What: Do we really know how much water is wasted in the shower? Every day, three billion gallons of water flow through showerheads in the United States—half of it unnecessarily! The toll this excess takes on one of our most precious resources, clean water, is a blow to both the environment and your budget. A 5 minute shower would use 20 gallons of water, but with an older unrestricted shower head, it could be more! One of the best ways to save money and avoid wasting water is indeed to limit the amount of water used when showering.
Why: Indoors, 3/4 of all water is used in the bathroom. Showers use around 12% of the water used in the household, so by being water efficient in the shower, you can save money not only on your water bill, but on your energy bill too. By making a few quick changes, such as spending as little as $30 and replacing faucets and showers with low-flow fixtures can cut out about 45 of those gallons each day. If you splurge on a low-flow toilet, you’re down to almost half the water, saving lots of precious water.
How: Water use in showers can be reduced very easily without conflicting with your shower experience. Here’s how:
Take shorter showers. When you get into the shower, get the water to whatever you want the temperature, wet yourself all down and then turn the water off. Then soap yourself up, wash your hair and body. When you’re ready to rinse off, turn the water back on and then rinse yourself off.
If your shower fills a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the showerhead with a water-efficient model. Aerated showerheads reduce the amount of water in the flow, but maintain pressure by mixing air in with the water. Just like a normal showerhead, they produce a steady, even spray. Low flow showerheads reduce the amount of water that is used, while still giving you the full feel of a normal shower.
Consider installing a shower timer. A shower timer shows how much time you have spent in the shower. If everyone used a shower timer, we would save enough water to supply one million one million homes every day. (See tip below)
When running a bath, plug the tub before turning the water on, then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up. Lowering the temperature on your water heater from 140 to 120 degrees will reduce your water heating costs by 6 to 10%.
Turn off the water while you shave and save up to 300 gallons a month. Also, don’t clean your razor on running water from the sink faucet. While you’re at it, consider washing your face or brushing your teeth while in the shower.
TIP: Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 150 gallons per month. If you don’t have a shower timer, you can use your cooking timer or your cell phone.
Green Blossoms is a sustainable clothing company based in Los Angeles, California. Our clothes are made from bamboo, organic cotton and corn and are designed for the modern woman. We love helping women live green and healthy lives, and have FUN doing it!
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One Response to How To Be Water-Friendly In The Shower
Hey that’s really a great idea to save the water, because while taking shower a lot of water get wasted and this is really a great post to save the shower water.