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Following two dry winters and low rainfall in many areas of the UK during the past summer water restrictions are beginning to bite. This week the water companies in the south will be given further powers to restrict the use of water.
Hosepipes, car washes, lawn sprinklers, ornimental water features will all fall prey to the new restrictions.
Here are some tips to help you save water in and around the home
- In the bath and wash basin – to get cooler water, use less water by turning the hot tap down, rather than the cold tap up.
- When you have a bath use just enough water to cover "your private bits." Anything more is a waste.
- Don't Brush your teeth with the tap running. This wastes almost nine litres a minute, better to fill a tumbler and rinse your mouth out from the tumbler instead.
- Make sure you keep some cool water in the fridge - this means you don't have to run the tap for ages to get a cold drink.
- If you take a five-minute shower every day, instead of a bath, you will use two thirds less water, saving up to 400 litres a week for everyone who does this in the household.
- Kettles should be filled with enough water for your needs but not to the brim. This will reduce your fuel bills too.
- If you must water your lawn make sure it is only once a week. This is all the watering your lawn needs, even in the hottest weather. Over-watering especially in dry conditions can weaken your lawn by encouraging roots to seek the surface.
- In the garden - get a water butt. It's a big barrel that collects rain water for you to use on your garden, there are numerous bits of equipment to connect your water but to the downspout, why not use the excess water from rain and showers instead of letting it run off into the drains.
- After a wash or bath use water from your bath and wash hand basin to water your plants in the garden. Soap will not harm your plants and in some cases may help with green fly.
- Always water your garden during the coolest part of the day, less of the water will evaporate before it soaks into the ground.
- If you have a fish tank, you can use the dirty water produced when cleaning it by putting it on your houseplants. It's rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, it's an excellent fertiliser.
- If you have large plants in the garden – try sinking a clay plant pot and filling it with stones, then water into the plant pot, it will take the water down to the roots more quickly and you will have less evaporation.
