Video:How to Save Water at Home

Transcript:How to Save Water at Home

Hi! I'm Debbie Anderson for About.com!

Sometimes that water bill turns out to be a lot larger than originally anticipated, so today I'm going to show you a few simple tips on things you can do around the home to conserve more water and keep your water bill down to a more manageable level!

Check for Leaky Pipes

The first thing you need to do is to verify that your home is leak free. To do this, turn off the water to every faucet and appliance using water in the home. Next, take the reading at your water meter. Allow two hours to go by with no active water usage in the home and then record the reading at your water meter again. The meter reading should be exactly the same as it was two hour early after no water has been used. If the reading is not the same, call a plumber or inspect your pipes yourself to see where you may have possible leaks around the home and repair the leaks immediately.

Tips for Conserving Water

Once you are sure your home is leak free, consider these other simple tips to reduce your water usage:

Use a Nozzle

First, always use a hose nozzle for outdoor watering activities, such as watering the garden, and be sure to always turn off the water at the main outdoor water faucet while you are doing other activities that do not require water while doing them.

Turn the Water Off

Second, get in the habit of turning off the water while brushing your teeth and only turn the water back on once you need to use it.

Store Water in the Fridge

Third, store drinking water in the refrigerator to keep it cold rather than allowing the tap water to continuously run until the water is cold enough before filling up your drinking glass.

Reduce the Amount of Laundry

Fourth, reuse your shower towels multiple times before washing them to reduce the amount of laundry you need to wash in the home.

Use a Full Load

Fifth, only run your laundry's washing machine and the kitchen dishwasher once these machines are full.

Use the Right Amount of Water

Finally, when doing laundry, always make sure to match the water level in the washing machine to the size of the load in the washer so you never accidentally over-water your loads of laundry. With these few simple tips on how to conserve more water at home, you are sure to see your water usage, and your water bill, go down!

Thank you for watching! To learn more, please visit us on the web at About.com!