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Water
Saving Tips
Simple
ways to reduce the amount of water your
family uses
Now
that you have a baby you may have noticed your water bill is
increasing. This is no suprise, as a
baby can increase a home's water
use by up to 3,000 gallons per month! Following are simple
green living steps you
can take which conserve this precious resource and keep more money
in your pocket , all while still keeping your baby clean and happy!
Water
savings in the kitchen:
- Fill
your sink to clean your dishes: Fill your sink with warm
soap water, or fill a
large basin, and clean your dishes in this before rinsing or placing
them in
the dishwasher. Running the tap while you scrub eats through 3 gallons
of water
per minute! That is enough to fill your sink and clean a full load of
dishes
with the tap OFF.
- Clean
as much food as possible off your dishes and utensils BEFORE you place
them in
the dishwasher. The dishwasher is a fantastic invention,
but they don’t make
one yet that actually scrubs your plates and forks with brushes. Too
much food
on dishes means that it just sprays all over the inside of the
dishwasher and
you may have to run it multiple times. A good brushing beforehand makes
cleaner, spot-free dishes and less water and power consumption.
- Set
your dishwasher for the “economy” setting, if available.
If not, use the
“normal” wash. Using the “heat dry” or “pots and pans” and other
washing
options does not really give you benefit enough to justify either the
water and
power costs or environmental strain.
Save
water when you do the laundry
The
clothes washing machine
chews through 30-50 gallons of water per load. A baby
can increase the number of washing loads by four per week, adding up to
over 1,000
gallons of water per month! Babies have a way of making a mess of their
clothes, and yours. Can
you reduce the number of laundry loads that you do?
- Try wearing shirts and
pants an extra time or two before washing. This option is,
of course, dependant
upon how soiled the outfit may be or the fashion requirements of your
(or your baby's) day.
- Get
a couple more uses out of your towels before they hit the washer
(don’t be, as
my husband used to call me, a “towel abuser”.) Towels take more water
to wash and power to dry than most other clothing or linens.
- Use warm or cold water for
washing. It takes a lot of energy to heat your water tank.
Hot water provides a small cleaning advantage with white fabrics, but
not enough to justify the
environmental strain or the extra money out of pocket.
Bathing
your baby
Filling
your tub with
15 gallons of water to clean a two-gallon-sized baby is a waste, not to
mention a bit unsafe. Try these tips to save even more:
- Bathe
your baby in a smaller container to use less
water. Using the kitchen sink is a fun option, or you can use
a
large basin.
- A sponge bath is also
a good water-saving option.
- Take your baby with you when you
shower and clean two bodies at once!
Remember,
even the smallest efforts can save hundreds of gallons per week!
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