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Practical ecology · Energy saving

How to save water at home right away

Water is a precious resource and we should never waste it. Unfortunately, though, many people are still unaware of how they can save water at home.

Water is a precious resource and we should never waste it. Unfortunately, though, many people are still unaware of how they can save water at home. These may seem like very trivial things, but we often forget these small gestures that can in fact make a difference.

Saving water in the bathroom


We often use a great deal of water when washing: a bathtub, for example, holds on average 110–160 litres of water, so choosing a shower over a bath can certainly be a start. An essential precaution when showering is to turn the water off while soaping, since around 15 litres are used per minute. If, in a 10-minute shower, you rinse for 3 minutes and soap for 7, you have saved 105 litres of water!

Another piece of advice that never stops being repeated is to turn the water off while brushing your teeth: a tap left fully open wastes about 8 litres of water!

Water and washing the dishes

Washing the dishes often turns out to be an incredibly water-wasting activity. Some people are used to leaving the water running while soaping and to rinsing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. These habits lead to an enormous waste of resources. There is no need to rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher; it is enough to make sure they are free of large food residues, which can simply be removed with the napkins used during the meal.

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When washing pots and pans by hand, or if you do not have a dishwasher, turning the water off while soaping the dishes is essential.
Another small but important precaution is not to run the dishwasher when it is empty: running it with a full load will save energy and water, and therefore money too.

Washing clothes

If you have a new-generation washing machine that works out its water use according to the weight of the clothes, you will certainly be at an advantage. In any case, it is better not to run a whole cycle for just a few items; waiting until you have more to wash certainly helps.
If we wash by hand, the crucial moment for saving water is the rinse. When rinsing the garments, let us pour the water into a bucket and then turn the tap off: using running water will waste a great many litres needlessly. The best thing is to rinse several times using the bucket.

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