This month, we’re teaming up with Waterwise as they launch Water’s Worth Saving. Why? Because water really is worth saving. Although water covers 71% of the earth, did you know that we can only easily access less than 1% of freshwater? So even though you can turn on your tap and instantly grab a glass, it’s not in the infinite supply we might imagine it to be.
Many of us are aware of saving water, while some of us still have work to do. A third of Generation-Z leave a tap running when brushing their teeth. That’s 12 litres of water down the drain every day – pun intended.
Understanding water usage in your bathroom
Fixing leaks quickly and turning off taps when not in use is a great way to start your water saving journey, but it isn’t easy to visualise what our savings look like. One loo flush is 12 litres, which is more than a quarter of the water in your body at any one time. It only takes four loo breaks a day to flush away the equivalent to your body’s water contents. The average human takes anywhere between 4 and 10 breaks a day.
If that shocks you, consider that taking a 10-minute shower uses 80 litres of water – the same as a bath. If you have a power shower – double that number. So, the next time you’re singing shower karaoke or sitting at the bottom of your shower enjoying the temperature on a hot or cold day, remember every minute is 8 litres. That’s 54 glasses of wine or 14 pints of beer a minute.
It’s clear to see that water is worth saving in our bathrooms, especially as we use more water in the bathroom than any other room in the house. Although we realise that avoiding the toilet or shower is just not practical or realistic. As always at Greenredeem, we aren’t here to ditch the facts and run, we’re here to give suggestions and help you to see that water’s worth saving.
Water’s worth saving gadgets
Sometimes we all need a little external help and having to purchase a product to save water might not seem like your favourite tip. But what if we told you, as a Greenredeem member with Thames Water, a water-saving showerhead can be yours for free and we’ll give you 50 points. Now that’s worth considering! Within days you can have a free gadget that has the potential to save your family of four up to 22,000 litres of water a year.
Our favourite shower water saving tips and tricks
We’re big fans of hints and tips here at Greenredeem. We love a hack that’s easy to do and can have amazing results. While gadgets and gizmos are great because they don’t need you to change your habits, we love to challenge ourselves on changing our behaviour. Check out some of our favourites:
Bucket in the shower
As you wait for your shower to warm up in the morning, collect the water in a bucket and use it as a free flush for your morning loo break!
Stop multitasking in the shower
It’s not the time to brush your teeth, or to perform a private concert for the tiles on the wall. Jump in, wash and jump out. Try and hit that 4-minute shower target (there’s even a great 4-minute song playlist on Spotify to enjoy just look for the Waterwise Shower Songs playlist)
Shower in unison
If you have multiple people in your household, shower one after the other. It can prevent wasting water as you wait for each shower to get up to temperature.
Water is for rinsing, not running
We love this tip, and while it is a little extreme, it’s perfect for putting into perspective that 1% of freshwater we can access. Water is a precious resource; we must treat it as one. Turn the shower off when you’re lathering your hair or shaving your legs, then turn it back on to rinse. It’s known as a Navy Shower and emphasises that you only need the water for rinsing.
Reuse your pasta water
This is a tip to reuse your water from the kitchen, but a great way to get lush, smooth hair is to soak it in the shower, using grey-water used to boil pasta. It’s a whacky tip, but our hair feels fabulous!
Water’s worth saving, that’s clear. Practising some of these tips is the easiest way to save it in the bathroom. Do you have any more water-saving tips? Check out our blogs throughout the month to discover how you can save water throughout your home.
