Saving water in everyday life is essential considering the drought that Italy is also suffering from. How to avoid water waste? 20 ways to use water intelligently.
Saving water is a duty of all citizens in the face of the drought risk that looms in our country in 2025. In recent years, especially due to the torrid summers in Europe and in all Italian regions, the water alarm has gone off. Little rain and temperatures above the norm have drastically reduced the flow of rivers and water reserves.
But how can we avoid wasting this precious resource that is essential for everyday life every day? Below are at least 20 ways to never waste water and to have a more responsible and sustainable approach in everyday actions.
Despite its apparent abundance, the share of fresh water available for domestic use is incredibly limited, placing the issue of saving water at the center of environmental strategies at a global level.
Here, then, are 20 easy and accessible methods to reduce water consumption and not waste it.
Why saving water is important
Water is essential not only for our survival but also to maintain the ecological balance of the planet.
Its importance goes far beyond simple personal consumption since the presence of water affects the health of ecosystems, biodiversity and the quality of life of future generations.
Sustainable management of water resources is therefore crucial to preserve the environment and protect human health. This includes access to safe drinking water sources and the prevention of water pollution control.
Correct management of water resources involves the adoption of sustainable practices such as water recycling and rainwater management.
The so-called water saving, however, not only helps to conserve a precious resource, but also brings significant economic benefits. Using less water reduces bill expenses. Furthermore, efficient practices such as installing low-flow devices can reduce consumption by up to 50%, contributing to significant economic savings.
Unsustainable management, excessive consumption and lack of maintenance of infrastructure and pipes can lead to water crises with economic and social impact.
There are various suggestions for saving water and they range from precautions in everyday life to measures to make pipes, infrastructure and systems truly efficient.
Below, 20 easy actions to take to avoid unnecessary and harmful waste of water.
1. Turn off the taps when not necessary
The first tip for saving water at home and limiting consumption on your bill is to close the taps in the bathroom or kitchen properly. In fact, a leak of just a few drops can lead to the waste of 21,000 litres of water per year for each tap.
Furthermore, when brushing your teeth or soaping up in the shower, it is a good idea to learn to turn off the running water, which is often wasted. We are talking about an average consumption of at least 6 liters per minute.
2. Don’t let the water run unnecessarily
While washing yourself, we often leave the sink water running unnecessarily and at times when it could be turned off.
For example, according to Hera’s calculations, when brushing your teeth you save 28 liters a year just by turning off the tap while brushing with toothpaste and before rinsing.
When washing your hands, however, you waste 6 liters of water if you leave the tap open while soaping up. Turning off the tap while shaving your beard saves 20 liters of water a year.
3. Use fully loaded appliances
When deciding whether to turn on the washing machine or the dishwasher, it is a good idea to check that both appliances are fully loaded to avoid starting a cycle for a few clothes or dishes. Avoiding washing at high temperatures is another important habit to reduce the environmental impact.
In this way, in addition to reducing electricity consumption on the bill, you will also save 8,200 liters of water per year.
Another possibility to save on the use of appliances is to replace old appliances with Energy Star models, which allow a 50% saving on average water consumption. These appliances, in fact, allow the regulation of the liters of water based on the load.
4. Prefer the shower to the bath
Choosing the shower instead of the bath can significantly reduce the use of water. Instead of sitting in the tub for a few hours, you can opt for a quick shower to reduce water consumption by 75%.
Just filling a tub, in fact, involves the use of liters and liters of a very precious resource. In the shower, on the other hand, you can limit waste, keeping in mind that every minute of showering corresponds to the spilling of 6-10 liters of water.
As mentioned, when you soap yourself up it is advisable to turn off the water jet to save and turn it back on when you rinse.
5. Avoid letting water run unnecessarily in the kitchen
Using containers to wash food instead of leaving the water running can significantly reduce water consumption.
When you have to wash vegetables or fruit, it is a good idea to fill a basin with water instead of placing the products under the open flow, which should be limited to rinsing only. In this way the savings will be considerable (at least 4 liters).
6. Wash the car with a bucket and a sponge
Instead of using the pump to wash your car, you can equip yourself with a bucket and a sponge to limit the waste of liters and liters of water.
In this way, in addition to paying more attention to every single point of the car, you can also save a particularly precious asset.
It is estimated that at least 100 liters of water are used by washing the car with a jet or a pump.
7. Reuse cooking water (and fish water)
The water used to cook pasta or vegetables can be reused to water plants or as vegetable broth, helping to reduce waste.
According to Hera estimates, 6 liters are wasted every day for food uses, such as cooking water and washing food, which can be eliminated if this water is reused.
Not everyone knows that it is also possible to reuse the water from the fish tank, for example, with the main purpose of watering plants. Its fertilizing properties, in fact, will make shrubs and flowers grow lush while at the same time saving water.
8. Repair leaks
Frequently checking the systems is absolutely essential to avoid waste.
Good maintenance of water pipes allows you to reduce losses due to lacerations in the pipes.
Even a small drop from a tap can waste up to 4000 liters of water a year. If there is a leak, it should be repaired as soon as possible.
9. Install aerator on the taps (and pay attention to the toilet tank)
These devices reduce the flow of water while maintaining the effectiveness of the jet, allowing you to save up to 60% of the water used.
Another important precaution is related to the toilet flush: traditional tanks have a flow rate of 12 liters, while the new ones on the market allow you to choose between a 6 and a 12 liter jet in order to reduce waste.
Choosing the second option is estimated to save water of about 26,000 liters of water per year.
10. Defrost food in advance
Another good habit is to defrost food several hours before eating it: in this way you will avoid putting the packages under boiling water and you will save about 6 liters per minute.
For example, when you get up in the morning you can start defrosting the food to be consumed at lunch, while in the afternoon you can choose what to defrost for dinner.
11. Water in the evening
If you have a garden, it is best to water in the evening hours to avoid evaporation or you can opt for night-time micro-rain irrigation.
The best solution is to collect rainwater in special external tanks, to be used to water the plants. In this way you can save up to 3,000 liters of water per year.
12. Close the central tap
If you are leaving for a few days it is a good habit to close the central water tap.
In this way you can avoid waste if there are any system failures during your absence.
13. Using air conditioner water
Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are widely used during the summer. But how many times do we throw away basins of water collected after using these appliances to freshen the air?
Definitely a lot. Air conditioner water is useful for the iron, for example, as well as for other uses such as household cleaning.
14. Periodically check the meter
Monitoring your water meter can be really useful to avoid unnecessary waste.
If, in fact, when the taps are closed the meter continues to run, then it means that there is a leak that should be repaired, both for water and economic savings.
15. Use the dishwasher well
Avoiding pre-washing dishes if you use a modern dishwasher is a very useful action to save water.
Furthermore, it is good to use less water and at a lower temperature thanks to the ECO programs. You should know that washing dishes by hand uses about 40–80 liters, while with a modern dishwasher in ECO mode about 9 liters.
16. Use shower water
Collecting the initial cold water from the shower in a bucket while waiting for the hot water to arrive is a good habit against waste.
In fact, the sheltered water is useful for flushing the toilet or washing the floors.
17. Don’t use the toilet as a garbage bin
Each toilet flush also uses 12 liters if the toilet is traditional and not modern.
This means that even the act of flushing must be responsible, avoiding continuously throwing paper in the toilet for example and then flushing.
If a person uses the toilet 5 times a day, for example, with a traditional flush (10 liters) he uses 50 liters a day and 18,000 liters a year.
18. Planting resistant species
If you have a garden or you love plants, it is important to choose them also based on the water consumption to water them. In summer, when temperatures reach record highs and it rains very little, saving water to water is a must.
For this reason, you can populate your green space with species that are resistant to drought and require less irrigation.
19. Saving by hand washing
Washing by hand, instead of in the washing machine, is sometimes inevitable. In this circumstance, however, it is necessary to follow some intelligent rules.
A “distracted” hand wash (running water open) consumes even 50–60 liters for a few items. A careful hand wash (basin and efficient rinse) uses 10–15 liters for a small amount of clothes.
Avoiding too much detergent to limit rinses, washing more items at the same time, when possible, and plugging the sink are useful gestures to save water.
20. Educate children
When they wash often, children tend to play with water and waste time. Education on saving water in everyday life must start right away.
Getting children used to brushing their teeth responsibly by turning off the tap or taking a quick shower is important to avoid wasting water resources.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Come risparmiare acqua? 20 modi per non sprecarla mai
