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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