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Wash only full loads of dishes and laundry. You'll not only save water, but energy as well.
Take a shower instead of a bath. Filling the bathtub uses about 50 gallons of water and you can save 30 gallons by taking a shower.
Shorten your shower to five minutes. Cut back on your shower time and you will rack up big savings in water and energy. Also, install a water-saving showerhead that uses 2.5 gallons/minute.
Think before you flush. Every flush you eliminate can save between two and seven gallons of water.
Fix leaking faucets and toilets. An average of 8% of all home water use is wasted through leaks. Test for a leaking toilet by lifting the lid off the toilet tank and putting a few drops of food coloring into the bowl. Wait a few minutes, then look in the bowl. If the food coloring has made its way there, you have a leak.
Turn off the lights when you are not in the room and cut the air conditioner back when you are not at home. Energy is produced using large volumes of water. Reducing energy demands can reduce the water needed to produce that energy.
In the Kitchen
Refrigerate a bottle or glass of water instead of letting a faucet flow until the water runs cold.
Prepare food efficiently. Speed cleaning food by using a vegetable brush. Spray water in short bursts. Faucet aerators cut consumption.
Defrost sensibly. Plan ahead to defrost foods overnight in the refrigerator. Don’t use running water. Use the microwave or put wrapped food in a bowl of cold water.
Reduce dishwashing. Use rubber spatula to scrape dishes clean to limit pre-rinse. Let really dirty pans or dishes soak to speed washing. Most newer dishwashers don't require pre-rinsing. Limit dishwasher use to full loads.
Reuse clean household water. Collect all the water that is wasted while waiting for the hot water to reach your faucet or showerhead. Use this to water your houseplants or outdoor planters. Do the same with water that is used to boil eggs or steam vegetables.
Garbage disposal alternatives. Avoid using your garbage disposal. Compost leftovers fruits and vegetables.
In the Bathroom
Use a glass for rinse water when brushing teeth instead of letting the faucet run. Shave the same way. An electric razor also saves water.
Install a low-flow toilet. Low-flow toilets need only 1.6 gallons per flush, saving thousands of gallons per year. Unlike earlier models, low flow toilets available today receive high marks from consumers for overall performance.
The Benefits of Changing Out Those High-Flow Fixtures
The following savings are estimated based on national research published in Home Energy magazine:
Changing a high flow toilet (3.5 to 5 gallons per flush) to a low flow (1.6 gpf) or dual flush (1.0 gpf) in a single household can reduce water use by 27 gallons per day or about 9,000 gallons a year.
High-efficiency clothes washers can save energy and water. Water savings realized from these new machines totals about 12 gallons per day or 5,500 gallons a year. Plus there you can save about $42 a year in energy costs due to more efficient use of hot water.
Showerheads and faucet also can waste large volume of water and energy. By installing 2.5 gallons per minute showerheads and ~2 gallons per minute faucet aerators, you could save 3,000 gallons of water a year.
Given an average home has two toilets, one clothes washer, two shower heads and three faucets, retrofitting that home with efficient hardware could save 30,000 gallons of water a year, for an average savings of about $250 in water costs and about $42 a year in energy costs.
 Visit the EPA WaterSense website for a full listing of products that are certified and can save thousands of gallons of water a year.
Click here to link to a website with information about several of these water saving devices.
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