- Test toilets for silent leaks, which can waste up to 10 ½ gallons an hour. Put a dozen drops of red food coloring into the tank, if the dye appears in the bowl, there is a silent leak; you may need to change the flapper or ball. If no dye shows up in the bowl after 15 minutes, the toilet is leak-free.
- Do not use toilets as ashtrays or wastebaskets.
- Turn off the shower while soaping or shampooing. Some low-flow heads have controls that make it easy or install a separate shut-off valve.
- Putting just a little water into the sink for shaving avoids running hot water continuously.
- Use low-suds detergents, which require less water for rinsing; the amount of foam has no effect on the cleansing power.
- Use garbage disposals as little as possible. Throw such garbage as bones and eggshells into the trash.
- Wash vegetables in a bowl of water, or in a sink with the drain closed. Then rinse under the tap briefly. Scrubbing a dozen potatoes under a tap can take 3 gallons of water.
