Eco-Tips: Water

In this video, you will learn how to save water at home.

We'll start off by giving you some tips for reducing your consumption of tap water. Then we'll show you a method of using less water when washing the dishes by hand.

Firstly: reducing your tap water consumption

The first step for cutting back is to take showers instead of baths.

A bath will take 150 to 200 litres of water while a shower consumes between 60 and 80 litres in 5 minutes.

We estimate that by switching baths for showers, you could save between 50 and 100 € a year (around £40-80)

A simple way of saving tapwater is to turn off the taps when brushing your teeth or when applying soap to your hands.

For further savings, you could install tap aerators in your home.

These mean you can halve the volume of water used with a similar level of power and comfort from the water flow.

A tap aerator costs between 5 and 10 € (£4-7)- this investment will pay for itself in less than a year.

Water leaks are one of the main causes of excessive water consumption.

They can occur as a result of a defective pipe, or a leaking toilet flush, for example.

A leaking toilet flush could cost you upto an extra £50 per month.

To detect a leak, check your water meter before you go to bed.

If you haven't used any water during the night, your meter should show the same reading the next morning.

If the reading has increased, you can be sure that you have a leak in your home.

To make sure you're not paying unnecessarily for water you're not using, find the leak and fix it.

Secondly: saving water when washing the dishes

On average, washing the dishes by hand uses 42 litres of water

But there is a method that can reduce your consumption to 10 litres of water each time you wash by hand.

For this, all you need is a basin, a bowl, two sponges and washing up liquid

First of all, washing:

We recommend washing your dishes straight after eating, so that dirt cannot dry on your dishes.

Start by filling the basin with warm water.

You can even use your cooking water to fill up the basin - providing it's not greasy

Water used for cooking pasta and rice works well for washing dishes.

Pile up your dirty dishes in the basin.

If the there is dried food on your dishes, leave them to soak for a few hours before you wash them.

In a bowl, dilute a couple of drops of washing-up liquid then dip one of the two sponges in it to make it a lather.

This tip will help you to use less washing up liquid and to reduce the time spent rinsing

Leave the second sponge to one side. You will need it for rinsing the basin.

Wash your dishes with the soapy sponge, using the water in the basin.

Place your clean dishes on the kitchen surface as you go

Once all the dishes have been washed, empty the basin.

Then rinse the basin quickly.

Wipe the traces of foam with the sponge that you've kept for rinsing the basin.

Then move on to the rinsing stage:

Put your basin in the sink.

Take your biggest objects for rinsing (saucepans, sieves, bowls...) and pass them under a trickle of water over the basin.

Use the water that's gathered in the basin to rinse smaller objects such as cups, glasses, and cutlery.

If the water gets too soapy, change it.

As you rinse, put the clean dishes on a draining rack or a clean tea towel.

When all your dishes have been washed, rinse your sponges over the basin.

Don't throw the rinsing water away, it can be used to soak and wash your next set of dishes.

By adopting this more economical approach, you could make significant savings on your water bills.