People usually go back to the basics of conserving water when they consider the California drought, but you can handily discover new ways to help out.
Add collecting water to your bucket list
As you wait for the shower water to heat up, collect it in a bucket below the shower head or faucet. Instead of allowing this water to go down the drain each time you shower, you can use the compiled water in your bucket for household chores, including mopping the floor, watering plants and washing cars.
You can also save the water that would fall into the drain as you wait for the tap water to cool to drink. Similarly, place a bowl below the faucet to gather the unwanted water and use this water for other tasks.
If you have time to wait for cold water, store room temperature water in your freezer for 45 minutes to chill it.
Check for toilet leaks in a colorful way
A fun method to check for a toilet leak only requires a small amount of food coloring. First, remove the lid of your toilet tank. When the water rises to the water line shown within the tank, flush your toilet.
Squeeze four to five drops of food coloring into the tank. Put the lid back on top of the tank and do not flush the toilet for 30 minutes. If coloring appears in your toilet bowl after half an hour, a faulty flapper valve in the tank may have caused a leak.
You can buy a replacement valve for around ten dollars at home improvement stores and easily install it on your own.
Sink away bad habits
When you wash dishes, you might be wasting a ton of water without even realizing it. Instead of scraping and spraying dishes and pans to get stubborn food off, you should leave them in the sink to soak. The food waste disposal is a convenient way to get rid of all the garbage, but it uses gallons of water. You can simply throw your vegetable waste in a compost bin, which also benefits your garden.
Nominate grass for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Take advantage of where your ice lands. As you pour the bucket of water over your head, stand on a lawn so that the water nurtures the grass. While you still shortly experience the weakness an ALS patient feels, you help your grass too. An even better way to reduce water usage and support the cause at the same time is to simply donate.
Convince ice that plants are worth melting for
Rather than wasting water by letting the dropped ice melt in a sink, melt them in soil to give a plant needed water. This may seem to be a small contribution, but plenty of people can agree that they accidentally drop ice every once in a while.