Green Living
GreenGardener
member
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Saving water
Re: Saving water
Might be a little gross... and the dual flush converter would handle this too... but since it's just DH and I in our house, we follow the "if it's yellow, let it mellow" rule.
Other than that... Only run full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine. (Actually, I think running a full load in the dishwasher uses less water and energy than washing that much stuff by hand in the sink.) You could capture your "gray" water and use it to water plants.
Not sure which flush converter you are looking at - but this is the one we have and I LOVE it! I installed it by myself (thus - very very easy!) and we are saving a ton of water.
We also do simple little things, like pour any left over cooking/drinking water in a watering can by the sink for plants, etc.
A rain barrel is also a great idea if you have a garden. They can be pricey, but you can find them on craigslist sometimes, or through your town. Most water companies give rebates for them, too.
I'm a fanatic about saving water - so good for you for trying to make a difference!!
How many people are living in your household? The average water use for 3.5 is 260 gallons per day. Not that I'd discourage you from using less of one of our most precious resources, only trying to help you see if you're way off from normal use.
If you are, I'd start by checking all of your faucets/ toilets for drips or leaks, including outside spigots. If you find any, you can stick a bucket under it and save the water for other uses until you can get it repaired.
Full loads for laundry and dishwasher runs. If you hand wash dishes, fill the sink with soapy water rather than letting the water run. Don't let the water run when you're not using it for things like washing your face or brushing your teeth.
ETA: How much are you running outside hoses? Because they draw a lot more water than your average faucet. If you're using one to water plants, supplement that with recaptured water like others mentioned. And if you're using it to wash your car or clean off your driveway, DON'T. Clean your car at the carwash. Sweep leaves and clippings off your driveway with a broom. It won't just decrease your water usage, it will minimize your contribution to contaminants entering the waterways.
This is HUGE! We had a very leaky faucet when we first moved in that had been leaking for full 10 years the previous owner owned the house. We of course fixed it right away but not before I put a bowl under to measure how much it was really leaking. I was leaking 6 gallons of water a day! So it was leaking that much over 10 years that was 21,900 gallons!
Put a bowl under each faucet for one day and see if your faucets are leaking. Also, make sure your toilet isn't running to long that is a sure sign the seal at the bottom of the tank is leaking.
Otherwise set an egg timer when you and your family take a shower. Avoid baths if you can. And limit how much you water plants or get rainbarrels.
We haven't used a dual flush converter, but I filled up an empty soda bottle with water and set it in the back of the tank to offset some of the water.
We also don't wash our clothes every time we wear them. If they're not dirty and pass the sniff test, we wear them again - with some exceptions. :-) We also only wash clothes when we have a full load. That cuts down significantly on loads of laundry.
I turn the water off when I'm not using it in the shower (ie: when I'm washing my hair). You can buy a low-flow shower head with a pause button on it. I also leave the water off in the sink when I'm washing my hands or brushing my teeth until I absolutely need it.
If I use water to cook, like boiling pasta or something, I use the leftover water for the plants.