Happy Guru 003 - Water
October 25th, 2007
On Today’s show - lets discuss some quick water saving tips that you can start to put into place in your home, right away.
It’s easy to save water around the home - you just need to be mindful of how you use water.
Simple behavioural changes are just as important in the fight against water shortages as fixing leaking taps and buying water-smart appliances.
Our first point of call is to make sure you don’t have leaks in your homes plumbing.
Find a two-hour period when no-one in your house will be using water.
Checking for leaks in taps, pipes and dishwasher hoses is an easy way to reduce water wastage.
By using a dishwasher with at least a good water use rating, you can get this figure down to 18 litres per load and still get the sparkling clean dishes you’re used to. Try to wait until you have a full load in your dishwasher before using it. This saves water and energy, and reduces the amount of detergent entering the sewerage system. Using a dishwasher can be more economical than washing by hand - so long as you wait until you have a full load. Try to use phosphate-free, eco-friendly, bio-degradable detergents and cleaning products - there’s a great range to choose from these days and they’re much better for our environment.
That way, you don’t leave the tap running until the water gets cool…. If you have a two-basin sink, fill one with soapy water and the other with rinsing water.
Keep the water pressure low while you wait for it to get hot and try to capture the wasted cold water in a bucket to use in other jobs…. Wash fruit & vegetables all together at the same time in a basin or a partly filled sink - not under running water.
Most washing machines have a load adjustment button or dial, so try to set this to match the amount of washing you’re doing. If your machine doesn’t have a load adjustment function, try to wait until you have enough washing for a full load. Water from the washing machine rinse cycle can be reused in the garden.
Before 1993, the average toilet used 30 litres / flush. If you’re not sure how old your toilet is - take lid of the tank - manufacture date usually there.
Can’t replace toilet - you can still save water with a one litre bottle.
Fill bottle with a few pebbles or sand and water cap on and place it in your tanks so it reduces the amount of water required to refill the flush storage tank.
Since plumbing leaks account for about 14% of water used in the average home, so it’s a good idea to check your toilet for leaks…. Now put the lid back on and wait about 15 minutes, then check the toilet bowl.
A steaming hot shower is a wonderful way to relax, but a shower is the second biggest consumer of water in the average home. Shower heads manufactured before 1992 can use up to 22 litres of water / minute.
To run a simple test on how much water your shower head uses - turn the shower on full and catch all the water in bucket and wait 2 minutes. If the bucket is overflowing, you’ll then know that the shower head is not a low flow model.
New shower heads start at as little as $10 and can save you up to 50% with every shower.
Installing one of the latest shower head models can give you a great shower and save you around 5-10 litres of water a minute…. Don’t let cold water run down the drain while you’re waiting for your shower to heat up.
Save baths for special occasions and don’t use more water than you need. A bath can use 7 times more water than a shower…. On average, this adds nearly 5 minutes to the shower time and all that extra water can be saved by shaving from the basin with a plug in the sink to rinse your blade. When all else fails and you have a household of water mongers, try putting a timer in the shower to keep track of the length of shower time.
There’s no need to leave the tap running while you brush your teeth or wash your hands. When brushing, simply wet your toothbrush before you begin and use a glass of water to rinse your mouth. When washing your hands, wet your hands and apply the soap - then turn off the tap while you scrub your hands. Once you’re done scrubbing, you can turn the tap back on for a full rinse. Cotton applicators or any disposables should be put in your rubbish bin - never flush these items as they can block your toilet system and of course the disposing by flushing is a waste of water.
Our local water supplier - Sydney water - have a rainwater tank program which offers a rebate of up to $1,500 when you install a rainwater tank for household use. By storing rainwater run-off from your roof, rainwater tanks can provide a valuable water source for flushing toilets, washing machines, watering gardens and washing cars. Check our your local water authority’s web site for water saving tips - just about every water company has well documented details for applying water saving tips in your home.
With a few simple changes you can save buckets of water which over time translates to well …… As I said on opening the show - It’s easy to save water around the home - you just need to be mindful of how you use it.
Alrighty - well that’s it for another Global Good Soul Vibration Podcast from Happy Guru - we hope you enjoyed today’s show on water saving tips. Please stay subscribed to our show via iTunes and all good podcast directories across the web. This coming Saturday - the 27th of October you can find Happy Guru here in Sydney at the Fairfield Show-ground Markets from 8 until 4pm. For online shopping at Happy Guru - please enjoy our podcast listener discount of 20% by logging in to our store and using this coupon code to redeem your savings…. We have another T-shirt give-away this week - to win - all you need to do is send us an e-mail and in your own words, tell us why you need to be seen in a Happy Guru t-shirt…. Between podcast shows - get your guru fix by heading over to our blog page at www.happyguru.com/blog and getting your guru fix there…. For anything in the way of feedback or you want to say Hi - please go to our voicemail page and send us your recorded voice greeting from there.
Until our next auditory stimulation together - thanks so much for listening, keep in happy places and bye for now.
and in your own words, tell us why you need to be seen in a Happy Guru t-shirt. It’s that easy. And of course - the most creative answer will always win. So best of luck - we look forward to reading those entries. Between podcast shows - get your guru fix by heading over to our blog page at www.happyguru.com/blog and getting your guru fix there. There are lots of new and very yummy cooking recipes added to the recipe category in the blog. For anything in the way of feedback or you want to say Hi - please go to our voicemail page and send us your recorded voice greeting from there.
