Using less water also helps to reduce your carbon footprint and keep more water in our ecosystems, keeping wetland habitats topped up for animals like otters, water voles, herons and fish.
At Purdy & Figg, we think it’s always a sensible idea to conserve water wherever possible and wanted to share some of our top water saving tips.
Turn of the tap
This might sound like an obvious one, but did you know you can waste about six litres of water a minute if you leave a tap running while cleaning your teeth, shaving or washing fruit and vegetables?
To cut down on waste you can:
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collect the cold water that comes through before a tap runs hot and use it for watering plants
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keep a jug of water in the fridge instead of waiting for the tap to run cold
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wash fruit and vegetables in a washing up bowl full of water instead of running a tap
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only fill a kettle to the amount needed
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defrost food in the fridge or microwave, not under a running tap
Use the dishwasher
Even the most uneconomical dishwashers use less water than washing up the equivalent amount of stuff. Also please stop rinsing before loading - all you need to do is scrape any excess food or rubbish into the bin. If you only have a few bits to wash up, make sure you use a washing up bowl to reduce the amount of water needed.
Opt for a shower instead of a bath
Showers use a lot less water than baths - did you know that a 10-minute shower uses approximately half the amount of water as a full bath tub? Even better, opt for short showers and turn the water off whilst you lather with soap.
Throw, don’t flush
Avoid putting sanitary products, tissues and similar waste in the loo and throw away in the bin instead. Whilst we’re on the subject of flushing the loo, you can install a make-shift toilet displacement device by placing a 1-2 litre jug of water into the tank to prevent so much water being flushed each time (just make sure it doesn’t interfere with any of the mechanics!).
Spot-clean the floors
Instead of making up a big bucket of soapy water to clean the floors, simply spot-clean the high footfall areas with a multipurpose spray, like Counter Clean. Spray Counter Clean directly onto hard floors and clean with a cloth - perfect for those in-between-mop-moments.
