It’s the most wonderful season of all!
That’s right, the holidays are in full swing, and Indiana homeowners are busy preheating their ovens, wrapping presents, decorating trees, and making the guest bedroom up for in-laws and cousins traveling from near and far. The holidays are about families coming together to carry on traditions and make wholesome memories.
But in your home, the holidays can also have some unfortunate negative connotations. With an influx of people and activities, your water usage can quickly get out of control during the festive season, wasting this precious resource and skyrocketing your utility bills.
The experts at Indiana American Water have some helpful tips to help you conserve water during the holidays without disrupting your plans and traditions. So before you start unplugging the string lights and sending out-of-town guests directions to the nearest hotel, read on to learn how you can get on the nice list and save water at home this holiday season.
7 Ways to Save Water at Home
Here are our best tips and tricks to sled through the holidays without wasting water.
1. Thaw Frozen Foods Without Water
Whether you prefer turkey, ham, or something more unconventional for your holiday dinner showstopper, you can conserve water by thawing food without ever turning on the faucet. Thawing your food without water can actually save up to 4 gallons per minute.
Simply remove your food from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator overnight or for the recommended amount of time for its size and voila! You’ll have thawed food ready for preparation.
2. Use One Glass Per Day
Dishes, dishes, and more dishes. The holidays can quickly become a time of year when your kitchen overflows with dirty dishes, especially if you have a big family.
Not only is washing dishes a hassle that takes you away from the fun of the season, but washing every fork, cup, plate, and knife can use an exorbitant amount of water. To help cut down your clean-up time and your utility & energy costs, ensure each member of your family only uses one glass each day.
A helpful tip is to assign a unique glass or reusable water bottle to each family member so no one continuously reaches for a new cup from the cupboard.
3. Avoid Hand Washing Dishes
Unfortunately, even if you use paper or plastic cups, you will still have to face a pile of dishes when the day is done. While it may seem more thorough or efficient, hand-washing dishes is actually a big water waster.
In fact, you use up to27 gallons of water when hand washing as compared to as little as 3 gallons on one load in the dishwasher. As an added bonus, loading your dishes into the dishwasher and pressing “Go” will give you more time to spend with your family.
4. Only Wash Full Loads
So, you’ve opted to save water by using your dishwasher! But did you know there is an optimal way to use your machine?
Always ensure your washer is full before you run a load – that goes for both your washing machine and dishwasher. Running either machine at anything less than its full capacity can mean doing more frequent loads, which uses much more water over time.
5. Take Short Showers
When family visits for the holidays it’s all fun and games until everyone needs to use the bathroom at the same time. From brushing your teeth to using the toilet, all this extra water usage can add up.
A simple way you can help bring it back to a manageable level is to take shorter showers. Not only will this help conserve water, but if you have a traditional hot water heater, it will also increase your household’s comfort as more people will be able to shower before the hot water runs out.
6. Check for Leaks
With increased traffic in your home, and increased usage of plumbing systems comes the increased chance of something going wrong. Even simple issues like a loose or faulty toilet flapper can waste up to 200 gallons of water per hour.
Before the hustle and bustle starts, conduct a thorough inspection of your plumbing systems and pipes, even unassuming aspects such as your toilet tank. Be sure not to leave out your house water meter whenchecking for leaks. If you suspect any problems, contact your local plumber for a professional inspection as soon as possible.
7. Recycle Tap Water
Don’t worry, we aren’t talking about drinking water. If you find yourself using large amounts of water while rinsing vegetables or notice an accumulation of melted ice in your coolers, you can reuse this water. One of the safest and most common uses would be to water your houseplants.
Additional Water-Saving Strategies
Still looking for more creative ways to save water during the holidays? Give these a try:
- Put food scraps into the trash rather than running the garbage disposal
- Compost vegetable food waste
- Use cold water as much as possible when doing laundry
- Ensure you have sustainable appliances, such as a high-efficiency washing machine and water-saving shower heads.
Why is Water Conservation important?
Indiana American Water is committed to raising awareness of the importance of water quality and water conservation education. With proper awareness and resources across the state of Indiana, we can help ensure that future generations also have access to safe, reliable sources of drinking water.
Taking part in water conservation practices during the holidays can have the following positive effects:
- Improved Water Quality
- Lowered Water Bills
- Healthier Local Waterways and Ecosystems
Contact Indiana American Water Today
At Indiana American Water, we’re proud to serve Indiana residents with access to healthy, fresh drinking water. Our water conservation efforts are part of our determination to ensure our customers always have high-quality water available while also saving money on their utility bills.Visit our website today for more information and additional water conservation resources.