
   • Also think carefully before you buy your next washing machine. Front loaders use much less water than top loaders.
   • Choose detergents that clean well and do not require an additional rinse.
3. Was less. This will require you and your family to produce less laundry, but you will save time and your clothes will wear out less quickly. Unless your clothes are really dirty or smell bad, there is really no need to wash them.
   • Hang towels on a rack to dry after showering. Use them several times between washes. It will help if each family member has his or her own towel. Use different colors if necessary.
   • Wear clothes more than once. You can also wear the same pajamas for several nights, especially if you shower before going to bed. Wear clean socks and clean underwear every day, but you can wear jeans or a skirt several times between washes. Wear a sweater over a T-shirt or tank top and only change the inner layer.
   • Don't dress up in the middle of the day. If you have to do dirty work, like painting, gardening, or exercising, put old clothes aside and wear them several times between washes. If possible, schedule such activities just before your normal shower so that you don't wear extra clothes or shower more than once.
4. Use your garbage handler in moderation. These devices are rare in the Netherlands, but they use a lot of water to get rid of waste and are completely unnecessary. Collect solid waste in the trash can or a homemade compost bin, instead of rinsing it down the sink.

Part 4 of 6: Save water outdoors

1. Install a water meter. You will be surprised to find out how much water you actually use. By installing a water meter, you become more aware of this and you automatically use less water.
   • If you are already using a water meter, learn how to read it. For example, it can be useful in detecting leaks. Read the meter once, wait an hour or two without using water, and read it again. If the numbers have gone up, there is a leak somewhere.
   • Many water meters have a (gear) wheel that turns quite quickly when water is flowing somewhere. If you are sure that all taps are closed and the wheel still moves, you have a leak.
   • If your water meter is underground, you may need to sweep away debris to read it. Spray some water over it with a plant sprayer to clear the surface.
2. Cover your pool. This way you prevent evaporation.
3. Time your water use. Set a timer on your sprinkler and outdoor faucets. Find cheap, automatic timers that you can screw between the hose and the faucet, or install a programmable timer on your sprinkler or drip system. An automatic timer can also help you water at the time of day when water is best absorbed.
   • If you water by hand, set a kitchen timer before you turn on the water, or stay with the hose all the time.
   • Know how to set the time settings for your sprinkler and irrigation system for the seasons. During wetter, cooler weather, give less or no water at all.
   • Do not overwater, and do not water so quickly that the soil cannot absorb it. If water spills from the lawn onto the pavement, shorten the watering time or divide it into smaller segments so that the water can be absorbed.
4. Maintain your sprinklers and irrigation. If your irrigation is running on timers, watch while it is running. Repair broken sprinkler heads and pipes, and get sprinkler cartridges going where they need to go.]
5. Wash the car on the lawn. Use a nozzle with a trigger and / or a bucket. There are even car wash products that don't require water, but they are usually expensive.
   • Wash the car less often. Everyday dust and dirt is not harmful when it collects.
   • Wash the car at a car wash. Car washes can use less water than you use at home. Car washes also collect and filter waste water properly.
   • Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. This allows you to reuse waste water to water the lawn or garden.
6. Do not wash the driveway or sidewalk with a hose. Use a broom or rake or a leaf blower to get rid of dry matter and let the rain do the rest. Using a hose only wastes water, and you don't hydrate with it.

Part 5 of 6: Conserve water when gardening

1. Take care of your lawn in a more efficient way in terms of water. Water only where you need it, and use a spray nozzle with a trigger on your hose or a watering can to save water. You can also collect rainwater and use it to water your plants, lawn or garden.
   • Water the garden and lawn in the evening. If you water in the evening, there is more time to absorb the water without evaporating from the heat of the day.
   • Water thoroughly but less often. This will allow plants to grow deeper roots so that they need water less often. Grass roots don't grow as deep as those of other plants, but they can still be encouraged by watering more thoroughly and less often.
   • One way to water thoroughly with a limited amount of water is through slowly water with drip irrigation or micro sprinklers. The easiest way is a soaker hose; other options are drip tape or hoses with spray holes. These systems do not lose water through evaporation, such as with irrigation, and keep plant leaves dry to help reduce disease. Dug-in tape transfers the water to the roots for greater efficiency. These systems may require acid to be added to prevent calcium or iron from plugging the small nozzles.
2. Grow grass properly. Don't cut your lawn too short. Set your lawn mower to a higher length, or let it grow a little longer between mows. This way you don't have to use so much water.
   • Do not let or less grass. Plant something next to a lawn or trim your lawn. Lawns need a lot more water (and maintenance) to keep growing than many other plants and ground covers.
3. Plant properly. Plant small trees under large trees. This will help prevent evaporation and give your plants some shade. You can also plant a shade garden under trees.
   • Use mulch in your garden to help retain moisture. Ideal candidates for this include hay, manure, leaves, wood chips, tree bark and newspapers. Much mulch is available for free or very cheaply. The right organic mulch can also help improve your soil, as it breaks down and controls weeds.
   • Know how much water plants need to flower, and don't water them more than that.
   • Put plants with the same water needs together. This method, sometimes referred to as "hydro-zoning", simply means that plants are grouped by water use so that they can all be properly watered.
   • Use ditches and basins. Dig out low areas to water only the roots of your plants, not the bare spots around them.

Part 6 of 6: Water use table

Take a bath	Showering	Total use after __ days
0 liters	0 liters	0 days
100 liters	30 liters	1 day
200 liters	60 liters	2 days
300 liters	90 liters	3 days
400 liters	120 liters	4 days
500 liters	150 liters	5 days
600 liters	180 liters	Six days
700 liters	210 liters	7 days

Tips

• If it hasn't rained for a very long time, be aware of any restrictions or water rationing.
• Educate your family and family members and also enlist their help in conserving water.
• Properly dispose of harmful materials, including cleaning products, engine oil, lamps, batteries, pesticides and fertilizers. Although proper disposal of waste does not immediately save water, it is crucial to maintain the safety and quality of the available water supply.
• Find out if you get a discount on water-saving devices depending on where you live. Some municipalities encourage water conservation through subsidies on things like economical toilets. Others give free or cheap economical shower heads and faucet aerators.
• Water that comes out of the washing machine can be used to wash the car. Residual water from fruit or vegetables can be used for gardening.

Warnings

• If you collect rainwater, protect your collection system against mosquitoes.
• If you are going to collect gray water for use in the garden, make sure that any soap or detergents you use are safe for that. Do not use gray water for food plants.