With 20% of a household’s water usage being in the kitchen, there is a lot of room for being mindful of its use. It can feel particularly daunting in the kitchen; let us help! We have 7 quick and easy tips for saving water in the kitchen.

Fix leaks! – A leaky faucet is more than an irritatingly noisy drip of water. Fifteen thousand drops of water make a gallon. At one drip per second, a leaky faucet can waste over 3000 gallons a year! Regularly taking just a few moments to make sure there are no leaks and quickly fixing them will help save you money and water.

Do you have a low-flow kitchen faucet? – Has your faucet caught up with today’s technology? Older faucets had a flow rate as high as 5 gallons per minute (GPM), while today’s faucets boast a flow rate of 1.5 GPM! If your faucet has a high flow rate, add a good flow restrictor, or take the opportunity to upgrade to the newest in water-saving technology. Today’s faucets, and flow, technologies can make a world of difference in water usage while not sacrificing function where you need it most.

Use washable spray mops and spot clean floors –  For daily cleaning, invest in a spray mop with a washable, reusable cloth head, keep your kitchen floor clean by immediately attending to spills, and reserve bucket mopping for seasonal deep cleaning. 

Steam food instead of boiling –  Did you know that steaming your vegetables not only saves water it also retains more nutrients than boiling? You can also try roasting them, swapping water for big flavor!

Use the dishwasher instead of handwashing dishes – It’s easy to forget that hand washing can use a lot of water if left running. Dishwashers can save on water and time! Just wait to run the dishwasher until you have a full load of dishes. In doing so, you will save on electricity, water, and detergent.

Soak pots – Like washing dishes, soaking your pots and pans instead of scrubbing under running water helps save much more water than we realize.

 Save your running water – Running your tap while you wait for the water to get hot or cold sends perfectly usable clean water straight down the drain. Instead of letting precious water go to waste while waiting for the temperature to change, try filling a pitcher with the water for the fridge, fill the coffee pot or tea kettle, or keep a bucket to fill for use around the house or to water plants. For the past week, I did this to get an idea of how much water I don’t realize I use. It was shocking to see how much water is still not utilized during my day-to-day.