Special offer

Saving Water in Dry Times - 3 Things You Can Do Inside the Home

By
Real Estate Agent with Retired

As we are entering into the cool and sometimes wet season saving water might sound like something we only need to do in the summer. Not so.

Here in Georgia we are in the third year of drought. The major reservoirs are at record low water levels and we are 10" or more behind our annual average rainfall totals. It is just as important now, in the cool weather, that we use less water as it is in the summer. If we don't, our reservoirs will start the year even lower than the did last year.

Here are three easy and low cost ways we can save water inside the home:

 

1) Replace old fixed shower heads with low flow  hose fixtures.They can be found starting at about $10 and it only takes a few minutes to remove the old shower head and install the new one. This saves water two ways. First, the newer low flow heads give use less water while still providing adequate pressure and coverage. Second, you can remove the shower head from the holder and direct the spray at those areas that might be bit harder to rinse effectively with a fixed shower head, unless you are a more limber contortionist than I am.

2) Keep a bucket near your shower or tub. Use it to catch the first water that comes our of the faucet or shower head while you are waiting for the water to warm up. If you have replaced the fixed shower head with one on a hose you can easily direct the water into the bucket, otherwise, it could get a bit uncomfortable holding the bucket up to the shower head. When filling the tub, just place the bucket under the faucet. Use this collected water to water your indoor plants or to flush liquid waste (you know what I mean) down the toilet. We keep buckets in both full bathrooms.

 

3) Use a pitcher in the kitchen to catch water as you are waiting for it to heat up (for those occasions when you absolutely need warm/hot water). Use this water for watering indoor plants, etc.

Note: You can chose any color you want for the buckets and pitcher.

I like to make wooden puzzles for my grandson. I cut them out with my scrollsaw, sand and then paint them in a water based non-toxic paint. I use this collected water to wash out my paint brushes.

Contraty to popular belief, the saying "Save Water - Shower With a Friend", no matter how appealing it may sound, does not save water. Perhaps because it is too appealing. Saving our fresh water is good, not just for Georgia, but for everywhere.

Comments (20)

Debi Ernst
St. Charles County, Missouri - Prudential Alliance Realtors - O'Fallon, MO
GRI, e-PRO, Broker/Sales Associate

Mike - Those are some good water-saving tips.  You're right - Saving water is good for everywhere!  :)

Nov 08, 2008 12:30 AM
Leesa Finley
RED Properties - Wake Forest, NC
RED Properties - Raleigh NC Real Estate

Great advice, Mike.  It is amazing the LITTLE things that we can do that save HUGE amounts of water.  I am the shower timer police in my house.  Get in, get it done and get out!

Nov 08, 2008 12:42 AM
Hugh Krone
Weichert Referral Associates - Hamburg, NJ
Realtor, Sussex County NJ

Mike great pu8zzles, I agree on the water savings to, I never thought about the flexible shower hose.

Nov 08, 2008 12:43 AM
Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Debi - thanks, it is rapidly becoming one of the scarcest resources

Leesa - there are dozens of others that cost nothing, like not running the water when brushing teeth or shaving

Hugh - thanks, I love the flexible shower hose.

Nov 08, 2008 12:52 AM
Broker Nick
South Florida Real Estate & Development, Inc. - Coconut Creek, FL
Broker Nick Relocation Broker Service

That flexible shower can come in handy at the hard to reach places...lol

Nov 08, 2008 12:57 AM
Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Nick - you certainly catch all the subtleties!

Nov 08, 2008 04:46 AM
Bo Hussung
Bell Title /Triserv LLC - Nashvle, TN

Mike, tht is an awesome idea and it could be used in so many ways to collect it....water plants, fill the pets water bowl, etc.
Thanks for that

Bo

Nov 08, 2008 05:03 AM
Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing and Online Advertising Consultant
Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision - Lake Geneva, WI

I love the conservation tips but I gotta tell u, I love those puzzles you made.  If you made some commercially I would buy them.  I have a three year old and I think he would love those designs.:-)  Let me know if you ever do.

Nov 08, 2008 09:10 AM
Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Bo - I forgot about water for pets, thanks for the reminder

Rebecca - well thank you, I have not thought about marketing them commercially.

Nov 08, 2008 10:35 AM
Nancy Larson
I am a licensed referral agent in NJ - Hutchinson Island, FL

Mike, I thought you save water by showering with a friend and I just re read your post and it says it doesn't....how about a few friends instead?!

Nov 08, 2008 01:06 PM
Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Nancy - while showering with a friend can be fun and invigorating, it rarely leads to any water savings.

Nov 08, 2008 02:23 PM
Simon Conway
Orlando Area Real Estate Services - Orlando, FL

Nice blog Mike. We actually got more than our annual rainfall this year so people are not thinking about it here. HEY NICK - if you have hard to reach place, lose some weight!! :)

Nov 08, 2008 03:05 PM
Richard Weisser
Richard Weisser Realty - Newnan, GA
Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional

Mike...

thanks for the tips. Thank goodness we have had some spotty rain but we really need a few weeks of downpours to get the water tables back up. I would like to be able to wash the car again one day!

Nov 08, 2008 09:47 PM
Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Simon - lucky you, it appears you may have received some of ours

Richard - wash the car, pressure wash the house, do some new landscaping, yeah, all those things.

Nov 08, 2008 11:45 PM
Broker Nick
South Florida Real Estate & Development, Inc. - Coconut Creek, FL
Broker Nick Relocation Broker Service

Hey Mike ~ I'm just talking about the good things.

Nov 09, 2008 12:02 AM
Jim Crawford
Long & Foster - Fredericksburg, VA
Jim Crawford Broker Associate Fredericksburg VA

Great tips!  We also need so rain here in Georgia soon.  The lakes are totally drying up!

Nov 09, 2008 12:20 AM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

Yes, showering with a friend can end up being very costly indeed.

Other water saving tips: turn the water off, while you are brushing your teeth. There's no need to allow fresh water to course down the drain, while you're keeping your pearly whites, pearly white.

Replace your toilets with low flow toilets.  If you don't want to spend the money to replace the toilets right now.. make sure the "seals" on the toilet are good (the toilet shouldn't "run"), and add a "filler" to the toilet tank (don't use a brick, that can deteriorate and damage the toilet)... but a 1 quart plastic milk container, filled with water and placed in the tank, will save at least a quart of water with each flush.

Nov 09, 2008 12:35 AM
Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Nick - never thought anything different

Jim - perhaps we can hire some rain dancers

Alan - all good suggestions

Nov 09, 2008 01:11 AM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

There is a trend, in new construction, toward what's called "grey" water containers.  These are collectors that collect and filter the water from your showers, sinks, etc... and hold it in a container similar to a hot water heater (without the heating element of course), and allow that water to be re-used outdoors to water your lawn.  A great reuse of water that's clean, and will only be wasted and returned to the sewer system otherwise.

very clever.

Nov 09, 2008 02:47 AM
Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Alan - great ideas but many municipalities and states, like around here, have restrictions against using any gray water that might get into the water table.

Nov 09, 2008 04:14 AM