April 30, 2008
Save Water in your bathroom
Top water saving tips for your bathroom.
It’s easy to save water around the home - you just need to pay attention to what you’re doing. Simple behavioural changes are just as important in the fight against water shortages as fixing leaking taps and buying water-smart appliances.
Here’s a list of handy tips to help you save water around the home.
In general
- Make sure you don’t have leaks. Find a two-hour period when no-one in your house will be using water. Check the water meter at the beginning and end of the two-hour period. If your meter has changed at all, something is leaking.
- If you have a leaky tap, replace the washer. A tap leaking at the rate of one drop per second can waste around 10,000L of water every year.
- Hot water will reach taps much faster if the pipes that carry it are properly insulated. This shortens the time you have to leave the tap running before you get hot water.
- Retrofit existing taps with aerators or flow restrictors.
- New taps installed in any part of the home should be WELS-rated with an aerator or flow restrictor built in.
In the bathroom
- WELS-rated showerhead use only 7L of water per minute. Old-style showerheads use up to 20L per minute.
- Don’t leave the water running while cleaning your teeth or shaving. Use the plug to reserve a little water for rinsing instead.
- Don’t let cold water run down the drain while you’re waiting for your shower to heat up. Instead, capture the water in a bucket and use it to water your plants.
- If you have an older toilet with a large capacity, try putting a bottle filled with water or a brick in the cistern to reduce the amount of water used with each flush.
- If you’re installing a new toilet, buy one with a WELS-rating. These use just 3-6L of water with each flush,
- Even if your toilet is only leaking slightly it can waste many thousands of litres of water every year. An old trick is to put food dye in the cistern and check the basin 30 minutes later. If the water is coloured, you need to check for worn or corroded parts.
- Try to restrict your shower time - five minutes is plenty of time to get clean. Put a timer in the shower if it’s hard to keep track.
- Save baths for special occasions and don’t use more water than you need.
Original article from renovate.realestate.com
Small Bathroom Design Tips
When renovating a small bathroom you want to try and give the illusion of space. Consider the following:
The illusion of height
Vertical lines add height to a room by drawing the eye upwards. Tiles that are extended to the ceiling can make a small bathroom feel larger. Painting a vertical stripe or using a similar wallpaper pattern is also a good idea.
Another way to draw the eye upwards is by lining the edge, or ‘crown’ of the ceiling with a border; perhaps a cornice, or a patterned tile around the top of the walls.
Lights and mirrors
- Mirrors are a great way to add depth, width and length to a small room but be careful not to over do it, one mirror is generally enough. The mirror will also help to distribute light throughout the room.
- Clear shower screens as opposed to opaque gives the illusion of more space and light. A fully frameless shower screen doesn’t create any visual barriers at all and can work brilliantly in a small bathroom.
- Make use of natural light. A skylight will solve problems if the room is oriented away from the sun.
- Illuminating the perimeter of the room will make it seem larger, and also get rid of dark corners. A good idea is to place shelves on the walls near the ceiling and fit lights underneath them.
Colour
- The key word is ‘simple’. For example, don’t use a busy wallpaper pattern, as the room will seem smaller and more cluttered.
- Light coloured walls, floors and décor can make a room seem larger. We suggest using pastel tones, neutrals or whites.
Tiles
- Larger tiles create a sense of space, as do rectified porcelain tiles. Because of the way they are made, rectified porcelain tiles are identically-shaped, meaning narrower grout lines and less visual fuss.
- The feeling of space can be generated by more visible tiled floor. This can be produced with floating cabinets and a pedestal or wall mounted sink. The vanity unit on the other hand, takes up a lot of floor space and is best avoided.
Storage, sinks and baths
- Pedestal basins are a great way of adding space, as they don’t sit atop a bulky structure. However, when choosing one of these basins, keep in mind your storage needs, and look for one with a bench.
- Make sure you include adequate storage as clutter only exacerbates the problems of a small bathroom. Exposed shelving, recessed cabinets and floating cabinets are a good option, with the latter leaving more exposed floor space.
- Placing your windows near the ceiling will free up wall space for your storage needs.
- Placing the toilet in an alcove will make efficient use of a small bathroom, and above the toilet is a great place to fit a shelf, too.
- If you want to include a relaxing bath then head for a small but deep model.
Doors
- A sliding door gives more room than a normal hinged door, and can be hidden in an in-wall cavity for a clean look.
- If you are using a hinged door, don’t clutter your walls with towel racks. Hang them on the back of the door instead.
Original Article: Sebastian Vasta on 16 Aug 2007 9:19am
