10 ways to save water

21 March 2013

Having a shower, cooking your dinner and flushing the loo all adds up - to an average of 150 litres daily for every Brit.

And that's not including all the 'virtual water' that goes into producing the things we buy and use, from smartphones to chocolate bars and trainers.

Why does saving water matter - isn't there plenty of it about?

Not as much as we might think - and often not in the right places.

Our Make It Better campaign is calling on companies to take responsibility for how they use water, to ensure we're not left high and dry.

You can do your bit too with these 10 water saving tips:

1. Turn off the taps
   Leaving a tap running while brushing teeth uses 6 litres of water a minute. And by fixing a dripping tap you can save over 60 litres of water a week.
2. Boil what you need
   Only boil as many cups of water as you need for your tea round - you'll be saving money and energy.
3. Shower with less
   It's easy to linger in the shower when you're sleepy in the morning - four-minute timers can help. And switching to an efficient shower head will allow you to lather up in less water.
4. Save up your dirty clothes
   Washing a full machine load of clothes uses less water and energy than two half-loads. This means lower bills as well.
5. Get a low-flush toilet
   The average UK household flushes the loo 5,000 times per year. Modern dual-flush systems use just six litres - or four with a reduced flush - much less than the 13 litres for each old-style single flush.
6. Eat less meat
   Rearing animals for meat and dairy is incredibly water-intensive. By cutting down on the amount of sausages and burgers you eat, you could slash your water use drastically.
7. Steam your veggies
   As well as using less water than boiling, this retains more nutrients. If you do boil, try adding the water as tasty stock to soups, or water house or garden plants once it's cooled.>
8. Reduce food waste
   It takes a lot of water to produce our cereal, fruit and other food. More than half of the 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink UK households bin every year could have been eaten. Plan a week's menu and go shopping with a list, use leftovers to create new meals and check use-by dates. This will help you waste less food - and save the average household £480 a year.
9. Time your gardening
   Water outdoor plants in the early morning or at the end of the day stops water evaporating straight away in sunlight and heat. Also, watering onto the soil rather than leaves makes sure the liquid goes straight to the roots where it's needed.
10. Catch rainwater
    Installing water butts saves you turning on the tap - and your plants will thank you for rainwater rather than treated tap water. You can cut also water use by 33% by watering plants manually instead of using automatic sprinklers.

Find out more about our Make It Better campaign. which is calling on companies to take responsibility for how they use water, to ensure we're not left high and dry.

What are your water-saving tips?

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