Updated: 09/08/2022 12:03:53

Water Saving Solutions We All Need

Beat the hosepipe ban with our top tips to save water.

Reuse your water and keep the garden watered over during heatwaves!

There are a number of ways of reusing your water around the home. Various types of wastewater are perfect for watering indoor outdoor plants as well as lawns and driveways. This is a great way to keep your garden watered during dry weather and hosepipe bans.

• Shower water - Collecting shower water is one of the easiest ways to reuse your greywater. You can collect shower water by simply plugging the drain if your shower is over a bathtub, or use a large bucket to collect shower water. This can then be used for watering outdoor flowers and lawns.
• Cooking water - Water used to boil vegetables and pasta is extremely high in nutrients, making it great for watering the garden. Just collect the water in pots and use it once it has cooled down.
• Warm-up water - A lot of water can be wasted just by waiting for your shower or bath water to warm up. Collect this water in a bowl where you can easily remove it once your water has reached your desired temperature. This water can be used around the house as it is still clean.
• Stale ice and water - If you've stored water or ice for a long time they can pick up a stale taste or even bacteria. With the ice, why not try spreading it on the garden where it can melt and water the plants. The used drinking water can be used to wash utensils or around the house as it's still fairly clean.
• Rainwater - Invest in a water butt or barrel to collect rainwater which can then be used to water outdoor plants and lawns.
• Car washing - Soapy car water is harmless to lawns so if possible, try to wash your car near to your lawn, where the water can run off and absorb into the garden.

Shower or bath?

Replace your bath with a shower for an easy way to save water. However, you'll need to keep your showers to less than 10 minutes long to benefit from water savings. Ideally, showers of less than 4 minutes are great when you're on a water meter. Get in touch with your provider, they can often provide free shower timers to help with this.

Turn off the tap

A running tap can waste as much as 6 litres of water a minute, so make sure you turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. If you're washing vegetables before cooking, fill up a bowl of water beforehand instead of running your veg under the tap.

Keep water jugs in the fridge

A lot of water can be wasted on a hot day just by running the tap until the water runs cold. Run the tap directly into a jug and keep this in the fridge for quick cold water without the waste!

Be kettle smart

The main advice for kettles is to try and only fill up with as much as you'll need to make yourself a cup of tea. This saves water and energy! Most kettles have indicators to let you know how much you'll need for each cup. If you do fill up too much, why not pour the excess into a thermos flask to keep for later?

Fill your dishwasher

Using a dishwasher over hand washing is not only going to save you on arguments after dinner, but it saves water. Switching to a dishwasher can save over 6000L a year. Skip the pre rinse to save another 1000L. To save water and energy, make sure you fill your dishwasher before turning it on.

Aerate your water

You can buy a number of cheap adaptors for your taps that aerate the supply, meaning you can enjoy the same levels of water pressure whilst using significantly less water.

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