Water Tips
- Never turn on a water tap and leave the room.
- When hand-washing dishes, don’t fill the sink exclusively with hot water – add cold water as well.
- After hand-washing dishes, do not rinse clean dishes under hot water in order to ‘air-dry faster’ -- this does not significantly reduce the drying time and is a waste of hot water.
- Do not start hand-washing dishes and get distracted. Finish the job so you don’t have to empty and refill the sink with warm water again.
- If something is stuck to the bottom of a pot or pan after cooking, add some water and let it soak before scrubbing. Do not hold the pot or pan underneath continuously running water.
- When preparing food, fill the sink or a pan with water to wash fruits and vegetables. Keep the water level to a minimum – the idea is to clean the food items, not float them.
- If you have a dishwasher, don’t rinse dishes in the sink beforehand-- Just scrape the leftover food off before you load into the dishwasher.
- Turn the tap water off while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face. Continuously running the tap wastes a lot of water.
- Don’t use the toilet to dispose of facial tissues, dental floss or other waste items.
- Take short, 5-minute showers. Don’t lose track of time!
- Have a shower instead of a bath, as showering uses about half as much hot water. Find other activities to relax and unwind.
- If you have young children that you put in the bathtub, use medium temperature water and keep water levels low. The rubber ducky will still float!
- Follow your hair stylist’s advice and don’t wash your hair every day.
- If you are feeling cold in the winter, use a hot water bottle if you have one. It uses a lot less water than a hot shower.
- If you have a leaky faucet, alert the appropriate contact for your building so they can deal with it. A constant drip wastes a lot of water.
- If your toilet handle frequently sticks in the flush position and causes water to run constantly, alert the appropriate contact for your building so they can deal with it.
- When drinking tap water, don’t ‘let it run’ to cool the water down. Use an ice cube instead or try keeping a pitcher of cold water in the fridge.