H2O Score: Water Saving in Apartments
In the H2O Score office, we spend of a lot of our time thinking about water conservation in houses. Homeowners are easily able to see changes in their water bill as a direct result of watching their usage. However, when you’re living in an apartment, water conversation is still important. Even though it can be harder to track- especially if it’s included in rent or tuition- water conservation in small spaces can be just as rewarding.
Here are some EASY ways to save water, even if you’re living in an apartment:
1. Replace your showerhead: Get rid of the standard showerhead that comes with your apartment and pick up an inexpensve low-flow model from Home Depot, Lowes or Amazon. Plus, when you move, you can take it with you. You’ll have a head start with conserving water at your next place! And let’s face it- we don’t always trust the showerhead that comes with a new address.
2. Displace Water in Your Toilet Tank: This one’s easy, if you have an exposed toilet tank. Simply find a plastic bottle and fill it with gravel or sand- something that’ll keep it sunk. Place it in your toilet tank. That’s ALL. In older toilets, the height of the water in the tank causes the bowl to flush, so if you trick the toilet into thinking it’s fuller than it is, you can reduce the water used per flush by 40%. And since it’s SO cheap, you don’t have to think about taking it with when you relocate!
3. Install aerators on faucets: Aerators can be found at your local hardware store for next to nothing. They’re easy to install and can drastically impact water usage in your bathroom or kitchen. Aerators create a stronger spray and can cut water usage by over 50%.
4. Don’t use running water to thaw food: Instead, take it out the night before and place in the refrigerator for thawing. It makes so much sense- especially for those of us who plan ahead- and can result in a more even thawing process and won’t use any water.
5. Only wash clothes when you have a full load: While this may not impact your personal water bill, saving laundry until you have a full load saves water and money. If you’re used to doing laundry weekly, wait a few more days. You won’t have to waste quarters on a half-load and it’ll save a TON of water.
6. Use one glass of water for brushing teeth instead of running the faucet: I love this one- Fill a glass up with water and use that to rinse your mouth instead of running the faucet aimlessly while you try to shovel water into your mouth with your brush. This can save 4 gallons of water per minute.
More sustainability tricks:
7. Grow an indoor garden: Swing by your hardware store and chat with a garden associate (or use your supreme Google skills) to find out which plants will grow best inside. Not only will you know where your food comes from, you’ll save money on food and transportation. It also can add a little life to a drab studio or one-bedroom. Click through the pictures for a few more tips on how to start on one of these beauties.
8. Use draft stoppers: Even indoors, winter can be a sneaky cold season. Use draft stoppers to stop warm air from sneaking out the bottom of doors or windows. Again, pick a few up at a local hardware store or get creative and make one of your own!
Originally published at H2oscore.com in 2011
