How to save water by living in an apartment

Every month, every family facesthe need to allocate part of his budget to pay the mandatory costs associated with living in an apartment and pay off heating, electric and so on. According to statistics, the third place in this list is occupied by waste related to the use of water for domestic needs. Perhaps, the monthly amount of these costs and not very large, especially compared to the rest of the indicators. However, if you add the annual expenses of the family only to pay for water and sanitation, the figures obtained will, to put it mildly, cause surprise with a minus sign. Indeed, we are not very interested in the question of how to save water. Why it happens that way, it's not difficult to understand at all. The roots of the answer are in the Soviet past, under the influence of which our mentality was formed. Of course, even at that time there were calls from television screens that water should be saved. You can remember even the cartoons that promoted this approach. However, the amount of utility payments in those days did not have a significant impact on the budget of the average Soviet family. It is for this reason that our parents did not really think about how to save water. Modern realities are radically different from those that existed two or three decades ago. Tariffs for the use of both natural and artificial resources are steadily growing. The income level of many families does not allow paying the utility bills with the same ease and carelessness. And world trends are aimed at saving fresh water resources, as the number of them is steadily declining. And what do we feel, when for some reason in the apartment suddenly disappears the familiar water from the tap? Naturally, this deprives us of the usual comfort and creates significant inconveniences, even when such a situation lasts not more than a few hours. But it is impossible to imagine what will happen to modern mankind, if fresh water becomes a real deficit. Therefore, let's try to make a personal contribution to the matter of saving water resources, because this will also significantly reduce the costs of the family budget and send the released funds to another useful channel.

Control - the key to successful savings

To begin with it is necessary to pay attention to indicationsmeters installed in most modern apartments, and take note of the amount of the last payment for water in the monthly receipt. Do not be too lazy to write down these figures, because such accounting will help to make a real picture of how much money your family has been able to save in a few months. The second mandatory step is to check the plumbing equipment in your apartment for possible uncontrolled leaks related to malfunctions. It is quite simple to do this, because all counters have water flow indicators. Make sure that the cranes are securely closed and secure the instrument readings. After a couple of hours, check to see if they remain unchanged. If the answer is positive, then you can be calm - you have everything under control. And if the values of the counters have changed, then it is worth finding out the reason. Carefully inspect the faucets in the kitchen and in the bathroom. Please note that any of them in the event of leakage can consume up to eight thousand liters of water per year. Be sure to check the drain tank, because if it flows, then the costs increase by more than two hundred liters per day. Often happens that the serviceable at first glance draining the toilet allows the water to leave almost soundlessly, which makes this process invisible to us. To understand how things are in your case, you can use any food color or gouache, with which you need to color the water in the drain tank. As soon as she paints the toilet, you immediately realize that there is a small malfunction that requires elimination. To do this, you can invite a specialist or invite a spouse. To make the saving process more successful, it is worth notifying all family members living in the same apartment. Pay attention to how the taps are closed, because not only adults use water, but also children. Therefore, they, just like you, should be comfortable and easy to cope with the existing plumbing. So, if all of the above conditions are met, you can go directly to the very methods of saving water and, accordingly, the budget of the family. There are a lot of them, but they are all divided into two general categories: the human factor and technical improvements.

How can anyone save water?

If we consider this method, then we will talk aboutpersonal participation in the process of saving all members of the family. Each of you should adhere to several necessary rules. Here are those that concern hygienic procedures and washing.

First of all, all members of your family need to understand that cold water is much cheaper than hot water, so it is better to use it more often.

Get used to brushing your teeth, including a crane only inbeginning and at the end of this hygienic procedure. You can use a glass. In this simple way, four people can save up to 750 liters of water per week.

Remind your husband about the need to shave when the tap is off. This will help reduce the weekly consumption by 380 liters.

Teach your family members to wash themselves in the shower, andnot in a full bath. The process itself is worth to cut and include water only at the beginning and at the end, with rinsing. This will save about 20 liters per person.

If you still prefer to wash in the bathroom, then fill it with 50%, than you can reduce the water consumption by the same 20 liters.

Try to use the washing machine only if it is fully loaded.

Do not throw garbage in the toilet - for this there is a special bucket. The need for frequent plums will disappear.

And now let's move on to how correctly andEconomically you can use water in the kitchen. It will also not be difficult if it becomes a useful habit for all members of your family. At first, of course, will have to try, because it is not so easy to change the rules established by years. However, it is not worth retreat, because saving water is a profitable and useful business.

If in your family the dishes are washed by hand, thenlearn to do it right. To do this, you can use either a second sink or another suitable container in which you need to pour the required amount of water with a detergent. It is here that in turn, wash all the dirty dishes. Then it must be rinsed with running water from the tap. To ensure that the washing process does not cause any particular difficulties, try not to allow the rest of the food to dry out on plates.

Use a dishwasher is not everyonce after eating, but only when the load is complete. And the first and second way of washing dishes will save up to 60 liters of water per person per day.

Forget about defrosting meat andfish products with hot or cold water. This not only does not lead to savings, but is also harmful, because it promotes the reproduction of harmful microorganisms in meat and fish. You can leave the food for the night to defrost in the refrigerator or use a special microwave oven for this.

Vegetables and fruit wash in the sink, previously filling it with water, which you can then water the indoor plants.

Even if you can not immediately use allthe aforementioned ways of saving, then start with at least a few of the simplest. The results of your actions will instantly be reflected in the first receipt for utility bills. Perhaps this will be a good incentive to continue the activities related to saving water in your family.

Techniques that help save water

These techniques should be used by those people,who plan to make repairs in the apartment or just want to update their plumbing equipment. After all, technological progress does not stand still, and many Western innovations in the economical use of natural resources (in this case water) are already available for widespread use. Here are some of the simplest.

Mixer with one lever instead of two taps. It allows you to accelerate the process of mixing hot and cold water, thereby it quickly reaches the desired temperature. But the less time we spend on this process, the more economical the expense.

Modern shower head with aeration function. It will not only save money, but also make the procedure for showering more comfortable. The aerator saturates the water with air bubbles, which gives the streams softness and makes them more bulky.

Mixer with silicone stop. It will reduce the flow of water, reducing its jet, since under high pressure it takes on a more flat shape, thereby narrowing the gap in the aperture of the mixer.

Equipment with an infrared sensor. To supply water, you only need to bring your hands to the opening of the mixer, and by removing them, you stop the flow in the same non-contact way.

The toilet, equipped with a combinedplum. Often, you do not need to use the full volume of the tank, so by installing such a plumbing novelty, you can more economically use the water. But to reduce the amount of draining it is possible and in a normal toilet. To do this, place a container with a liquid in the tank, for example a plastic bottle.

In addition to these plumbing fixtures,Modern apartment can be used and many others. For example, install water stoppers on conventional faucets or a nozzle with a shower effect in the kitchen. Also you can buy faucets with a special flow interrupter. When choosing a shower head, give preference to one that does not have a very large diameter. In any case, do not ignore the question of how to save water, because irrational use of it, as well as other natural resources, will lead to their depletion and subsequent deficit. Already in many cities the process of pumping groundwater is much faster than they manage to recover in initial volumes. This is a very dangerous phenomenon, because sooner or later the reserves will be exhausted and will no longer provide for people's lives. Already, one third of the world's population has problems with obtaining drinking water, even ghost cities have started to appear, of which people have left because of its absence. Therefore, it is necessary to save water resources not only in order to reduce the cost of paying utility bills. Since we are all conscious people, we must understand that a rational approach to the use of water in our time becomes a vital necessity. Let us remember the responsibility for the fate of our planet, which lies on all people without exception. And the easiest way to do this is just to save water, as the main source of life on Earth. We advise you to read: