Water is essential to everyone's life. We use it every day for drinking, washing, bathing, watering the garden or washing the car. Have you ever wondered how much water one person uses on average per day? Is saving water in the home and garden important and why? What can we do to be more eco-friendly and save a few tens of zlotys at the same time? In today's article, I have prepared for you some tried and tested ways to reduce household water consumption.

Water consumption in the home and garden

Let's start with the statistics.

Why save water?

The most common reason we start thinking about saving water is to reduce our water bills. This is understandable! But in addition to our own benefits, it's worth thinking globally. By saving water in your home and garden, you reduce water use overall. This is important because Poland has poor water resources and there are places in the world where there is simply no water at all. Data published by the WHO show that more than 1 billion people do not have access to clean water where they live. This is as much as one sixth of the planet's population. The consequences of this are hunger and deadly diseases for both adults and children. It is therefore worth changing a few habits in our daily lives and reducing our water consumption. It is up to each and every one of us to decide if and when our planet runs out of water.

Ways to save water

1. Choose the shower rather than the bath!

A bath in the tub consumes as much as 100l of water, while a quick shower uses more than half as much. This is why it is advisable to choose a shower for a few minutes. And don't forget to switch off the water while soaping your body. This will allow us to save up to several tens of litres of water a day. Thanks to this change, we will pay several hundred zlotys less in bills per year.

2. Invest in a dishwasher

Choose to wash your dishes in the dishwasher rather than by hand. If you don't already own one, be sure to buy one! It has all the advantages. Firstly, it frees up some of the time you used to spend washing dishes. Secondly, automatic dishwashing uses up to four times less water than manual washing. If you also choose an economy programme, you will save even more. And most importantly! Only switch on the dishwasher when it is completely full. If you have a few dishes to wash, put them in the machine and wait until you have more. Whether the dishwasher is full or not, it uses the same amount of water per cycle.

3. Use water twice

We rarely use this way of saving water. We only use water for one activity without thinking about the fact that it can be re-used. For example, the water after boiled vegetables or eggs is great for watering houseplants. All you have to do is wait for it to cool down and you're done. Another way is to use water after bathing or washing your hands to flush the toilet.

4. Water plants in the garden in the morning or evening

Garden plants need regular watering, especially in summer. It is a good idea to water them early in the morning or late in the evening. This is important because during the day, when the sun shines strongly, much of the water evaporates. Watering a garden can consume up to 200 litres - the most water-intensive activity of all in the house and garden.

5. Collect rainwater - saving water in the garden

It is a good idea to use rainwater for watering the garden. It can be collected in special rainwater harvesting containers, or an ordinary barrel. It will certainly be sufficient to water your lawn or flowers. It can also be used in many other ways. we wrote earlier.

A decorative rainwater tank can decorate your garden

6. Set up a garden irrigation system

Garden irrigation system optimises the amount of water used, as we have already written about previously. It allows us to decide which plants we water and with what frequency. We also decide when and how long to water. All this ensures that the water goes exactly where it's needed. Such an irrigation system not only saves water, but also time.

The garden irrigation system optimises the amount of water used

7. Drink tap water, not bottled water.

Choose tap water because it is readily available and definitely cheaper than bottled water. The quality of tap water is not much different from bought water and is often comparable. It undergoes a number of tests and a treatment process. It is one hundred per cent safe to drink! If the tap water does not taste good, it is worth buying a bottle with a filter or a filter jug. Fortunately, the number of people choosing tap water is increasing year on year. At the moment, it is already one in two people.

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make such a difference. It is up to us to decide when our planet's water supply is depleted. By implementing water conservation in your household, you will spend less money, but you will also be taking care of the environment. It is worth making these changes in your family's life today.