Water is a finite resource; what will happen once it runs out? We don't know yet but we can prevent the 'end of water' by reducing daily water consumption and this starts with YOU!
You can conserve a lot of water in the bathroom by doing simple things as in the long run, the simple things add up to a lot.
1) Turn off your tap whilst brushing your teeth
You only need to wet your brush before and after brushing your teeth, what's the use of keeping it running whilst brushing? The average person brushes their teeth for around a minute (60 seconds) and the average tap releases water at around 2.5 gallons per minute – we can cut down on 2.5 gallons (around 9 litres) of water being wasted twice a day!
2) Cut down shower time
People do enjoy their shower time, running water feels good after a rough day and psychology reports show that some people shower under warm water to compensate for human contact. However, excessive water running over your body isn't always necessary – once the body is clean, it's clean! You don't need to keep showering. Cutting down your shower time by one minute can reduce up to 5 gallons of water being wasted. Speeding up showering reduces water wastage significantly!
3) Soap on = tap off
Whilst one is applying soap on their hands or body, the tap/shower is not in use: therefore shouldn't be on. Little things like these really cut down on water wastage; not only would the water wash off the soap before it is applied properly but the water is not used efficiently.
4) Use Dual Flush Toilets
Flushing urine doesn't require the same amount of water to flush compared to flushing solid waste. The large flush uses around 1.6 gallons to flush and it is simply unnecessary to flush urine with that much water (DFTs use >1 gallon of water to flush liquid waste). Flush with less to waste less water especially when you don't need to use that much water and pressure!
5) Baths are a treat!
An average bath uses around 45 gallons of water whilst a five-minute shower only uses around 25 gallons of water. The US EPA states that baths use a lot more water than showers (in general), therefore we should only use baths when it is a treat (once a month?)! There are also research reports proving that showers give healthier skin so not only do baths waste more water, they also are, relatively, ineffective for cleansing the body.
6) Fix Your Leaks Leakages in your house are one of the biggest water wasters worldwide. Even just one drip every second can lead up to a litre wasted every few minutes! Imagine how much water you are wasting if you don't fix a leak for a few months. Not only would you be saving money on your water bill by fixing your leaks, but you'll be saving the planet too!
7) Decrease Electricity Usage
No, our phones don't use water to an extent where we need to stop using our phones but what we need to do is cut down electricity usage from power sockets. Power plants need thousands of gallons to cool down once used, the conservation of energy allows for the conservation of water!
These simple 'hacks' will reduce our water wastage drastically daily and won't even adversely affect us! We just have to go out of our way to reduce our water wastage for a few weeks until it becomes a habit then BAM! Our 'water footprint' reduces and we contribute to our movement making the world a more sustainable place.