5 Easy Ways to Lower Your Water Bill

1. If it’s not dirty, wear it again. Now, I am not suggesting that you walk around wearing wrinkled and odorous clothing. However, this is an area most people overlook when they are on a quest to shave off a few dollars from their water bill. Practice good re-wearing habits by hanging clothes you’ve just removed in areas that have good air circulation before putting them back in drawers or closets. If you re-wear and wait to do laundry until you are able to completely fill up the washing machine, you are looking at the possibility of only a few loads of laundry a month, saving you both time and money.

2. Use a dishwasher. There is a popular myth that dishwashers use more water than cleaning dishes by hand. As with most myths, this one is also completely wrong. What most studies have found is that waiting until your dishwasher is full before running it will save a considerable amount of water versus washing them all in the sink. Make sure you put your dry settings on “No Heat” to save a little money on your electricity bill at the same time.

3. Keep showers short. If you really want to save money on your water bill, this step is critical. It entails strategy. It asks for sacrifice. And it definitely requires willpower. But if you somehow manage to combine those three things into a determination to save money, you will see results. Make sure you do all shaving outside of the shower and don’t waste time: Get in, soap up, rinse off, and get out. The next time you find yourself soaking up the warmth of the water, resist the urge, tear yourself away, and turn that shower off.

4. Keep a jug of drinking water in the refrigerator. This is a small and easy task that will eliminate the need for you to let tap water run for longer than it should. Most will let the tap water get a little cold by running it for a few seconds before filling up their drinking glass. You can save money and time by filling up a large container or jug and putting it in the refrigerator to quickly become and remain cold. Forever after, when you need a crisp, cold drink of water, you will simply have to take the jug out of the refrigerator, fill up your cup, and take a refreshing sip. A general rule of thumb with saving money and water is to purge any and all situations where you might be letting tap water run needlessly.

5. If it’s yellow, let it mellow. As with all of my tips for saving money by saving water, we aren’t talking extremes. If you have to plug your nose and close your eyes every time you lift the toilet lid, you should probably start flushing more often. But the fact remains that most people don’t realize that they can cut their water bill more than 25% by regulating the flow of their toilet water. If it runs for an unnecessarily long time after you flush, fix it. If your toilet is older, or seems to fill up to the top of the bowl after each flush, call your water company to ask for a device that will reduce the amount of water your toilet uses.