Top Ten Water-Conserving Tips

Ed Del Grande of Kohler shares his top ten tips:

1. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving to avoid using excess water.
2. Cut a minute off your shower time every day to save more that 750 gallons of water annually. Also consider swapping out your showerhead with a low-flow model that can reduce water usage by one-half gallon per minute.
3. Landscape with native or drought-tolerant plants to significantly reduce water usage outside the home.
4. Replace old toilets with High-Efficiency Toilets (HET) to save up to 17,000 gallons of water annually.
5. Use leftover water for houseplants instead of pouring it down the drain.
6. Make sure the dishwasher is fully loaded to maximize the number of dishes cleaned in a cycle.
7. Use the appropriate water level and load size on the washing machine when doing laundry. Consider purchasing a front-load washing machine.
8. Fix leaky faucets and install low-flow aerators on kitchen and bath faucets to effortlessly save 200-300 gallons of water each month.
9. Use a broom rather than a hose to clean off driveways, steps and sidewalks.
10. Water your garden during the coolest part of the day, generally in the morning, and avoid watering on windy days.