Save Money and the Environment by Saving Water

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In-Home Water Conservation When beginning your conservation, a good place to start is your faucets. All faucets, from your kitchen sink to your showerhead, have the potential to leak. You should routinely check each one for worn washers and replace if needed. If left untreated, leaky faucets can waste up to 20 gallons of water per day. You can also be more conscious of how long your daily showers are and how much water you use during each rinse. Consider turning the shower off while soaping up and then turning it back on when you need to rinse off. Another great way to reduce shower water usage is to install a low-flow showerhead and aerator — these save up to 15 gallons of water for each 10-minute shower.

Related: Energy Tip: 5 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Water Bill

When it comes to wasted water, your toilet and washing machine are prime culprits. On average, nearly 20 gallons of water are flushed down the toilet per day, and 40 gallons of water are used for each load of laundry in a top loading laundry machine. To prevent your toilet from wasting water, try placing a large object like brick in the tank. This displaces much of the unnecessary water used during flushing. When it comes to reducing the environmental impact of your washing machine, your best bet is to invest in either a front-loading washing machine (which uses on average only 20 gallons per load), or find an energy efficient top-loading washing machine.

Garden/Lawn Water Conservation

Although many cities implement mandatory restrictions on yard watering throughout the summer, there are still other ways to reduce the amount of water you use all throughout the year. Take plants for example; there are many plants out there that are naturally drought-resistant and require very little watering. An easy guide to follow is to stick to buying plants that are native to your area, and group like plants together so you can make sure each plant is receiving the correct amount of moisture.

When it’s time to water your lawn, try and do it in the early morning when there’s little sunshine so that the water used isn’t quickly evaporated. It also helps to give your lawn a deep soaking to make sure that water is reaching the necessary root systems. This helps to extend the length between each soaking.

Importance of Water Conservation Reducing the amount of water you use on a daily basis isn’t just about saving a few bucks here and there. It’s a habit that we all must adopt and continue throughout the year to help improve the cleanliness of our overall environment. Much of the water we use drains to local treatment plants before being returned to nearby lakes and rivers, but an over abundance of water drainage can lead to overflow that directly pollutes our natural habitat. The best way to counteract this is to be more conscious of your daily water usage habits.

Many of your major home appliances and systems can experience occasional leaks that result in wasted water. With a home warranty from American Home Shield you can protect your budget and the environment by repairing or replacing any covered major home appliance and system that breaks down over time.