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In the bathroom

About 65% of indoor home water use occurs in our bathrooms, and toilets are
the single greatest water users.

- When washing or shaving, partially fill the sink and use that water
rather than running the tap continuously. (This saves about 60% of the water
normally used.) Use short bursts of water to clean razors.
- When brushing your teeth, turn the water off while you are actually
brushing instead of running it continuously. Then use the tap again for
rinsing and use short bursts of water for cleaning your brush. (This saves
about 80% of the water normally used.)
- Always turn taps off tightly so they do not drip.

- Take short showers - turn off the water while you are soaping and shampooing and then rinse off quickly. Some shower heads have a shut-off lever that allows you to maintain the water pressure and temperature when you stop the flow.
- Use aerators and/or water flow-reducer devices on all your taps.
- Use either low-flow shower heads or adjustable flow-reducer devices on your shower heads. (They reduce flow by at least 25%.) .
- Promptly repair any leaks in and around taps
- Short showers use less water than baths, but if you still prefer bathing, avoid overfilling the tub.
- Reduce water usage by about 20% by placing a weighted plastic bottle filled with water in the water tank of your toilet. Low-cost "inserts" for the toilet tank are an alternative to plastic bottles. With a toilet insert, a family of four could save 45 000 litres of water per year. Toilet inserts are available at most hardware and plumbing supply stores.
- You can reduce water usage by 40% to 50% by installing low-flush toilets.
- Flush your toilet only when really necessary. Never use the toilet as a garbage can to dispose of cigarette butts, paper tissues, etc.
- Check regularly for toilet tank leaks into the toilet bowl by putting a small amount of food colouring into the tank and observing whether it spreads to the bowl without flushing. Repair leaks promptly. Ensure that the float ball is properly adjusted so that the tank water level does not exceed the height of the overflow tube. Also, periodically examine whether the plunge ball and flapper valve in the tank are properly "seated", and replace parts when necessary.
- Regularly check for leaks at the base of your toilet and have any promptly repaired.
- Never flush garbage of any kind down the toilet. Household cleaners, paints, solvents, pesticides, and other chemicals can be very harmful to the environment. And paper diapers, dental floss, plastic tampon holders, etc, can create problems at sewage treatment plants.
- Locate your water meter and periodically record the reading late in the evening and again early the next morning between any water use. Then compare the readings to see whether there was any water leakage during the night. If so, track it down and have it repaired.

excerpts taken from 'Water and Our Way of Life' by Bob Sandford