Reducing the amount of water you use not only lowers your household bills, but also helps save the planet – it’s a win-win situation! The best part of all though is that you can significantly lower your water usage by following just a few basic steps to help save water in your bathroom, which we’ve outlined below.
Fix leaky pipes, taps and shower heads
First and foremost, there’s no point in trying to save water if you’ve got leaking pipes or dripping taps. All your hard work trying to save water will be undone by these minor little defects, which is why you need to either fix them yourself or get someone in to do it for you.
According to Southern Water, a single tap dripping once a second can waste 7,665 litres of water a year.
Turn taps off while brushing your teeth or washing your face
If a dripping tap can waste that much water, imagine how much is wasted when you leave the tap running while you’re brushing your teeth or washing your face. You could literally save gallons of water every month by remembering to turn the tap off while you’re brushing.
Wet your toothbrush with a trickle of water at the start and then turn the water on again when you’re ready to rinse your mouth.
Take shorter showers over baths To save water
While a long, hot bath is sometimes exactly what you need at the end of a long day, consider taking showers wherever possible (short ones at that). That’s because an average length shower uses much less water than a bath.
It’s estimated that we use around 2.5 gallons of water per minute while we shower, which is why reducing your shower by even one minute can have a significant impact.
You can even consider upgrading your shower head to one that’s low-flow, but high pressure – a really cheap, yet very effective decision.
Swap your existing toilet for a low-flush one
This is the most expensive step on this short list, but it’s one that can really save you a lot of water. Low-flush toilets hold less water than their standard counterparts. In fact, installing a low-flush toilet can result in a more than 50% saving on water.
[Related reading: Choosing A New Toilet | Buying Essentials For Your Bathroom]
Toilets are also a prime candidate to leak, which is why you should regularly inspect behind yours to ensure it’s not losing water. As well as wasting water, leaks in your bathroom can also cause mould to appear.
