1. Place a bucket under the shower head
Grab an ordinary household bucket and place it under the shower head to catch any drops as you wait for the warm water to come on. If you are extra cautious you can leave the bucket in there while you shower, but be careful not to trip over it. The water you catch can then be used to water the garden.

2. The humble half flush
Be sure to use the 'half flush' on your toilet. You can also put a brick in the cistern to reduce the amount of water each flush uses - also good if you don't have the half flush option.

3. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth
Don't stand over the sink with a toothbrush in your mouth while you leave the tap running.

4. Check for drips
Keep a close eye on any dripping taps and get them fixed as soon as you can. If you catch a leaky faucet that you can't turn off until it gets repaired? - stick your kettle beneath it.

5. Washing your car
Be sure to visit car washes that use recycled water. You can also give your car a wipe down with those moist cleaning cloths (generally reserved for use within the home).

6. Rinse hair in the sink
If you love your locks, no doubt you take great care in conditioning and treatments. Instead of spending those precious minutes in the shower waiting for your conditioner to do its thing, leave the conditioner in your hair, jump out of the shower and rinse your hair out later in a sink - that way you can save water and give your hair the conditioning time it deserves.

7. Make every load a full one
Don't do a load of washing when there's only a few garments. The washing machine uses a surprising amount of water. Remember, there's nothing wrong with a little elbow grease when it comes to cleaning your clothes - you can always wash by hand - your delicates with thank you.

8. Bucket in the kitchen sink
Keep a short bucket / container in the sink to catch excess water from rinsing out the dish cloth, plates, etc. Pour into the garden.

9. Get stuck into steamed veggies
If you're in the habit of boiling your vegetables, why not try another approach to your cooking routine that uses less water. Steaming, grilling or baking.

10. Encourage others
Encourage others to save water and spread your own ideas, hints and tips around. Comment those you see doing a good job - everyone loves a little praise, and it will go along way to ensure they keep doing the right thing. If you do see someone blatantly doing the wrong thing you may wish to approach them in a kind tactful manner - it could be possible that they just emerged from their rock and aren't aware of the water restrictions.

Copyright 2007 Fiona Hoppe. All Rights Reserved.

Article by Fiona Hoppe > editor beautifulhome.com.au