As you probably know, owning a home is expensive. In addition to a mortgage payment, there are property taxes, electricity bills, repairs (big and large), your water bill, and more. When was the last time you looked at how much your home cost you after all the bills were paid? Chances are, it’s probably a frightening number.
Now, there’s not much you can do when it comes to saving money on property taxes or mortgage payment, but there are quite a few ways you can save on your water bill. Let’s take a look at some sneaky ways that will help to conserve water and save you money on your water bill each month:
Get Smarter With Dishwashing
Ah, dishwashing…does anyone really enjoy this chore? While most would say, “no, it is not enjoyable”, it’s also something that has to get done, one way or another. As if this chore wasn’t daunting enough, it could be costing you more money on your water bill.
So, if you prefer to wash dishes in the sink, be sure to plug the sink to conserve water, and only turn the water on when you need to rinse the soap off of clean dishes. If you use a dishwasher, do not run the dishwasher until it is completely full. Also, and this might take some practice, but if there is a way for you to take up every inch of empty space in the dishwasher then do it, and if it’s not full don’t run it!
Hold Off On Laundry
Are you someone who does laundry every single day? This could be costing you extra money on your water bill!
Unless there is an item that absolutely has to be washed, wait to do the laundry until you can fill up the laundry machine. Now, if you are someone with five or more people in the house, there might not be a way to get around doing laundry every day; but you can still save water! Try skipping the permanent-press cycle, which uses an extra five gallons of water for the additional rinse, and if you find that your laundry machine needs an additional rinse, you might want to consider cutting back on laundry detergent.
Inspect Leaks
Does your faucet or shower leak small drops of water throughout the day? It’s easy to put these leaks on the backburner because they are not doing much harm; or are they? Surprisingly, these small leaks could contribute to using gallons of water every day. If you spot a leak, fix it as soon as you can to prevent your water bill from skyrocketing.
Turn It Off
If you are someone with a lot of hair, it might take a while to lather up your hair with shampoo or conditioner. While applying the product, you don’t need to run the water.
The same goes for brushing your teeth. Most people don’t brush their teeth for longer than a minute or two, but two minutes of running water is a lot of water! By turning off the water when you are not using it, you can save quite a few gallons of water.
Cover the Pool
If you have a pool in your backyard, by default, you already have a higher water bill than those without a pool. To prevent having to fill up the pool so often, try adding a cover to the pool when it’s not in use. A cover will prevent evaporation and keep more water in the pool for a longer period of time.
Flush Less
Did you know that every time you flush a toiler it uses nearly seven gallons of water? Now, we are not saying stop flushing the toilet after usage (gross!) We are saying avoid unnecessary flushes such as flushing a bug or a small tissue.
Wash Vegetables In a Bowl
Most people don’t think about how much water they are using when it comes to washing vegetables. Washing one small tomato under the faucet won’t do harm to your water bill, but if you wash a ton of vegetables each day, it adds up. If you are washing several fruits or vegetables, consider filling a bowl up with clean water and washing the item in the bowl rather than cleaning it under running water.
Check Your Toilet
If your toilet sounds like its running, it’s using more water than it needs to and you should check it out as soon as possible. One way to check your toilet for leaks is to apply a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. If without flushing, the water begins to appear in the toilet bowl, you have yourself a leak that could be wasting more than 100 gallons of water a day!
Install a Water Filter
If you have hard water in your home, you are probably using more water than you have to; especially when it comes to cleaning. Hard water in your home will leave your clothes feeling dry or leaving a chalky substance on your clean clothes, causing you to run the load again. Hard water will also leave that same chalky substance on your dishes after a cycle through the dishwasher, causing you to run the dishwasher again. Hard water also causes a buildup of scum around faucets which requires you to clean more.
With a whole house water filtration, you can get rid of hard water, so water does its part in cleaning, without leaving behind the chalky substance from hard water.
If you find yourself having to run the water longer to clean off a buildup of residue, you might want to have a free water test done in your home.
The Science of Water
The Science of Water is proud to provide Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida residents with the proper water filters to ensure you have clean water in your homes.
If you have noticed your water bill has been abnormally high, consider these few tips and contact The Science of Water for a free water test!