Have you ever wondered what appliances or activities use the most water? What could you try to limit to conserve water? Below is a breakdown of how most people across the United States use water in their homes.
Here’s a closer look at what you see in the chart above:
The toilet in an average U.S. home uses about 24% of a home’s overall water usage. Everything that contributes to this can include all of the toilet flushing throughout the day as well as a running toilet.
Coming in at the second highest portion is the shower/tub at 20% of the overall home usage. Contributors to this category include showers, bathtubs, walk-in tubs, walk-in tub and shower combo, outdoor showers, etc.
All of the sink faucets in your home use up around 19% of your home’s overall usage. Examples of this include when you are running water to wash dishes, wash your hands, brush your teeth, wash your face, fill up water glasses or pitchers, water house plants, clean the sink, etc.
The washing machine uses 17% of the average home’s water usage.
About 12% of a home’s water usage is from leaks. This can include toilet leaks, faucet leaks/drips, any other water pipes throughout the home that have loose fittings or broken pipes that may be leaking.
The final 8% of water usage can be chalked up to a variety of things throughout a home, including outdoor hoses, dishwasher, ice makers, etc.
If you notice any leaks or that your toilet is running, be sure to resolve those issues immediately. Walk around your home and inspect your pipes. If you notice any leaks, try to tighten fittings with a wrench or call a plumber to help you resolve the issue.
Look closely at your water bill and if it seems higher than it should be based on how much water your home uses, then that could indicate a leak somewhere that you cannot see. If this happens, call a plumber.
This tip isn’t going to appeal to everybody, but since toilets are the highest contributor to water usage in a home, then a potential way to cut back is to avoid flushing when it is not absolutely necessary.
The difference in water usage between a short shower and a long shower can be significant. Being a little bit faster in the shower can seriously help reduce your water usage.
If you prefer the bathtub or your walk-in tub, the amount of time you want to spend relaxing in there does not change the amount of water that is used.
When you’re brushing your teeth, soaping up and scrubbing your hands, or applying face wash to your face, turn off the faucet. It does not need to be running while you aren’t using it in those moments. This will cut down on wasted water.
Instead of doing lots of small loads of laundry, wait until dirty laundry accumulates before washing a load in the washing machine. This will conserve more water than if you do more frequent, smaller loads.
If you water your outdoor plants in the early morning hours or at night, that will allow more of the water to be absorbed by the plants and less of it to evaporate. If you water mid-day, then most of your water will evaporate rather than going to nourish your plants, thus wasting a lot of water.
Having knowledge on what the biggest water-users in a home are can help people make decisions that will cut down their water bills and help the environment.