It has been reported that the average person uses 150 litres of water everyday. Much of this is used up in washing, toilet flushing, but also cooking, drinking and watering the garden. According to some statistics we are using 50% more water than 25 years ago thanks to the increased use in domestic appliances around the house.  It is important to consider the fact that if we do not take steps now to reduce our water wastage, we will suffer long term consequences.

Steps you can take to save water on a regular basis

Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth – Many people are often guilty of  leaving the tap running while they are brushing their teeth. You should note that if you do this you are wasting 6 litres of water per minute. You can avoid this wastage by turning the tap off whilst brushing and rinsing at the end with a mug of water

Flush the toilet for items that can be disposed off elsewhere – Flushing the toilet uses up a large amount of water accounting for about a third of household water usage. Sometimes it is more convenient to flush down items such as cotton wool or face wipes, however this is wasting a huge amount of water for items that can be disposed off in a rubbish bin. Some reports have indicated that if we stopped  flushing down items that can be easily thrown away in a rubbish bin, we would save about 27 millions litres of water a week

Have a shower instead of a bath – Taking a shower instead of taking a bath will save on water usage. It has been estimated that that a bath uses around 80 litres of water in comparison to a shower which use around 30 litres of water. Please note that this does not apply to power showers which use up more water than regular showers

Water saving  in the garden – Using a watering can rather than a hose will be useful in saving water.  It should also be noted  that rain water is better for plants than tap water. Therefore it is strongly advisable that you buy a water butt to collect the rain water for the garden

Domestic appliances in the home -  The modern dishwashers and washing machines are more up to date on energy saving. You should take advantage of this and invest in an appliance that comes with an energy label. Also, doing a full load when using the dishwasher or washing machine will assist you in saving energy