Showers and baths

• Take showers instead of baths - but remember a power shower uses as much water as a bath in just 5 minutes
• Spend a little less time in the shower
• Water saving showers use less water than an ordinary (non-power) shower, but have the feel of a power shower, because they form finer water droplets and add air to the mixture. However they do require a mains pressure water supply. They work well with combi-boilers.
• Share a bath!

Toilet

• Reduce the amount of water held in your toilet cistern by inserting a water filled
• bottle, or your water company will give you a free water saving device
• Install a dual flush toilet: these use 4-6 litres of water per flush, compared to 15-20 litres for an old fashioned cistern (that’s more water in a single flush than some people use in a day)
• Install a new dual or low- flush toilet if you are thinking of replacing your bathroom suite
• Fit a water-saving device such as a “hippo”, or just a plastic bottle filled with water with the top screwed on in your loo cistern. Bricks are not recommended as they can start to disintegrate and clog the loo. Hippo-the-water-saver.co.uk

Taps

• Fix sprayheads to existing taps – this alone can save 20-30% of your tap water usage
• Turn the tap off while you’re cleaning your teeth
• put the plug in while shaving
  
• Use the washing machine only when you have a full load, or use the half load setting
• Replace the washers on dripping taps : one tap dripping at 1 drip per second = 15 litres per day!

Washing Machine and Dishwasher

• Wash at a lower temperature – there are now washing powders recommended for use at 30°C also see Cleaning Products
• Turn on the dishwasher only when it is full (but note that modern dishwashers are very efficient in water usage – more so than hand washing your dishes!)

Cooking

• Use a steamer for cooking – not only does it save water and energy, but food loses less goodness when it is steamed rather than boiled.
• Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need to boil at that time
• Put a lid on a pan when boiling or simmering

Washing Up by Hand

• Rinse with the cold tap, not the hot (saves energy!), and don’t leave the tap running all the time
• Choose an environmentally friendly washing up liquid