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ON THE MOVE
IN
THE HOME
SAVE
THAT WATER!
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WATER
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Now that
I have it, how can I save water?
You
have water running in your sink, in your bathroom, and in your washing
machine. Saving water is easier than you think! The first
thing you need to know is how much water is being used at home. Here
are some examples:
-
Dishes--washing by
hand: 10-20 gallons
-
Dishes--with
dishwasher: 25 gallons per load
-
Washing hands, brushing
teeth: 10-20 gallons
-
Bath: 30-40
gallons
-
Shower: 30-60
gallons [6-10 gallons per minute]
-
Clothes washing:
30-32 gallons per load
-
Flushing a regular
toilet: 5 gallons per flush
-
Flushing a water-saving
toilet: 1.6 gallons per flush
-
Sink use per day:
20 gallons
-
Yard hose
[3/4"]: 300 gallons per hour
Most of
the time, saving water will also save money, too. If you use town
water, you are paying for it AND the fuel it takes to heat it. If
you have well water, you are paying for the fuel that it takes to heat it
AND using up valuable water.
We found out that the body needs about 3 pints of water
a day and Americans actually use about 180 gallons.
How is
water used in YOUR home?
We
were water spies in our homes for a week. Our goal was to find
things that our families did that wasted water by using a water
register. When we combined our lists, we found that our families
wasted water in the following ways.
-
30 minute showers
-
Running water while you
wash your face or brush your teeth.
-
Running a washer or
dishwasher that didn't have a full load.
-
Leaving the outside
hose on.
There
were other things like taking a full glass of water and only taking a
sip. Long showers were on everyone's list.
This helped us think of ways that we could help the
Earth by saving water. Some of these are:
-
Two words: QUICK
SHOWERS!
-
Fix leaky things like
faucets and toilets. About 20% of all toilets leak.
Toilets are the biggest user of water in the house.
-
Get a newer,
water-saving toilet. You can save between 8000-21,000 gallons of
water a year just by doing that.
-
Whenever you use a
dishwasher or clothes washer, make sure you have a full load.
-
Don't rinse your dishes
before you put them in the dishwasher. Most dishwashers have
settings for dirtier dishes.
-
When you brush your
teeth, turn off the water. Turn it on only when rinsing.
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