water conservation

[yayamommy]

I'm very much a novice when it comes to being an earth crunchy or green Mom, but I try to be aware of things and I'm slowly but surely getting better.  I  noticed something that I'd like to share.    I changed my washing machine last month and added the extra rinse cycle.  Now I knew that I would be using more water that might be wasteful, but I was getting a little itchy from the fabric softener.  It worked and my itchiness went away.   

The problem is my water bill went up $20 in a month.  I'm not kidding!!!!  The extra rinse is the only change I've made.  WOW!  Talk about water waste--now it's wasting my money too!  I think it's more earth friendly to switch to a 'free' fabric softener or just use less, than to throw in an extra rinse.  Wow, I'm still shocked at the difference.  I don't even do that much laundry either--only about 3 loads a week.  I will be conserving water As Much as Humanly possible from now on. 

Here's a little trivia: running a FULL dishwasher conserves more than HALF the water used to wash the same amount of dishes by hand.  Just thought you might like this one, because the dishwasher is now my best friend.  whoohoo for that! 

Does anyone else have tricks for conserving water?  I'd love to know--I can't pay this giant water bill every month that's for sure. 

[TJACK]

If you use a non-irritating laundry detergent, you won't need that extra rinse cycle. 

You can also turn the shower off while you lather your body and then turn it on to rinse.

Put a brick or a water bottle in the top of your toilet so that you use less water when flushing.

If washing dishes by hand, fill a large pot or bowl with your soapy water instead of the whole sink.

[greenresolutions]

I've actually decided to make water conservation my green project for the next two months and I'll make one change every week. This week, I put a half-gallon juice bottle filled with sand and water in the toilet tank. It will save a half gallon for every flush, probably 1,400 gallons a year for our family of 3.

I also started timing my showers. If you shorten an 8-minute shower to 5 minutes, you save 10 gallons a day.
http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2008/05/27/im-having-a-quickie-the-five-minute-shower-challenge/

You can also check out the EPA's Watersense site (http://www.epa.gov/watersense/). It gives instructions on how to check your toilet for leaks. (You can be wasting water down the toilet and not even know it.) You can also get info on water-efficient products and practices.

And if you have an old toilet, check your water authority's web site for possible rebates. Ours will give $50 or $100 rebates if you replace an old toilet with one that uses less water.

[emsplace]

I'm only slightly green myself. So I feel ya.
But I am bent on conserving.
You can get a rain barrell if you live in a state that gets rain and catch the water to water your garden.
Don't leave the water running when you brush your teeth.
Fill the sink half full to rinse water.... wash everything on one side, then rinse on the other.
Try not to use the dishwasher as much.
Use less water for a shower.
We use watger for our lawns, but much less than we used to.
Wear clothes more than once if you can. Our toilets are the water conserving ones... I don't know what they are called at the moment...

There are so many ways to conserve... it's easier than you think. I have a two story to my neighbors one story and my electric/water bills are always less. There are three of us and two of them as well.
I'm proud of that.

[yayamommy]

Thanks everyone for all of these great tips!!!!  I didn't realize it, but it is a LOT easier than I think.  I'm going to try the water bottle in the toilet tank for sure--I love that one.  As far as the others?  I will practice some new ones and keep you posted.
Thanks again!

[Cheese&Whine]

I am trying to be better too. 
I haven't tackled the water issue too closely yet, but I do use canvas bags at the grocery store, don't use paper plates/napkins as much, don't take plastic bags when I buy something that I can carry, etc. 
I guess every bit helps!

Some of these tips are great, though!