It’s been a dry year in many parts of the nation, and water-saving measures have been on our minds here on the Sunshine Coast. Even when we are not experiencing drought, saving water is something all Australian homeowners should be conscious of. According to advocacy group Choice, if every Australian reduced water use by 50 litres a day, we could delay or even avoid the need for new water provision infrastructure, and even lift restrictions. There are plenty of ways you can reduce your water use at home. Here are a few:

In the kitchen

• Modern dishwashers are generally pretty water efficient and use less water than washing dishes by hand. If you’re updating your dishwasher, make sure you choose one with a good water-efficiency rating.
• Most new dishwashers effectively clean dishes that haven’t been rinsed. So you don’t have to waste water on rinsing beforehand – just scrape the food off and pop them straight in the machine.
• Try running your dishwasher on a fast or eco cycle – particularly if your dishes are pretty clean – as this uses less water.
• If you are doing a hand wash, try to keep the water level low and rather than running everything under the tap to rinse, fill the second sink or a dish with rinse water and use that. You can also just wash everything, stick it on the drainer and tip a jug of rinse water over the drainer to rinse your dishes.
• Do you find you waste a lot of water waiting for cold water to run out of the hot water tap? Then consider installing a water recirculation system – when you turn on the hot water tap, the system will intercept the cold water and send it back to the hot water tank, saving water that would otherwise run straight down the drain.

In the bathroom

• Reduce your time in the shower to four minutes or less (a shower timer will help you keep track).
• Install a water-saving showerhead or a flow restrictor.
• Turn off the shower while you’re shampooing and shaving, then turn it back on to rinse off.
• Investigate shower systems that recycle shower water.
• While waiting for the shower to warm up, run the cold water into a bucket for later use on your garden.
• Install aerator taps at the bath and vanity – these give the feel of a decent flow of water but use much less water than traditional taps.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
• If you’re renovating, replace your toilet with a dual-flush cistern. If you’re not renovating, you can install a device that makes sure your toilet to flushes only while you are holding down the button.

In the laundry

• Buying a new washing machine? Go for a front loader – these generally use a lot less water than top-loading models.
• While you’re out shopping, don’t forget to check the water-efficiency rating of appliances.
• Choice recommends you don’t use grey water from washing machines for your garden, as laundry detergents contain chemicals that can harm your plants and soil. But you can save the rinse water for gardens – just be sure to spread it out and avoid using on edible garden beds.

Outside

• When washing your car, if you can, drive it onto the lawn first. If you can’t drive onto the lawn or you don’t want to, look at ways to redirect water runoff onto garden beds and lawns.
• Also when washing the car, using a bucket rather than a hose is generally much more water efficient. Otherwise install a trigger nozzle onto your hose so you don’t waste water running back and forth from the tap to turn the hose off and on. A high-pressure, low-flow car cleaner is a great investment as it uses a lot less water than a traditional hose uses.
• Rainwater tanks are an investment, but they are definitely worth it, even if you live in a dry part of the nation. According to Choice, a rainwater tank will collect around 80 per cent of the rain that falls onto the area of your roof connected to the tank’s gutters and pipes. If 10 millilitres of rain falls on to 100 square metres of roof, you’ll collect about 800 litres of rainwater.

Find out more:

• Choice tests all sorts of appliances for energy and water efficiency. Check out the reviews at choice.com.au before buying new appliances.
• Head to your water supplier’s website, as this will have water-saving tips and information.