7 Tips For Reducing Water Consumption in Your California Home

When you’re a homeowner, one of your top priorities is maintaining the investment. Whether you choose to sell down the road or keep your property in the family for generations, it’s always nice when you can maintain the appeal, integrity and beauty of your home. You can do this by investing in your home through scheduled maintenance, professional assistance and forward-thinking purchases.

Water is one of the main elements to consider when nourishing your home. Whether you’re watering the front lawn or washing copious loads of laundry, water conservation is a factor to consider when maintaining a property. As a resident of California, water continues to be a commodity that needs to be protected. Consider some of the ways you can do this through your everyday practices at home.

1. Schedule Lawn Care

In California, some cities choose to implement rules surrounding watering times. If there are known rules in your city, adhere to them. With respective rules in mind, it’s best to consider scheduling your lawn care within two timeframes. Focus on watering your lawn early in the morning before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

Ideally, those timeframes work due to the science of evaporation. In California, the hot sun and dry climate become harshest around the middle of the day. When those two elements are most present, evaporation discourages water from truly getting to the soil to nourish the plants. Watering the lawn during the recommended hours allows full use of the water’s ability to moisten the ground and produce a visibly verdant lawn.

2. Keep an Eye Out for Leaks

Pay attention to fixtures like the toilet, the dishwasher and the sink. It’s even wise to look for cracks in the foundation, walls and more. When a faucet continues to drip unchecked, this directly equates to wasting gallons of water. When you find a leak, contact a Los Angeles-based plumbing company like Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric. Even if you don’t know what to look for, we provide professional leak detection and plumbing repair services.

Install a leak detector or conduct a monthly audit to check areas in your home. As you look for signs of water damage or excess moisture, take a look at your water bill. Notice the local trends in comparison to your current bill. A drastic uptick in water consumption might be an indicator that there’s a leak somewhere.

3. Increase Communication and Awareness at Home

If you live alone, be mindful of your own water consumption. However, if you live in a household with others, it’s time to have a family meeting about water conservation efforts. If you have a teenager who loves to take hour-long showers, it’s time to discuss worthwhile alternatives.

Instead of an hour-long shower, encourage your teen to fill the tub with water for a relaxing bath. A bath allows your teenager to enjoy the water without wasting gallons by the minute. Install a shower timer that goes off after a few minutes. It can serve as a great reminder to be mindful of the time. Put up a small mirror sign that reminds everyone to turn off the water while they’re brushing their teeth. While it’s tough to break habits, offering an alternative helps the shift to remain sustainable.

4. Swap Out Water Fixtures

Look around the house to consider which older fixtures potentially waste more water than others. Consider your showerheads, toilets and washing machines. The bathroom tends to get the most use on an average day. Because the bathroom is probably the room with the most foot traffic, start with your showerhead, faucet and toilet.

Install low-flow options that promise energy efficiency. In California, various counties maintain programs that reward homeowners who make the switch. Look for their various discounts, rebates and other benefits offered. While there is an investment attached to changing all of your fixtures, remember that they’ll help you save more money on water usage in the long run.

5. Use Manual Labor

When it’s time to clean off the driveway, a deck or a patio, it’s admittedly quicker and more convenient to use a hose. The only problem with the hose is that it’ll require an exorbitant amount of water to clean off each area. Even though it’s more time-consuming, use a broom instead. If you have physical limitations, consider investing in a blower. Research your county’s website to make sure the blower is compliant with any longstanding regulations.

If you’re a car owner who prefers to do the washing and detailing yourself, don’t let the hose run freely. Instead, add water to a bucket. As you use a carwashing brush or sponge to clean the car, keep the bucket nearby. Wet the sponge as often as needed with the water from the bucket. Once you’ve completely washed the car, use the bucket to rinse off the soap. The bucket encourages a measured amount of water usage at one time. These changes can make a major difference in conserving water immediately.

6. Use a Full Washing Machine and Dishwasher

There are differing opinions regarding dishwashers and water consumption. However, it’s not uncommon for a lot of newer models of dishwashers to be able to conserve way more water than you would if you washed the dishes by hand. Knowing this, it’s best to let the washing machine and the dishwasher run with a full load. When you’re washing clothes, cultivate a week’s worth of clothes before you run the washing machine.

Instead of using the dishwasher every single night, pile it up until there is enough to run a full load. Even though handwashing is quick and easy, handwashing tends to use a lot more water. Knowing this, just focus on using more dishes over time because that will help you save water in the long run. It’s also okay to use plastic and paper utensils from time to time. While they won’t reduce your overall carbon footprint, they’ll require less water consumption.

7. Install Artificial Turf

If you’re somebody who loves to see a green lawn but you’re aiming to reduce your water consumption, it might be wise to invest in artificial turf instead. You’ll still get the appeal and beauty of a green lawn without having to spend so much time, money and energy on nourishing it.

Artificial turf is its own investment. However, there are benefits to its low-maintenance style. If you care about the environment, pesticides and other harmful fertilizers won’t be necessary when you are installing artificial turf. This can help preserve the environment of your home and reduce your carbon footprint.

Moving Forward

As you become strategic in your approach to water conservation, allow our Los Angeles-based Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric team to assist you in maintaining your home’s integrity. From helping you prioritize green living practices to keeping an eye on leak detection, contact our plumbing services team today to learn more about how we can keep your home in its best condition with water conservation as a top priority.