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In the bathroom:
- Check your toilets for leaks. Put a little food coloring
in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the color begins
to appear in the bowl, you have a leak that should be repaired
immediately.
- Check faucets and pipes for leaks. The smallest drip from
a worn washer can waste 20 or more gallons a day. Larger leaks
can waste hundreds.
- Replace your old toilet with a low-flow toilet. Ultra low-flush
toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. Old toilets
use three to six gallons per flush.
- Do not use the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket.
- If you have an older toilet, place an inch of sand in a
quart-size bottle, fill it with water, and place it in the
tank away from the operating mechanism. You can save five
or more gallons a day.
- Take shorter showers.
- Install water-saving showerheads or flow restrictors. Your
local hardware or plumbing supply store stocks inexpensive,
easy to install fixtures.
- Take baths. A bath in a partially filled tub uses less water
than all but the shortest showers.
- Turn off the water while you are shaving and brushing your
teeth.
In the kitchen and laundry:
- Use your washing machine and dishwasher only for full loads.
- Check faucets and pipes for leaks.
- If you wash dishes by hand, do not leave the water running.
- Use the garbage disposal less often.
- Do not let the faucet run while you clean vegetables.
- Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator.
- Check faucets and pipes for leaks.
Outdoors:
Most outdoor water waste occurs through water-intensive landscaping
and improper outdoor watering.
- Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets, and couplings.
Check frequently and keep them drip-free.
- Water your lawn only when it needs it. A good way to see
if your lawn needs watering is to step on the grass. If it
springs back up when you move, it does not need water.
- Water deeply and less often. Deep watering encourages healthy
growth.
- Water between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. for minimal evaporation.
- Make sure you are watering your yard, not your driveway
or the street.
- Use a broom instead of a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks.
- Wash your car with a bucket of soapy water, using the hose
only to rinse.
- Do not let your children play with the hose and sprinklers.
- Install a properly designed irrigation system with a moisture
sensor.
- Decrease your turf area to 25 percent of your yard. Increase
mulched beds, trees, vines and ground-covered areas to 75
percent.
- Mulch, mulch, mulch! Mulch retains moisture, cools the ground
and decreases the need for watering
- Mow your grass at the right height. Check with your nursery
or the Virginia Extension Office for specifics on your type
of grass.
- Select plants that are native to the area, have low water
needs, and are shade producing.
- Install a rain gauge in your lawn to measure when your
grass actually needs watering.
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