How Big Families Can Conserve Water: 7 Tips And Tricks
Nowadays, water conservation is a critical matter in all regions. With the extreme water scarcity experienced in various parts of the world, many people slowly realize that water resources are truly limited. What’s more, these water resources are getting smaller every day, without most people knowing it. And the sad thing is, water shortages can happen anytime soon if these issues aren’t managed properly. Thus, conserving water is a huge responsibility that every household must actively practice in their own homes.
It’s challenging enough to conserve water when you’re living alone. After all, you use water in almost every chore and task you do every day. But if you’re living with a large family, especially if it includes children, water conservation can easily seem impossible. As you know, kids don’t feel the same sense of urgency that adults do because of their young age. However, just because they’re young doesn’t mean you can’t motivate them to join your water conservation efforts.
Water conservation always begins at home. With a few tricks and small changes in your habits, you, your children, and your entire family can successfully reduce your water usage. To get you started, here are seven tips and tricks to help you and your big family conserve water.
- Take Shorter Showers
It might be easier to save water if you’re living alone since you can easily shorten your shower time or choose not to take a shower on certain days. But with a large family, each member gets to have their own shower time, which means they get to control their own water usage. To conserve water, you can tell each member to limit their shower time to only five to ten minutes.
This way, you can control your family’s water usage. If you want, you can also create a reward system for your kids to motivate them to commit to these schedules.
- Invest In A Water Tank
If you’re genuinely dedicated to conserving water as a family, it’s a great idea if you invest in a water tank for the entire family. With a water tank, you can collect rainwater. You and your family can then use the collected rainwater for household chores such as watering the plants, cleaning the floors, or washing the car. You can browse various types of water tanks from companies like here and see which size can best accommodate your family’s water needs.
- Limit Water Usage To One Glass Of Water When Brushing
You usually hear many sources advising you to turn off the water when brushing your teeth in an effort to conserve water. While this may work if you’re living alone, this may be harder to implement if you’re living with a large family. To ensure you control their water usage when brushing their teeth, you can limit each member to only use one glass of water when brushing their teeth. After all, a glass of water is already enough to rinse your mouth after brushing.
- Never Let Anyone Play With Sprinklers And Hoses
Teens and adults are already aware of the proper usage of sprinklers and hoses. But for kids, these are just another source of fun, especially during a hot day. As much as possible, never let your kids play with sprinklers and hoses, as this practice is extremely wasteful. Instead, you can teach them about the real purpose of these tools.
- Recycle Leftover Water
There are various ways your family can have leftover water. For instance, when your kids get home from school, check their water bottles and see if there’s any excess water. Instead of pouring leftover water in the sink, collect and reuse it for other purposes such as watering the plants or cleaning your house.
- Use The Washing Machine For Full Loads Only
Some families tend to wash their clothes daily to keep their laundry baskets empty. However, doing this only means you’ll be using your washing machine daily despite it not having a full load. As a result, you’re unknowingly wasting water. To conserve water, make sure you only use your washing machine when it’s fully loaded. You can also assign a particular day of the week and consider this as your ‘laundry day’. Then, you’ll collect the entire family’s laundry and load them together into the washing machine.
- Use The Dishwasher For Full Loads Only
Every time you use your dishwasher, you spend about 25 gallons of water. To save water, ensure that you only use the dishwasher when it’s fully loaded. For instance, if most of the family members are done with their plates but the dishwasher’s still half full, it may be best to wait for the rest of the members to finish their plates and load them together inside the machine.
Key Takeaway
As a large family, conserving water should be a team effort. Every time a family member takes an extra step in saving water, your combined efforts can already make a big difference in reducing your water bill and saving the planet. Remember, tiny steps can lead to significant results.
