Shower

• Swap your normal showerhead which uses 17 litres per minute, for a water-efficient showerhead that only uses around 9 litres per minute.
• Use a timer to help reduce shower time, or choose a song that only runs for 4 minutes.
• Keep a bucket in the shower to collect water and use the water in your garden.
• Wet your body then turn the shower off to soap up. Turn the water back on to scrub down and rinse off.
• Taking shorter showers saves water as well as energy costs! By showering for less than four minutes you can save up to 21,353 litres per year.

Basin

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Place a glass beside the sink for rinsing teeth after brushing.
• Fill the sink with a small amount of water when shaving to rinse your razor or to wash your face in the morning.

Bath

• Only fill the bath to the level that is required
• Monitor the bath temperature as it is filling so additional water isn’t required to moderate the temperature

Toilet

• Update your toilet from an old-style single flush toilet that uses 12 litres of water per flush to a modern dual flush toilet that uses only 4.5 litres for a full flush or 3 litres for a half flush.
• Only flush as much as you need to.

• Front loading washing machines are generally more water efficient than top loaders. When replacing your washing machine choose an efficient model (AAAA OR AAAAA rated).
• Change the water level to an appropriate setting for each load of washing.
• Full loads are the go when using your washing machine.
• A front-loading washing machine only uses about 64 – 80 litres of water per wash, 50% less detergent and less energy, which means you save money.

Hand washing

• Washing dishes by hand uses only 18 litres of water.
• Plug the sink when washing dishes by hand, rather than washing under a running tap.
• Soak pots and pans directly after cooking so you don’t need a running tap while you scrub them clean.

Cooking

• Cook food in as little water as possible. You’ll save water and the food will taste better too.
• Fill a small container with water to rinse or peel your fruit/vegetables.
• Re-use the fruit/vegetable rinsing water for your house plants or outdoor potted plants.

Automatic dishwashers

• Pack the dishwasher completely full before running a load.
• Don’t rinse dishes under the tap before loading into your dishwasher.
• Your old dishwasher uses 60 litres per cycle. Upgrade to a new dishwasher which only uses 18 litres per cycle.

Sink usage

• Collect any water run through taps while waiting for the right temperature water and use on plants.
• Keep water in the fridge so you have cold water when required without needing to wait for the right temperature water to come through the tap.
• Dispose of oil or small chunks of food in the rubbish so you don’t need to run water to wash it down the drain.
• Use one glass per family member for water per day to reduce the amount of crockery requiring washing each day.