The heart of the home is vital in saving our most precious resource. A simple shift in habits can save water and give us that helpful glow.
Kitchens are the heart of most homes and a huge proportion of our time is spent in them. Your time in the kitchen can, therefore, be critical in the fight to save water. By merely effecting 5 of our Top Ten Tips you can save up to 50% water and help provide more nutrition too.
- Try to only wash a full load, in your dishwasher, to save energy and water. If you must put a half load on, switch to economy or half load to continue to help.
- A running tap uses a huge amount of water so use a bowl when washing dishes or vegetables. Using a bowl can save up to 10 litres of water every time. The leftover water can be used to water houseplants or the garden.
- Fill up a jug of water for the fridge to chill. This can save litres by not running the tap until it is cold.
- Don’t use water to defrost frozen foods. Instead, plan ahead and leave them in the fridge overnight.
- Minimise the water when cooking vegetables. You only need enough water to just cover the level of your veg, pasta or potatoes. Bonus: with less water you keep more of the natural nutrients and flavour in your food.
- Use a steamer that fits over a pan. This way you can simply place over a boiling pan to save up to 50% of water.
- Always drink tap water over bottled where you can – it takes about 1.5 gallons of water to manufacture a single plastic bottle and plastic bottles are always made from new plastic material.
- Install a low-flow tap on your sink. Conventional taps only flow at around 5 gallons per minutes, in comparison to the 1.5 gallons per minute of low-flow taps.
- Using low phosphate detergents. Phosphates cause algae blooms which remove oxygen from water (potentially killing fish and organisms.) Look for alternatives containing zeolites and citrate.
- Learn more about ENERGY STAR water- and energy-efficient dishwashers. These can save up to 30% water.
Sources: www.energy.gov.uk Nov 2015 www.charitywater.co.uk Nov 2015