Here are some excellent water-saving habits that can be easily incorporated into your life.
· Capture rainwater - water butts are a no-brainer if you have access to outside space and a downpipe. With a water butt, rainwater falls from the roof into the gutters, but rather than flowing through the downpipes and down the drain, a diverter is inserted to collect it in the butt. Once the water butt has reached maximum capacity, the rest of the water will simply divert to the drain. If water butts have not been on your radar recently, you’ll be amazed at the choice available these days. Read more about water butts, water barrels and water tanks here.
· Install an automatic watering system, such as the Irrigatia C12 Solar Automatic Watering System . This uses solar power to detect the weather and alter watering according to the conditions and the season, providing plants with the precise irrigation to help them thrive. The system uses 90 per cent less water than a traditional hosepipe, without parching plants. The Irrigatia system filters water straight from your water butt so your stored water will constantly be used; this prevents water from stagnating.
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Using magnetised water means plants need watering less - amazing but true in our experience. After reading about the Plantsurge magnetic water system, we decided to conduct our own experiment and were impressed with the result.
It's known that magnetised rainwater during thunderstorms boosts plant growth. The Plantsurge device harnesses this magnetic effect by covering powerful magnets in a waterproof casing that is attached to hoses or watering cans. The magnetic fields treat flowing water, causing realignment of water molecules and restructuring of its properties. As a result, plants need less water and grow stronger and healthier. Read more here.
- · Keep a jug near the sink and when you want hot water, let the tap run into this rather than down the sink. You can tip this into your water butt or use it to boil the kettle or flush your loo.
- · Stand a bucket in the shower to collect water that would otherwise go down the drain as you wait for it to heat up. Use this to flush the loo.
- · Take a shower instead of a bath. A five-minute shower uses about 40 litres of water, which is about half the volume of a standard bath. And shortening the length of your shower by just one minute also makes a big difference.
- · Wash vegetables in a bowl of water and then use this on the garden. You can also use drained, cooled cooking water on the garden.
- · Fix dripping taps – they can waste enough water in a year to fill a child’s paddling pool every week of the summer.
- · Fit low-flow aerators on taps and showers – you get the same water pressure but use much less water.
- · Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth. A running tap uses up to nine litres of water a minute.
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- · A water-saving device in your toilet cistern could save between one and three litres each time you flush the toilet.
- · Use a watering can instead of a sprinkler or hosepipe in the garden. This also stops blooms browning. Water for longer so it can permeate into the ground rather than frequently in small quantities.
- · In the summer, water the garden during the cool part of the day in the morning or evening. Do not water in anticipation of a shortage. Soil cannot store extra water. In dry weather plants stop making nectar, so keep them well watered for the sake of bees.
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· Wash clothes when they’re dirty – rely on spot cleaning and the ‘sniff test’ most of the time.
I’m an old hand at this last method. It’s something I started doing once my son reached a certain (teen)age and suddenly raised his laundry standards to the level of 5-star hotels preparing for royal visits. Fed up with arguing that his jeans couldn’t possibly need washing after a mere two hours’ wear, I developed a secret new system:
1. Pick jeans out of laundry basket.
2. Hang up in wardrobe.
I probably did this about 10 times before washing a pair of his jeans. And unless he reads this he will be none the wiser.
Trust me it works.
Julie