13 Easy Ways to Conserve Water

Americans are among the world’s top consumers of water, from drinking and cooking with it, to our bathing and cleaning habits. Although wastewater goes to a municipal treatment facility before finding its way back into our local, we have to consider the environmental impact of processing all those gallons of water for a single city, including the chemicals used to make it acceptable for human consumption.

We property managers can do a lot to help encourage our residents make small, regular changes to how they go about their daily tasks. Over time, these practices can make a big difference.

While water conservation may seem like a no-brainer, being reminded of simple things we can do around the house encourages us all to save money and preserve the environment at the same time. In your next monthly newsletter and through social media, pass along these easy ways to conserve water:

• Turn off the faucet while shaving or brushing teeth.
• Fill the dishwasher and washing machine completely before using them.
• Soak dirty pots and pans in the sink before washing them. This will help loosen stuck-on food and to cut down on the amount of rinsing you’ll have to do.
• Take shorter showers and turn off the running water while you soap up.
• Don’t use the toilet as a wastebasket. One flush uses five to seven gallons of water, so don’t waste a flush to dispose of a single tissue. Rather, you can easily discard it in the trashcan.
• Reuse the leftover water from boiling vegetables or pasta to water your indoor plants.
• Alert the maintenance staff immediately if you have a leaky toilet or dripping faucet.

In addition to promoting water conservation among residents, property managers can implement water conservation practices on the property itself.

• Repair leaks as soon as they are discovered or reported.
• Install low-flush, high-efficiency toilets in every unit and public facility including the front office.
• Install low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators on kitchen and bathroom sinks. These reduce water consumption by 50 percent.
• Install a smart controller on the sprinklers, so that your grounds are watered based on the current weather patterns and soil condition.
• Use xeriscape techniques (landscaping that requires little to no water) where possible.
• Install WaterSense-Certified products in every unit, if possible.

Practicing these techniques will definitely help us all do our part to help conserve water, but they’ll also encourage us to adopt more eco-friendly practices in other areas of our lives, such as consuming less energy and recycling on a regular basis. For additional ideas on eco-friendly practices, check out our posts on How To Start a Community Garden and How Your Entire Community Can Go Green!

How have you encouraged water conservation in your community? Share your ideas in the comments!