10 replies to this topic

[greenking]

• A running faucet wastes 2.5 gallons of water each minute.

• A dishwasher uses 11 gallons of water per use.

• 75 percent of all water used in the household is used in the bathroom.

[13tyates]

Those are some interesting facts. I actually did not know about that and it is interesting. I would have never thought that much of the water used is in the bathroom! I mean you have the kitchen and laundry that uses a lot. So I supposed it might be half and half or so. Either way we use so much water and just saving a little can help the world in great ways! Little steps grow to something really big!

[jasserEnv]

Between washing clothes and showers, people waste a lot of water. However, the concept of wasting water also has to be looked at in terms of how long that water is in use. For people who fill a pool, that water is completely unavailable until it evaporates. This is the worst form of waste and occurs with industrial products that contain a lot of water or processes such as fraking that use a lot of water and don't make the water available for another cycle in any realistic time frame. Even if the water is polluted but accessible, it can be processed for reuse. If it is being held or is trapped somewhere, that is when it is most thoroughly wasted.

[zararina]

That is why I tried to reuse water used in the bathroom as much as possible.  I use it to clean the toilet floor and even to flush the toilet. And I could also use it to clean the place outside.
And reading the fact about dishwasher, it gives another reason for us to just wash the plates by ourselves since we can save some water.

[brihooter]

Holy smokes!  I did not know a dishwasher used that much water each time.  Looks like I need to use that less often for sure.

[Sandra Piddock]

I try to be aware of how much water we use, because we are in Spain, where water is short in the summer months. I keep a bucket in the shower to catch water as it is heating, and I use that to water the garden. I never leave the tap running while I clean my teeth. When we lived in the UK, water was much more expensive, so I got into the habit of being careful over there. Basically, I try not to waste anything, because everything has a cost, even if it's to the environment rather than a monetary cost.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Links are always helpful. They let the reader decide which may be more accurate-is it a credible source?

"For a while, when it comes to green impacts, the prevailing wisdom has been that
built in dishwashers beat hand-washing dishes, in a runaway. By the numbers, according to one study at the University of Bonn in Germany, the dishwasher uses
only half the energy,
one-sixth of the water, and less soap, to boot. That sounds easy enough, but there's a lot more to it than and black-and-white comparison between your faucet and sink and the appliance under your counter.
The average dishwasher uses 6 gallons of water per cycle; the average Energy Star-rated dishwasher uses 4 gallons per cycle, and their energy use ranges from 1.59 kWh per load down to 0.87 kWh per load. Using the Department of Energy's carbon dioxide emissions numbers of 1.34 pounds of CO₂ per kWh, that's 1.16 to 2.13 pounds of carbon dioxide emitted per load, to go along with 4 gallons of water."
http://www.treehugge...is-greener.html
Totally different numbers from this site-but it's an op-ed piece.
http://www.passionat...andwashing.html
Still more numbers-but we have to consider the dishwasher (person) vs. the dishwasher (model/age)
http://1greengenerat...time.com/?p=314

[brihooter]

Do you think it would save more water to just wash the dishes by hand?  I have been stuck thinking about this for the last couple days.  We don't run the dishwasher everyday by any means but still.  Using that much water makes me think!

[SpiroFlo]

The dog washes the dishes without any water.

[Sandra Piddock]

I don't wash the dishes after every single meal, whether I'm hand washing them or using the dishwasher. I have the smallest washing up bowl that will comfortably take my plates, and I just wash up once a day. I only use the dishwasher if I'm feeling unwell or if we have visitors, so I'm quite happy that I keep my dishwashing water usage to a minimum.

Another thing to consider is using the cooled water to water plants, unless it contains bleach or is very greasy. Somebody told us that it was good for plants, because there are ingredients in the detergent that are good for the plants. I was sceptical, so we tried it out. We watered half of the plants with regular water, and half with dishwashing water. After just a few weeks, the plants watered with dishwashing water were stronger and healthier looking than the others, so it definitely works.

[rbaker_59]

Water usage in the bathroom can be lessened by the habits we get ourselves into.  Taking baths instead of showers and then using the water from the tub to flush the toilet.  Turning off the tap water while we brush our teeth and using only enough water to rinse.  In the kitchen using a dishtub to wash and an additional one to rinse saves more water than you think.  The rinse water can be used for other cleaning purposes, such as mopping.  It can also be used to water the garden or grass outdoors.  My grandmother lived on the side of the mountain and had her drains designed to such that everytime they used water, it would flow downhill to water the garden and other vegetation.  That way all the water was reused, except the sewer of course.