50+ Brilliant Ways To Save Water At Home And Garden-Part 3

In our honest efforts to save water at home and garden, we have already learnt following in the Part 1 & Part 2

Simple solutions to conserve water and reduce its wastage

A) Bathroom and Laundry
B) Toilet
C) Kitchen

Now it’s time to concentrate on,

D) Garden and Outdoor
E) Other

• A quick recap at solutions to conserve water at your home and garden

So, let’s start!

D) Garden and Outdoor

1) Water your plants without wasting the water

Daily water requirement of the plants depends on several factors like your location, recent weather conditions, and the type of plant etc.

Use plants that require less water

Choose plants with the appropriate water and cultural needs, that will thrive on your site.Planting low maintenance local plants and vegetables is always better than wasting lot of water, time, money and energy on maintaining a fancy looking foreigner plant.

Mulch

Covering your ground with mulch (decaying leaves, wooden chips, or compost) or putting some mulch around your plants

Increases the ability of the soil to retain moisture.
Promotes slow evaporation of moisture
Adds vital nutrients to the soil
Discourages weed growth.
Mulched plants lose 25% less water than unmulched plants.
Press the mulch down around the dripline of each plant to form a slight depression which will prevent / minimize water runoff.

Water at the right time

If you water your plants under the hot sun, most of the water will get evaporated and your plants will always look thirsty.Hence, water your plants in the evening / early in the morning to reduce the evaporation of water.

How to water your plants?

If you have a small lawn, try to water it by hand rather than using a hose or sprinkler whenever possible.This way you will have more control over the amount of water and can easily cut down water usage by 50-60%. You can also use various DIY methods for drip irrigation to minimize the usage of water even further.

Don’t overdo it

Many of us over-water our gardens or water it so fast that, most of the water runs down the slope rather than getting absorbed by the soil. This is not only wasteful, but also can ruin the health of your precious plant.

Understand your soil

Sometimes, people check the look and feel of the soil before watering and think- If it’s damp, it’s fine; if it’s dry, it’s time to water. Although this method is better than overwatering your plants, this can’t be a hard and fast rule either.

A dry surface is not always a sign of water need. The surface generally dries out first and is not a true indicator of what is going on down deep near the plant root. So, always use a hand trowel or soil probe to check for moisture.

Your soil plays a vital role in retaining the water. If you have clay soil, it might feel damp whether it’s irrigated or not and sandy soil can feel dry, even if it has water in it.So, you need to study / observe and understand the behavior of your soil and plants first.

Deep watering is the best!-Learn from the story

First, let me tell you a very beautiful and interesting story.

I saw a video about 2 people staying in 2 different bungalows who shared the same compound wall. One was a young man, and another was an old retired guy.

They had planted identical saplings on either side of the compound. Young guy gave lot of water and manure to his plants, whereas retired man gave just a little water and manure.

As a result, young guy’s plants grew bigger and looked healthier in no time as compared to retired man’s much smaller plants.

One night, there was a heavy rainfall with strong wind gusts. In the next morning, young guy’s plants were uprooted, while surprisingly old man’s plants were unharmed.

Young guy felt frustrated and asked the old man about why his plants failed to survive even after so much of care and old man’s plants remained unharmed even after not taking care of his plants properly.

Old man explained- young guy gave everything in abundance. So, the roots of his plants never had to go deep down in search of water or minerals. These superficial roots couldn’t withstand the onslaught of nature.

But old man was supplying just enough to keep his plants alive. So, the roots had to go deeper in the ground to fulfil their needs and these strong deep roots kept the plant alive in extreme conditions.

Lovely story, isn’t it?

We are going to use the same technique here.

Deep watering means watering less frequently but for longer periods, so water reaches deep into soil. This method encourages roots to go deep down in the soil, where it is moist and a lot cooler. Good thorough watering promotes healthier plants.

Newly planted trees and shrubs take time to establish deep root systems, and depend on surface water for survival. Hence, they need frequent watering and care.

Once the roots go deeper and deeper, we can reduce the frequency and amount of watering even further. Most plants will normally wilt in hot sun and may recover on their own, later in the day as the sun moves.

Don’t wait for the water shortage to hit your area. Be wise like old retired man from the story and prepare your plants from day 1 to survive in the extreme conditions and natural disasters.

2) Wash your car smartly

Are you wasting too much water while washing your car?

Most of us wash our vehicles at home because we think it will work out cheaper than going to the car wash. Which is true only if we take some precautions to reduce the wastage. Otherwise all these efforts are good for nothing.

Don’t run the hose:

Using a hose to wash down your vehicle can waste roughly 80-140 gallons (approx. 300-500 litres) of water. A car wash, on the other hand, uses only 30-45 gallons (approx. 100-150 litres) of water.So, it’s better to use a bucket for washing your car. You can also clean the nearby ground with a broom rather than using a hose.

We always use a bucket and a mug to wash our car and it hardly takes 5-8 gallons (approx. 20-30 litres) of water.

Reuse the water:

Many professional car washes recycle waste water by sending it to treatment plants to help prevent the environmental pollution. Whereas, at homes, water is usually lost down drains.

When washing the car, you can park it very close to the lawn in such a way that, the used water drains into the lawn instead of it being directed down the drain.

Soap water cannot harm the grass/ small shrubs and they can easily grow on this water. Just don’t use this method near edible plants and veggies as they can absorb the chemicals from soap water and end up on your plate.

3) Do you really need that fountain?

Water fountain looks just great in a front yard/ inside our house and feels classy. It attracts all the chirpy birds and it’s a great fun for kids too. Especially, during parties and get together, it can become a huge center of attraction.

But what about rest of the days? You need to clean, change/ refill water regularly as well as use energy on water pumps and lighting.

Aren’t you wasting water and energy unnecessarily by keeping it on for all the time? Just think about it.

4) Give a break to your swimming pool

Well, private swimming pool is a symbol of luxury. But, when the water shortage hits your area, it can restrict the regular usage and maintenance of your pool.

Using a public swimming pool or sharing your pool with neighbours can save lot of water.
Don’t forget to Install covers on pools to avoid loss of water due to evaporation. It may also help you to keep your swimming pool cleaner for longer time by avoiding contact with dirt and dry leaves etc.
Last but not the least, no matter how pleasant it may feel, control your emotions and don’t pee in a pool. You will make it so stinky, especially during the water shortage, when you can’t even change the water frequently!

E) Other

1) Fix your leaks

Old and worn faucet washers and gaskets frequently cause leaks in faucets. Such faucets are the primary culprit of water wastage.

If you have a single faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second, it can waste more than 3,000 gallons (Approx. 11,400 Liter) of water per year. It’s like paying money for roughly 180 showers that you never actually took!

So, always check and repair the leakages in your faucet, showerheads and toilet flushing system.

How to check for hidden water leaks?

We can easily notice and fix the leaky faucets, but what about the hidden leakages in the system? Well, that’s difficult!

Many times people pay for gallons of water without even using it, just because of the internal leakage in the system.

So, in order to check if there is any hidden leakage in your system, read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leakage and you need to fix it.

2) Reuse dirty aquarium water

If you have a fish tank at home, you must be changing its water regularly. Generally, we throw away the old dirty water, but thanks to the fishes, this water contains materials such as nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and ammonium and other microorganisms found in soil sediments, which can act as great natural fertilizer for your plants.

So, next time, instead of disposing of the dirty water, use it in your farm /gardens and see the magic.

Don’t water plants from salt water aquariums as it can harm the plants due to high salt content.

3) Don’t forget your AC

As warm air is cooled by an air conditioning system, humidity in the air forms condensation. Typically, this water is drained into a pump / floor drain or outside. Air conditioners can dump hundreds of gallons of water each year.

Although this water cannot be used for drinking / household activities, it water can be easily collected in a bucket or a barrel for outdoor cleaning. You can also channel that water to a nearby garden, with a simple rubber tube and some creative pipe work.

4) Cut your hair short

Everyone loves their hair. Especially, if you are a woman, long-strong and well-maintained hair can enhance your beauty tremendously, making you highly attractive.

Sometimes, people keep long hair to respect their traditions. But, maintaining them is not an easy task. It takes lot of efforts, time, money in buying products and most importantly, lot of water to wash them.

If you are staying in a drought affected area, you may not be able to wash your hair regularly to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. As a result, your hair will become rough, musty, tangled, itchy and in worst scenario, you may even catch lice. Your dirty hair can trigger other health related issues too.

Beauty and old traditions are important, but they can never be more important than your health.

So, if your area is badly affected by the drought, just cut your hair as short as you can manage in order to maintain proper hygiene. You can anyways grow them back, once the water shortage is in control.

5) Install a grey water recycling system

Grey water is the used water that comes from our baths, showers, washing machines, basins and kitchen sinks. Recycling this water is an excellent way to save water and money.

This system can save around 35% of the water that otherwise would have flushed out in the drain. It is connected to the plumbing system of the house and automatically treats used water from the bathroom, kitchen and laundry rooms for reuse in laundry, toilet flushing, and irrigation of plants.

Pros:

It’s eco-friendly:

It reduces the fresh water consumption to a great extent, and gives you the satisfaction of doing something good to save our planet.

It’s pocket friendly too:

Due to the lower consumption of fresh water, it could help to cut your water bills significantly.

Your septic tank may live longer:

If you have a septic tank, switching to grey water reduces the amount of water you’re passing through the tank for treatment, which could help in extending its life.

Cons:

Higher upfront cost:

The cost of installing a grey water system can be expensive.

It’s not for everyone:

This system is more beneficial if your water consumption is more. If you have a small home/ setup with a limited water usage, then the grey water system may cost you more than the savings in water bills you actually make.

Hence, a proper calculation and planning is required before installation. You can probably achieve greater savings more quickly and economically by simply using fresh water more carefully.

Needs proper maintenance:

Storing used water as grey water allows micro-organisms to breed and may present a health hazard. Hence, it needs to be either filtered before being stored, chemically disinfected, or stored for short periods of time.

In most of the grey water systems, old water is automatically flushed out, if it is not used for too long, in order to reduce the chance of bacterial contamination.

6) Install a rain water harvesting system

Rainwater harvesting simply means collecting and storing rainwater in deep pits or reservoirs for later usage. It’s very easy and suitable for both urban as well as rural areas. It’s a very effective method of water conservation and has many advantages:

It is cost effective and requires low upfront investment
Reduces the dependency on ground water
It can greatly shrink your water bills
Easy to maintain
Can reduce erosion and flooding of low-lying areas

To get more information on the various rainwater harvesting techniques, read the following article.

https://vicharoo.com/environment/water/rainwater-harvesting-advantages-disadvantages-methods-1/

A Quick Recap At Solutions To Conserve Water At Your Home And Garden:

Bathroom

Don’t keep the water running while brushing or shaving
Don’t brush your teeth in the shower
When shaving, rinse your razor in a cup instead of under running water
Use faucet aerator to reduce the flow of water
Make the most of your nearby natural water sources like beach, lake, river, well, waterfall etc. to take a bath whenever possible
Avoid using bath tub, or at least take a shallow bath
Share a bath with your partner or siblings.
Take short showers
Use water saving shower head
While waiting for hot water to come, keep a bucket under shower/ faucet to prevent the initial cold water from going down the drain.
Use bucket for bathing with minimum water

Laundry

Use smart washing machine which consumes less water and energy
Wash only full loads of laundry
Use the appropriate water level or load size
Reuse the waste water from washing machine to mop the floors or clean the drainage

Toilet

Don’t use your toilet as a waste bin by flushing away all the random things; even if it says ‘biodegradable’ or ‘flushable’ on the packaging
Use low-flow toilets or install a dual flush toilet
Make your old toilet more water efficient, by keeping a bottle filled with pebbles in your flush tank
Use a no/low flush squat toilet rather than using regular sitting toilets
Use bucket toilets for zero waste and waterless lifestyle

Kitchen

Reuse the water that’s left in the glass and bottle
Cook foods in less water, to save water and retain the nutritional value of the food as well.
Save and reuse water during food preparation like washing fruits and veggies, rinsing rice, pulses and lentils, cooking vegetables and pasta, boiling eggs and potatoes etc.
Don’t defrost frozen foods with running water
Wash your utensils with less water by using water and energy efficient dishwasher.
For smaller lots, wash dishes with hands by using double sink/ small tub to consume less water.
Install sink to toilet system in which, used water from sink is filtered, and later used to flush the toilet.
Manually connect a flexible pipe to your sink drainage and use it to water your garden without even filtering it.

Garden

Choose local plants that require less water
Cover your ground with mulch in order to reduce rate of evaporation of moisture and discourages weed growth
Avoid chemical fertilizers as they can increase a plant’s need for water.
Water your plants in the evening / early in the morning to reduce the evaporation of water
If you have a small lawn, try to water it by hand rather than using a hose or sprinkler whenever possible
Try various methods of drip irrigation to water your plants
Don’t over-water your plants
Water your plants less frequently but for longer periods, so water reaches deep into soil

Outdoor

Use a bucket for washing your car rather than using a hose.
When washing the car, park it very close to the lawn in such a way that, the grass/ small shrubs and they can easily grow on drained water.
Remove the fountain if possible.
Use a public swimming pool or share your pool with neighbours to save lot of water.
Install pool covers to avoid loss of water due to evaporation.
Don’t pee in a pool and try to keep it as clean as you can in order to reduce the need to change the water frequently!

Other

Check for hidden water leaks
Replace your old and worn faucet washers and gaskets frequently to fix leaks in faucets.
If you have a fish tank at home, reuse dirty aquarium water in your garden
Reuse the water coming out of the AC for outdoor cleaning.
Cut your hair short to reduce water consumption in maintaining them
Install a grey water recycling system to recycle waste water from baths, showers, washing machines, basins and kitchen sinks.
Install a rain water harvesting system to reduce the dependency on ground water

Last but not the least,

Don’t wait for the water shortage to hit your area. Be prepared from day 1 to face and gracefully handle the extreme conditions and natural disasters.

Start using water carefully to conserve it for our future generations.

Did you find this article useful? Please comment and feel free to let me know if you have any new and innovative ideas to save water at home and garden. They would be a great addition to this article. What are your fingers waiting for?

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