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With the average annual water bill coming in at $335 and expected to rise in the coming years, water conservation means a healthier environment and a healthier bank account. The good news is that there are dozens of ways to conserve water in your apartment. Whether your apartment community uses Conservice or another provider, the following tips and links to websites will provide more in-depth information on some of the most effective ways to conserve water.

Study Up

Make sure you actually read your water bill every month. This advice is not emphasized enough. Simply being aware of how much water you use can go a long way towards changing your behavior. Over time, you’ll be able to pick up on patterns of when your water usage is the lowest and the highest so you can use this information to your advantage.

DIY

As a renter, you don’t always get to decide which appliances and fixtures your home will be equipped with. But Mother Nature Network shares this clever trick on creating your own low-flush toilet. Simply put a plastic water bottle filled with rocks or sand in your toilet tank. Sounds simple right? It is!

Soak it Up

This water saving tip for frugal renters is so obvious we couldn’t believe we didn’t think of it ourselves. There are tons of water conservation sites that will say you have to adopt a life of strict 5-minute showers. But sometimes a hot bath is exactly what you need at the end of the day. Instead of swearing them off, just be smarter about it. Most people run the bath water and wait for the water to reach the desired temperature. This makes sense for a shower, but for a bath you can plug the tub up from the start and just adjust as needed to make sure it’s the perfect temperature.

An Even “Greener” Thumb

We’ve all heard the tip about turning the faucet off when you’re not actually using water. But no one wants to step into an ice cold shower while they’re waiting for the water to warm up. You don’t have to watch all that cold water go down the drain. Simply place a container or bucket under your shower head to catch some of that water. It can be reused to water plants.

Easy Street

This tip isn’t so much creative as it is simple, so simple in fact that we had to include it. Leaking faucets and pipes can add up to significant water waste over the course of the year. Letting your community’s team members know about these issues as quickly as possible not only makes your home more comfortable but it also cuts back on water loss. Typically, these services are free to you as long as the leak wasn’t caused by damage. All you have to do is submit a work order!

Additional tips we can offer to our renters looking to save on their water bills include the following:

• When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. This can save you up to 1,000 gallons of water a month! Also, when doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load.
• Don’t use running water to thaw frozen foods. Defrost food in the refrigerator for water efficiency and food safety.
• Teach children to turn off faucets tightly after each use.
• Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and save 25 gallons a month.
• Drop used Kleenex tissue in the trash instead of flushing it.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator for cold drinks instead of running the tap.
• Turn off the water while you lather to wash your hands and while you shave. Turning the water off while you shave can save up to 300 gallons a month.

While some of these methods may sound silly, we think these are useful tips that when put into practice can positively impact your life as well as the environment! If you have other creative water saving tips for renters, share them with us on our Facebook page.