For all the pasta lovers out there, when cooking pasta, save the water that would normally go down the drain by either pouring the water in another pot or, if you can, purchasing a pot with an inbuilt colander.
I make sure that all the pipes in our house (toilet, laundry, sink) are all free of leak to ensure no water is wasted.
Invest in water bottles for the family. Usually, when the Kids are thirsty and want water, they get a glass of water but only take a few sips and toss the rest. Water bottles ensure that all water is consumed. Keep it in the fridge within their reach.
If you rent an older house like me - Request your landlord install water saving fittings. A good time to do this is rent renewal/negotiation time. If you own a rental property, ensure it has water saving fittings installed.
Put colored dye in your toilet's cistern to test if it's slowly leaking into the bowl.
I use sugar Cane mulch around my Tomato plants and Liquid fertilizer so I don't need to use as much water. I also closely follow the BOM website and if I can see rain is forecast I don't water them at all.
Whenever I am doing cooking which uses a large amount of water that stays relatively clean (like soaking rice paper to make rice paper rolls), I use whatever is leftover to water my plants.
If you can, plant native plants that are both drought-tolerant AND produce flowers known to attract native bee species. That way your garden is more likely to survive and thrive even through the tough dry periods but you're also doing your bit to pollinate other plants and even help increase the nations' honey stocks!
Three birds with one swim! Not only does my daughter have fun/gets a bath but the garden and lawn get watered too!!
We all know that backwashing your pool sand filter can waste thousands of litres per year, well, I have worked out a way to minimise this! It's a bit technical and a bit of work but – Backwash your pool into a settling tank. Let the dirt settle to the bottom of the tank and then pump the clear water on the top back into your pool.
We place a bucket outdoors under our evaporative air con wall unit right under the drip hole. The water collected is used on our outdoor potted plants and reminds me to water them in dry periods.
I use the bath to wash and then I pump out the water from upstairs, down the roof and into the 240 litre rubbish bin underneath. I then use the water for the garden.
We have a condenser dryer that captures the steam and collects it as water. We then use this on the garden.
I always brush my teeth in the shower, the only time multitasking actually works for the better
A simple water saving trick is to only turn the taps in the kitchen and bathroom on a little bit when I use them, instead of full power. It might take a few seconds longer, but I'm not wasting water and I splash less too.
Consider changing your shower routine from a 'water running' activity to one where you only need to initially wet your body and then perform a rinse-off of any lathering.
I wait until I have a reasonable size load before doing the laundry - less washes equals less water!
If possible, try installing a water efficient shower head and making sure you do the taps real tight! Just by changing the shower head to an efficient one, you can save over 10,000 litres of water every year!
Over summer, I've been taking cold showers instead of hot showers, and this means I'm taking very short showers! Besides saving water in the most wasteful household location, a quick cold shower leaves me feeling invigorated for the day ahead.
We only run the dishwasher when it is at full capacity.
Empty out the kid's school water bottles into indoor plants or the garden, rather than pouring them down the sink
I leave a small water jug next to the kitchen sink. Every half-finished glass of water or unused kids water bottle is tipped in and this water is used for plants. Great way to reduce water consumption and a great visual reminder to take care of the house plants.
I reuse the water from washing my veggies in the kitchen to water my plants in the garden.
Instead of a regular shower timer, select a 3 minute song to play on your smart phone. When the song (and maybe the singalong) finishes, it's time to hop out.
My conditioner must be left in for 3-5 minutes for best results, so during this time, I brush my teeth. Multitasking saves water and time.
You can use your kettle to heat your water instead of running the tap until it gets warm.
I keep a drink jug handy near the kitchen sink. I fill it up while waiting for the hot water to come through, then use it as drinking water or to water my plants.
I’ve installed an automated sprinkler system for my garden. It’s programmed to come on before the sun rises so I can minimise the water my garden needs to be healthy over summer. I’ve even got a digital rain gauge that prevents my sprinklers from operating after a bout of rain.
No rocket science here, but throughout the day we all empty our water bottles into some bowls scattered around our native garden for the birds and insects to enjoy.
We keep a bucket in the shower for the "warm up" water and pour it into our top loader washing machine - it's usually about 3-4 litres of water per shower that would have otherwise gone down the drain. During summer we let the bucket fill as we shower and use it to water our plants!
My kinder children have a mud kitchen. We have taught them to use their play water to then water our plants. They enjoy this so much and we love embedding sustainability into our daily program.
In winter, I empty my hot water bottle into the garden in the mornings.
I lived out in Ararat growing up so we’ve been through water restrictions and know how precious it can be. One of the things I learnt through that experience is putting a bucket in the shower to collect the cold water while it is heating up. Then we would use that extra water on the garden outside.
I use my little dog Milo’s drinking water for watering the plants. I change his drinking water every second day and pour it into house plants and it is perfectly fine.
I try to take shorter showers, sometimes I’ll set a timer on my phone and leave it on the bathroom bench when I’m getting ready in the morning. Then I am forced to get out of the shower to turn it off.
I teach patients to spit and not rinse. The only water used is at the start to rinse their brush and the end to clean it.
Even more ways to be efficient with water
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