- Check the toilet tank for leaks by adding food coloring. If there is a leak, the color will appear within minutes. Check the installation for worn or corroded parts. Most components are easy to install and readily available, at low cost.
- Do not throw various types of waste into the toilet, using the toilet tank unnecessarily.
- If your toilet tank is old, replace it with a dual flush toilet tank. These tanks have two buttons: one for half flush and one for full flush, depending on the amount of water needed. If replacement is not easy, place a plastic bottle/brick inside the tank to reduce the volume of water flushed.
- If the button on the toilet tank does not snap back into place after use, allowing water to flow continuously, replace it or adjust the flow.
- Shorten the length of your shower. Replace the shower head with a low-flow one. Faucets are commercially available where the flow can be adjusted without affecting the ratio of hot to cold water.
- Turn off the tap. Avoid leaving the tap running when brushing your teeth or hands.
- Do not let the water run, while shaving or washing your face. Brush your teeth while you wait for the water to heat up and then wash or shave.
- Reuse body and face towels. In this way, the volume of unwashed clothes and ultimately the use of washing machine is reduced. Insist on this when staying in a hotel as well. Ask for towels or sheets to be changed, only when you decide.
- Only use the washing machine when it is fully loaded or adjust the water level appropriately for the size of the load you are using.
- Replace the washing machine tap if leakage is observed. If the tap drips at a rate of one drop per second, you could be wasting 10 cubic meters per year, adding to your water and sewer costs.
- Look for systems on the market that allow you to collect the water from the sink or the bathroom (greywater) in a tank and use it for toilet flushing. In that way you don’t use clean, potable water in the toilet.