You use about 150 liters of precious water per day. That’s the average consumption of an average person. But think about how much that is on a monthly or yearly basis. When you use a lot of water, you’re causing harm to the environment and increasing your utility bill. So how to save water in your kitchen is a question that many people ask. And I’m here to answer it.
Do you want to know 5 ways to save water in the kitchen? How about 10 ways to save water? Well, I have discussed as many as 18 ways to save those precious drops in your kitchen. Time to get started then!
How to Save Water in Your Kitchen: 18 Most Useful Tips
#1 Refrigerate water
More often than not, you wait for the running water coming from the tap to cool down. You also like to have quality water in your kitchen. So how about storing the water in your fridge to achieve even cooler results?
#2 Bottle water
This reminds me to encourage the use of water bottles. Obviously, the reusable ones built using BPA-free plastic. You can also opt for reusable glass bottles. So no more having to deal with partially empty glasses of precious water! Or washing those glasses, which wastes even more water.
#3 Sharing with plants
Sharing is caring, but not only with humans. Include plants too!
Instead of throwing away water, both used and unused, repurpose it to water your plants.
#4 Make every drop count
Now I know that it’s not only important but necessary to thoroughly wash fresh vegetables and fruits. This is how you prevent contamination. Along with avoiding the development of foodborne diseases!
But that doesn’t mean wasting gallons of water. Rather than washing them under running water, do the same in a bowl or container. You can then reuse this dirty water for the garden.
#5 Don’t overfill pot or kettle
What’s the point of boiling excessive water when you’re going to throw it away? Fill that kettle with just the required amount. Nothing more, nothing less. Overfilling wastes both water and electricity.
#6 Rethink defrosting
Not environment-friendly: Defrosting food under running water.
Environment-friendly: Defrosting food in the refrigerator overnight.
#7 Repurpose ice
How many times have you thrown away that ice cube you dropped on the ground? On second thought, how about offering the cubes to your plants? Or washing them and adding them to your dog’s water bowl. Sounds like a better idea, doesn’t it?
#8 Use little water when cooking
How to save water while cooking? Here’s a solution.
When boiling pasta or vegetables, use minimum water. There’s no need to fill the pot completely. And whenever you can boil the two together. Many rice cookers are equipped with steamer trays for this very reason.
Such a habit helps in reducing water wastage. While also preserving vitamins present in the veggies and fruits. And once again, don’t discard the boiled water. Your plants and garden will benefit from it.
#9 Size does matter
No need to use larger pots for cooking. Unless you’re cooking for a crowd!
#10 Ditch paper towels
It goes without saying that paper towels are not such an eco-friendly option. And even if you still want to use them, throw the dirty ones in your trash.
Whenever I choose to buy paper towels, I always look for the bio-degradable kind.
#11 Rethink cooking methods
How about stir-frying and roasting in place of steaming and boiling? You can always opt for alternative methods if you want to know how to save water in your kitchen.
#12 Less is enough
More soap means more rinsing, which means more water. So how about we replace the word more with less in the previous sentence? Less soap means less rinsing, which means less water.
#13 Wash dishes using the stop-start method
Any technique is better than washing the crummy dishes under running water. Such a practice brings fixtures like the touchless kitchen faucet into the picture. You can control the sensors to start and stop water flow without having to actually touch the tap.
Or another cheaper method is to fill the sink with soapy water. And use that to shine those dishes!
#14 Block it in
In the case of filling the sink with soapy water, use a plug to avoid seepage.
But what if you have a large sink? At such times, avoid filling such a big area with water. Instead, use a smaller sized container for the task. The goal is to cut down uses of water in the kitchen, no matter what.
#15 Don’t pre-rinse dishes
Rather than pre-rinsing dirty dishes, why not scrape the leftover food particles?
#16 Buy eco-friendly appliances
There are plenty of energy and water efficient dishwashers out there. These only turn on when they’re full. And not all cycles use the same amount of water. You can figure this out by checking the appliance manual.
#17 Try composting
You can reduce trash if you give composting a chance. Your garden will definitely benefit from it. Plus, fewer plastic waste means minimal overall waste to recycle or dispose of.
#18 Recycle carefully
Household chemicals should be eliminated properly. As they have the ability to contaminate fresh water supply lines outside your territory.
The End of the List
Don’t worry about trying all 18 tips together. Take one step at a time, which seems like a more realistic plan. You can’t expect to do everything all at once. Even baby steps are enough, as long as you’re moving in that direction.
And if anyone asks you how to save water in your kitchen, you know where to direct them. I would appreciate it if you provided me with your feedback. And if you have any more such useful tips for saving precious drops, feel free to list them down below.
Thanks for reading and caring for the environment. We’re all in this together!
About the author:
Barbara Davis created Mom Trusted Choice so she could talk about unspoken topics. Not many pregnant women and moms admit or even accept hardships along the journey. So Davis wants her work to help them not only admit their problems but also find the most suitable solutions. She is responsible for the inclusion of multiple articles discussing everything practical about motherhood. And once you browse through her platform, you’ll see it too.
Sources:
- http://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/article17580791.html
- https://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Environmental-health/Water/18-ways-to-save-water-in-your-kitchen-20180212
- https://www.greenprophet.com/2009/12/12-tips-save-water/
