Save water - this is how you reduce your water consumption

You can save water not only by not letting the tap run unnecessarily. There are a lot more ways you can reduce your water consumption. I would like to introduce it to you today because saving water is sustainable, saves resources and contributes to the long-term health of our planet.

Five ways to save water

1. Turn off the tap

As already mentioned at the beginning, this is probably the most obvious, but also the simplest method of saving water. If we pay a little more attention to our habits and be more careful with our water consumption, we can make a big difference. Just pay attention to how often or whether you turn the tap on or off while brushing your teeth, washing your hands or rinsing. If necessary, you can then adapt your behavior and save a lot of water.

2. Shower more mindfully

You can also save water when showering. For example, by turning off the water while soaping. Or by showering instead of bathing. Because when bathing you sometimes use 4-5 times more water than when showering! There are also water-saving shower heads that can be easily installed in the shower for very little money. The water saved is not only noticeable in the ecological balance, but also in your wallet.

Another option is to shower less often. Of course, personal hygiene is very important and should be taken seriously. But these days, many people even shower too often!

Showering too often can dry out the skin in the long term and washing your hair too often is not exactly beneficial for the hair.

In addition, you should check once a year whether the instantaneous water heater/water boiler is set correctly. Very old devices should also be replaced with a newer (eco) model.

An extra tip for plant lovers: When showering, have a small bucket on hand to collect water while the shower “warms up”. You can use this water for watering plants!

3. Full machine wash

Regardless of whether it's a dishwasher or washing machine, it's best to only turn it on when it's actually full. Even if it is very convenient not to have to wash by hand or to have clothes back in the closet quickly, it is not exactly water-saving. Most dishwashers and washing machines now also have an “eco mode” that cleans in a resource-saving manner. This should not be ignored either.

4. The right garden

I'm certainly not an expert when it comes to gardening. But I know that a well-maintained lawn needs a lot of water. Changing the garden is certainly time-consuming and not entirely cost-effective, but it should be considered. A garden with less grass is not only sustainable in terms of saving water, but also because the soil can potentially be used to grow your own vegetables, herbs or fruit!

5. Virtual water

“Virtual” or “latent” water refers to the amount of water required to produce a product. Virtual water is not directly visible to us and is therefore quickly forgotten. The amount of water used to produce food and other products varies considerably.

Groceries

Unfortunately, cocoa and cocoa beans perform very poorly with a water requirement of 27,000 liters per kilo. Meat production is also very water-intensive: many types of meat such as poultry or pork require 4,000 to 5,000 liters of water per kilo. Beef clearly tops the whole thing with a requirement of 15,000 liters of water per kilo. Potatoes, carrots, lettuce and tomatoes, on the other hand, require little water (approx. between 100 - 200 liters per kilogram).

One of the best ways to save water in your diet is to consume fewer animal products. It’s completely okay to start “small” first. For example, you can introduce one meatless day per week or try vegan breakfast ideas every now and then.

Clothing

There are also huge amounts of virtual water in our clothing. The cultivation of cotton in particular is very water-intensive (over 22,000 liters per kilogram of cotton fibers). Viscose, for example, performs significantly better than cotton at 350 liters per kilogram. By the way, viscose is also used for our paigh trousers , and even if the material is not perfect in terms of sustainability, it can at least score points when it comes to water consumption.

The most sustainable ways to source clothing and save water in the process are still second-hand shopping, swapping clothes among friends, thinking twice before buying whether you really need the item, and also, on Choosing quality instead of quantity. :)

Recycling and reusable products

If possible, you should avoid disposable products and use recyclable (packaging) materials. Toilet paper, which also requires a lot of water to produce, is also available in paper packaging. At least this way you save yourself plastic waste. A great alternative to toilet paper are shower toilets and butt showers, which are becoming increasingly popular.

The production of water bottles and coffee cups is also water-intensive. Investing in a reusable water bottle or coffee cup makes sense from this perspective alone. Since the topic of sustainability is becoming more and more popular in society, there are now a lot of great replacement and value-added products that are practical, money-saving and environmentally friendly.

Which of these tips have you already been able to implement?

If you would like to find out more about the topics of sustainability, mindfulness or healthy eating, take a look here .