• Stop using the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bits of trash, you waste five to seven gallons of water. 2,3

• Take shorter showers. Long, hot showers can waste five to ten gallons every unneeded minute. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down, and rinse off. 1,2,3

• Reduce flushing water. Put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles to weigh them down. Fill them with water and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from operating mechanisms to reduce the fill amount. 1,2,3

• Install water-saving showerheads or flow restrictors. Your local hardware or plumbing supply store stocks inexpensive water-saving showerheads or restrictors that are easy to install. 3 (For additional information of water efficient products visit EPA WaterSense)

• Take baths. A partially filled tub uses far less water than a long shower, but a short shower uses less than a full tub. 3

• When shaving and brushing your teeth, don't leave the water running. Run as much as you need, then turn off the tap until you need some more. 2

• Automatic dishwashers claim the most water in kitchens - about 12 gallons per run. Make sure the washer is fully loaded before you turn it on. 1,2

• Don't rinse the dishes in the sink before you put them in the dishwasher. Scrape them clean and let the machine do the rest. 2

• If you wash dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing. 2

• Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Just rinse them in a stopped sink or a pan of clean water. 2, 3

• Keep a bottle/pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator. Running tap water to cool it off for drinking water is wasteful. 2, 3

LAUNDRY: Many washing machines use 40 or more gallons of water a load, whether the washer's stuffed full or loaded with only a couple of socks. 2 (For additional information on conserving water visit EPA WaterSense)

• Save up for a full load and make your water work efficiently. 2

• Set your machine for a lesser load, if it can be adjusted. 2

• For hand laundering, put a stopper in the washtub for both wash and rinse. Don't let the faucet run. 2

• Check faucets and pipes for leaks. Even the smallest drip from a worn washer can waste 20 or more gallons a day. 1, 2, 3

• Put a little food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl after fifteen minutes, you probably have a leak at the plunger-ball, either because the ball needs replacing or the mechanism is out of alignment. 1, 2, 3

• If the toilet is leaking at the overflow, the water level is usually too high, although the overflow pipe sometimes may leak below the waterline. To stop this kind of leak, gently bend the arm until the valve shuts off the water about a half-inch below the top of the overflow pipe. 2

• Be a leak detective. Your water meter is the best leak detector in your home. Turn everything off carefully, so no water is being used anywhere in the house. Then check the position of the meter dial for about 15 minutes. If it hasn't moved, congratulations! You have a relatively watertight home. But if it has, start checking hose connections, faucets, and toilets. 2

References:
1 A Consumer's Guide to Water Conservation - The Inside Story, American Water Works Association
2 Household Guide to Water Conservation, American Water Works Association
3 25 Things You Can Do to Prevent Water Waste, American Water Works Association