Not everyone wants to mix their own cleaning agents or make their own compost. As there are more and more households moving into apartments and to big cities, options such as shopping at the local farmers’ market aren’t always easy. So here are some easy tips. I’ve seen a few sites and often there is too much information on too many categories! So here’s my attempt specifically on water. Having grown up in a frugal family, some of the things I am about to say feel rather redundant. Regardless of my feelings, heed these tips! They require little energy, save you money and help the planet. Give them a try!
- No leaky facets. Unless it’s an old house, most facets made nowadays aren’t even leaky. Just make sure that you turn it all the way to lock it. It doesn’t even take a millisecond once you get used to checking.
- Reuse Water. I know there’s a lot of stuff on gray water, black water, refining water, blah blah, but some people can afford all the purifying systems or really want to spend that much money on it. My parents live in an apartment where they can’t fix things up, so some people are just stuck.
So here’s my idea. Reuse water. The water you use to wash your greens often or boil your eggs is reusable. Perhaps not as drinking water, but you can use it to clean your house or water your plants (after they cool!). You can also get a bucket and store water there until you need it! - Cooking Try to do two things at once. For instance, you can boil your eggs and steam your veggies over the pot (I seem to boil a lot of eggs!). Old kitchen rules stand true here. Don’t wander off when you’re boiling. If you’re multi-tasking, keep an eye on it. This way you can a) prevent a fire b) prevent water boiling off and burning your eggs c) save energy d) prevent over cooking, and the list goes on. Oh, also try to boil with the lid on! It’ll save a lot of energy and whatever you’re boiling, it’ll boil quicker since the lid will retain the heat.
- Laundry Try not to use bleach. Bleach is often very toxic, non-biodegradable and can go a LONG way. Lemon and citric acid products usually can do the job. I hear that eucalyptus oil is a miracle worker.
Do your laundry only when you have a full load. Saves money, time and the environment! As a college student, when that two weeks wheels around, I know how much I hate it when I have drag down my laundry bag to the basement… I mean, who likes dumping clothes and fishing them out anyways?
Wash your clothes in cold water. There’s really no need to wash in hot. As technology progresses, washers get better, so our lifestyle should reflect this change. If you have to wash a few clothes, try to hand wash. That way, it’ll be quicker, cheaper and energy efficient. - Dishes That sticky stuff on the bottom of your favourite saucer, you swear it won’t come off? Try mixing some liquid soap (how about biodegradable? ;D) and water and letting the saucer, cup or whatever sit a while. This will not only accelerate the process of getting it out, but also save you some furious scrubbing. You can also do this with all your dishes: plug your basin with your rubber stopper, fill it with warm water and add some soap. Do some swishing around, and let it sit for around 5 minutes. Ultimately, it’ll be easier for you to do the rinsing out, and in the meanwhile, you can wipe your table with the water you saved from cooking! ;)
Use a dish washer? Some say that dish waters can actually save water. Skip the pre-rinsing, it really doesn’t help much. Don’t use the drying function either. After the machines done washing, just open it. The heat itself should help the water evaporate. This way you can save water, your electricity bill and mother Earth! - Put a brick in your cistern. While many new apartments offer options of two different flush systems (at least in Korea), this option might not be available for some. However, by putting a brick in your cistern, the toilet will be able to give out less water. Hence, you save money with each flush, and create less black water that goes to sewage!
- Beauty Requirements?: This is a really easy way to do it and make you water bill less. Take navy showers. Like luxurious showers? If you’re one of those people that hogs up the bathroom for 3 hours, consider taking short showers during the week and a luxurious warm shower/bath for the weekends as a treat. Hot water does more harm to the hair and scalp, so lukewarm water is both better for you and the environment. Need to open up your pores? Take a towel and immerse it in hot water. With the towel you can manage where the heat goes more easily and for a longer duration. Don’t just splash all that water around. Also, don’t let the water run when you’re brushing your teeth.
Methinks these tips are easy, practical, but also can leave a huge impact in the long run if each and every family do them. Remember that there are people not as privileged to have such water readily at disposal; so many people die from thirst itself yearly. And even if not for them, it will give you a smaller bill and a heavier wallet, while making a difference for the world!
