The many uses of water in the home

Water is used in so many ways in our daily life, leading some of us to take it for granted. Today, we want to outline the many uses of water in our lives and how much of it we actually use.
The Bathroom
The first room that springs to mind when we mention water in the home is most assuredly the bathroom.
In every bathroom is the humble toilet, used many times a day (especially if you get the right water intake)… But how much water does a toilet use?
On average, toilets that are manufactured today use roughly 1.5 gallons of water per flush! Why do they use so much?
Well, to put it plainly, this amount of water accounts for large contents left within a toilet. This is to prevent toilets clogging by ensuring the contents can travel through all the bends within the pipes. Toilets often use up to around 30% of the water used in our homes.
What about showers and baths? Great to relax at the end of the day, right? Well, you may want to relax a little bit quicker!
The average showerhead uses 12 litres of water per minute and most people take 10 minutes to shower which’s 120 litres of water, which is the same volume as the average wheelie bin!
In comparison, the average bath is roughly 80 litres, so in some cases, it can be more beneficial to take a bath rather than a shower if you’re looking for some extra ‘me time’.
The Kitchen
Home to the washing machine and the dishwasher (if you have one). These two appliances assist us week-in, week-out to keep our clothes and cutlery clean – but at what cost?
Most modern washing machines use 50 litres of water per cycle, which is much better than the 150 litres old washing machines use to use!
Some washing machines are better than others, some placing themselves at 33 litres of water per cycle, but the worst ones can reach upwards of 70 litres of water per cycle.
Dishwashers are on the same level as our average washing machines, weighing in at roughly 45 litres of water per load.
Better dishwashers try to half that to an effective value of 22 litres per load but that is still almost equivalent to two minutes in the shower. Best to switch back to the manual scrubbing after all?
The Garden
For many, it is their pride and joy when it comes to home life, but how much water does it cost to take care of the average garden?
For those of you who use a hose to water your grass and plants, the average hose is said to use 1000 litres of water per hour! You can address this issue by using a trigger nozzle which can almost halve your water use and help to direct the water straight to the roots of your plants.
In some cases, It may be wiser to switch to a watering can and encourage sparing use.
Sprinklers have the same issue. In some cases for farms, it can have water usage levels of around 1020 gallons in an hour.
Waterwise recommend using sprinklers in the early morning or late afternoon, as you can use your water most effectively without having to worry about evaporation.
So, with your newfound knowledge of how much water we use, isn’t it worth ensuring it’s clean and perfect for what we use it for? Especially in our dishwashers and washing machines.
Click here to find out more about our water softeners, or give us a call on 01462 455772 for a friendly chat.
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