As the hustle and bustle approaches the holiday season, we look forward to our annual festivities and holiday gatherings…and keeping up our conservation efforts! Here are some easy indoor and outdoor steps to keep in mind as you prepare for the holidays!
Picking guests up from the airport and want to look spiffy?
- Run those final full loads of laundry and save 6 gallons per load.
- Consider a car wash instead of washing your car at home! When you take your car to a car wash that recycles and treats the water, you save nearly all the water that is used!
Kitchen
- Plan ahead and thaw frozen foods, like turkeys and hams, in the refrigerator in place of a sink full of water.
- Collect the water used to wash fruits and vegetables to water indoor and outdoor plants – including your Christmas tree, if you have one.
- Use the proper-sized pots and pans for cooking – larger pots may require more water than necessary for the food being prepared.
- Scrape leftover food from plates into the garbage instead of rinsing them or washing scraps down the garbage disposal.
- Use the dishwasher, when possible, but make sure it is full. A full dishwasher is much more efficient than washing by hand and can save 24 gallons of water per load!
- If you need to wash dishes by hand, fill one basin with soapy water and fill the other with rinse water – no need to let the water run continuously!
- Use a single glass per day or use glass markers to reuse the same glass.
Bathroom
You might think more guests staying in your home means more water use. But there are so many great ways to keep your water use low!
- Check your home, such as faucets and toilets, for leaks before holiday guests arrive and make any necessary repairs. Leaky faucets and toilets can waste 10,000 gallons in just one month!
- Consider installing faucet aerators or low-flow shower heads which can drastically reduce water use at every use. Using a water-efficient showerhead can reduce water use by up to 50%.
- Consider upgrading to a high-efficiency toilet or washing machine, which can drastically reduce water usage in the home year-round.
Outdoors
- Water your plants with leftover (melted) ice following a holiday party.
- Adjust your sprinklers to the forecast when going out of town for the holidays. Install a smart controller and make sure to turn off your sprinklers when it rains. Doing this could save 12 to 15 gallons of water each time the sprinklers run.
- Use a broom to clean up the yard instead of a hose and save 6 gallons of water per minute!
Keep in mind that you can spread holiday cheer and savings no matter where you are! Many local water agencies offer yard transformation rebates of up to $3 per square foot. Be sure to visit saveourwater.com/yardrebates to see if your local water agency offers yard transformation rebates.
For more information on water-saving techniques, visit SaveOurWater.com.