My Parents Are From the West Indies. Here's What They Taught Me About Saving Water.
Yes, I'm turning into my parents, and I'm okay with that
Old practices die hard.
My parents grew up in Antigua, a Caribbean island nation of more than 365 beaches. But while they were surrounded by an abundance of water, the infrastructure meant that indoor plumbing was a luxury enjoyed by a select few. As a result, they were nurtured with a keen appreciation for water—the finite resource we often overindulge in here in the U.S. When they moved here, that attitude continued to inform their way of life, gleaming modern bathrooms notwithstanding.
Growing up in the suburbs of South Jersey, my sister and I would often hear my parents yell out: “Why is the water running?” “Stop wasting the water!” And: “Is somebody in the bathroom?” They were on us whenever our water consumption had surpassed their idea of what was reasonable.
It was exasperating back then. But the practice of conserving water as a child has turned into a habit that I’ve leaned into as an adult. Now, in a time when relentless drought conditions have gripped so many parts of our country, I’m grateful that saving water comes easily to me. And I believe it can for others, too, with enough practice. A few directives, courtesy of my parents.
Soap-Ups Don’t Require Water
Some people call it a navy shower. My parents call it being conscious. Whenever we hopped into the shower we knew that the water needed to be shut off when it was time to lather up. “You can do the math there,” says James Dickerson, chief scientific officer at Consumer Reports. “If you think about faucets and showerheads, they can produce anywhere from about 0.5 to upwards of 3 gallons per minute. When you leave the water running, it means you have gallons of water being wasted in a matter of minutes.”
At this point in my life, I’ve gotten the timing of my showers down as well as how much water I use in the process. The practice saves me, on average, 30 gallons of water each day.
You Don’t Need Water to Brush Your Teeth
In the same way a constant stream of water isn’t needed for baths, my parents would insist on turning running water off while brushing their teeth. So now, I quickly rinse my toothbrush off at the start, turn the water off as I brush, then turn it back on to rinse. The 2 to 3 minutes between brushing and rinsing saves me roughly 3 to 4 gallons of perfectly good water each time.
Save It for the Plants
Every morning before my dad filled the kettle for our tea, he would go around the house, dumping out any excess water from the day before into one of our several houseplants. He’d even drain the water left over from rinsing fruit into the planters and pots. In fact, whenever he suspected that we were considering throwing “good water” down the drain, he would quickly remind us to “save it for the plants.” Today, I’ve continued that ritual—even adding to it, by pouring what’s left over in my puppy’s water bowl and what’s in my dehumidifier into the soil. (Of course, this will work only if you keep the dehumidifier clean, and use the water only on non-edible plants.) Saving water this way keeps my garden roses and hydrangeas blooming all summer long.
Hold the Clothes for a Full Load
If they gave out certifications for laundry skills, my mom would have an advanced degree. She taught us that having a designated wash day can save on energy because back-to-back loads in the dryer mean the remaining heat inside of the dryer is used during the next cycle. It can also save on water if you wait to accumulate clothes. That’s why she washes only full loads—even when it comes to whites.
“When you do a full load of laundry, you may use incrementally more water on the load, but it is significantly less water than doing two smaller loads,” says Rich Handel, Consumer Reports’ lead test engineer for washers. “It’s good for the environment and also your wallet.”
Pack the Dishwasher Properly
My father’s motto has always been: If you pack the dishwasher “properly” you can optimize the number of dishes that will fit, thus getting more out of each cycle.
Fitting each dish in its place can be a bit of a puzzle, but nowadays I’m always up for the challenge.
For those dishes with hard-to-remove foods that need a little prerinsing, I use the water collected in the kitchen sink throughout the day from washing my hands. And for delicate dishes that need to be hand-washed, I use the two-basin method, in which you use one basin to clean off the gunk on soiled dishes and the other to remove the suds.
“That’s the best way to do it,” says Larry Ciufo, CR’s senior test engineer for dishwashers. He estimates that this method could save you roughly 15 gallons of water or more.
@consumerreports As drought conditions become the new norm, it’s vital to save water. Learn more through the link in our bio. #savewater #waterconservation #hometok #kitchentok ♬ original sound - Consumer Reports
