Water is one of the main necessity which keeps us alive. Without water we all can’t survive. Every human, every animal in this planet needs water to live. Water is essential for your body, helps your grow, keeps you fit, keeps your temperature at a precise level and energizes you. Without water humans will have a desert inside of their body, very dry. With water we have ways to cool our selves.

Have you ever thought about how much water you use? How much water your family uses? Have you ever wondered and thought about ways to save the water which you and your family use each and every day? Since water is the essential part of our daily life, we need to use it very wisely and take steps in saving water as much as we can.

First, how many people live in your household? Well, in my household there is me off course, my mom, dad, and my sister; so that makes it four people. Second, what is your total household use? The total household water use is 4,986.32 gallons per day. Third, What is my individual water use? The average American uses 1,190.5 gallons of water per day. On the other hand, I use 1,246.58 gallons of water per day. It is a lot. I did not even notice that I use this much water each and every day. I really do have to reduce my water usage. The ways which my family and I can reduce the use of water is to think smart.

There are many ways I and my family can reduce the usage of water in our household. We should install low flow shower heads so that we can reduce water flow by over one gallon a minute. We should also install low flow toilets, which will reduce the water flow by 2.5 gallons per flush. Third, installs low flow faucets will reduce the water flow by 3.5 gallons per minute. I and my family should spend less minutes in the shower each day, rather than spending 40 minutes in the shower, this will reduce several gallons a day. We use around 1 gallon per person per day on dish washing, which is the national average. We should most definitely try to use fewer dishes when we cook and when serving meals. We eat meat and dairy foods like an average American. Which means we indirectly consume over 1,000 gallons of water each day. By eating meat and dairy less often, we can reduce our water use by hundreds of gallons a day. Saving water is money saving, can be at times free, sometimes you have to pay a low price and most of the time can be a bit pricey. The bigger picture is that money isn’t an issue if you are saving water each and every day. Next, I have listed few ways to save water every day around the house.

The first room kitchen is used a lot , this is the main room of the house. How to save water in the kitchen? If you are washing dishes by hand, me and my family mostly wash dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running. In my household we have two basins, one we have our dish rack where we place the wet dishes on. Instead we should use that second basin, we should fill that up with water and put all the soapy dishes in it and only use the other basin for rinsing. But if you have only one basin, put soap and scrub all the dishes at once and then turn on the water to rinse all the dishes all together. When using detergent, use it less so there will be less water use for rinsing. If you use dishwasher instead of washing by hand, run the dishwasher when it is completely full only. Try to keep bottled water or pitcher in the refrigerator instead of running the tap again and again when you want to drink water.

Also, if you want to defrost food, leave them out for few hours or put them in the fridge overnight to defrost them. Wash all of your vegetables in a large bowl of water, instead of leaving on the faucet to wash them. Boil your food in less water, with less water all the flavour and the nutrients in the food stays intact. The boiled water which is left over, cool it off and use it for watering your plants. Steaming vegetables, mostly people use another pot. Instead, place the vegetables in a steamer on top of the other dish which you are boiling. You will have water and space on your stove and have fewer pots to wash. Eat meat and dairy food in small portions a day. Mostly, buy vegetables, rice and potatoes instead of beverages like chips, candies, ready made meals, sodas and other snacks. These foods take up more water than the food which came from the farm.

Bathroom is the second main room which gets used the most and where water gets used more as well. How to save water in the bathroom? Don’t take too much time in the shower, time yourself. Close the faucet when brushing teeth and while shaving. Install a low flow shower head, which will cost you money but you will save money in the future for low water usage. When taking a bath, keep water level low, do not fill the water to reach the top of the tub. Do not let the water go down the drain, instead re use the bath tub water. Re use bath water for plants and for the lawn and maybe wash the drive way with it. Fix those leaking faucets, 20 gallons of water per day gets lost from those leaky faucets. When washing your hands, turn on the water to wet your hands, turn off the water while you lather your hands, turn back on the water to rinse. This will save water and will also save the amount of soap you use. Install low flow faucets in your sink and low flow toilets in your bathroom, which use little water than normal toilets and faucets.

There are many ways to save water around the house. Use laundry machine when it is only full. Buy only a washer which is energy star certified, that will save plenty of gallons of water per load. Never over water your plants, they will tend to die. How about saving water outdoors? If you have a pool in your home cover it up,  you will save loads of gallons of water from evaporating away. Keep the pools water at a low level to reduce the amount of water lost in splashing.

If you want to play with the hose or sprinkler, play around the dry part of the lawn, so it will get watered at the same time you are playing. Water your lawn in the early morning to late evening, never water the lawn during the afternoon time, so it won’t get evaporated. Instead of using hose or sprinkler, use a drip irrigation system to water your garden. Set your sprinklers so they will only water the lawn and not the sidewalk or driveway. Also, buy a rain sensor for your automatic sprinklers, so they won’t turn on when it is going to rain. Instead of using sprinklers and hose, hand water your lawn and garden, this uses less water.

When washing your car, it takes up lots of water, you should always think smart whenever washing your car. Find a good local car wash which recycles their wash water and wash your car over there. Don’t waste the water which is coming from your hose when you wash your vehicle. Buy a pistol grip so you don’t have to turn the tap to start and stop the flow. Instead of using the hose non-stop, use your sponge and soap to clean your car, and only use your hose in the rinse cycle. Again, wash your car on your lawn, you will water your lawn and wash your car at the same time. Few other ways to save water is to set up a rain barrel under a rain gutter outside your house. You can catch hundreds of gallons to use for watering the lawn, washing the car, etc. Also set up a greywater system, this will allow you to re use the water from your sinks, laundry machine and dishwasher for watering plants and flushing toilets.

We have to save water as much as we can. This is no time to waste water. This is the time to think smart and be wise. Without water we won’t have anything. Water is the main source of growth for everything on this earth. Plants, trees, and every thing green in this plant grows cause of water. Animals and humans need water. Everything from the smallest of things to the largest of things needs water to live. If we want to stay alive we need water. It is best to save it and cherish it, instead of misuse and waste it. Saving water can save your life, you can’t see that now but one day you will.