22 Water-Saving Habits to Start Right Now

How much water do you really use? Find out by using the Water Footprint Calculator, which will help you determine your current water usage and give you tips on reducing consumption.

Your efforts to save water will be sustainable only if you take stock of—and correct—your daily habits. Do you take long showers? Wash tiny loads of laundry? Make a list of 10 daily activities that you can change up to reduce your water use.

Related: 8 Low-Cost Upgrades for a Hassle-Free Laundry Room

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, leaks account for nearly a trillion wasted gallons of water each year. Leak-proof your home using the EPA’s handy Fix a Leak Week program.

It’s easy to lose track of time in the shower. Keep water use to a minimum by timing your showers and shaving a little bit from them until you reach a goal. Do the same with your bathroom cleaning routine to make sure you're not wasting too much water when you clean the tub.

You’ve probably heard this one before, but it bears repeating: Always turn off the tap while you're brushing your teeth! It’s a simple way to save hundreds of gallons each month.

Completely fill up your dishwasher and washing machine (preferably Energy Star-certified models) before you press start. And don’t bother rinsing dishes—just scrape and load.

Related: Your Dishwasher Can Do Better: 9 Tips to Boost Performance

When it comes to laundry, cold water is better in most cases. It preserves fabric quality, and because you're able to wash more types of clothing together, it cuts down on the number of loads, which saves both water and energy (heating water accounts for roughly 17 percent of home energy use).

Changing your diet affects more than just your waistline. Eating less red meat, more organic produce, less coffee, fewer processed foods, and fewer nuts reduces reliance on water-intensive crops and livestock.

Almost 90 percent of electricity in the United States is generated by thermoelectric power plants, which heat water into steam that turns turbines and generates power. Water is also crucial in producing and refining fossil fuels, so when you cut down on your electricity and fossil fuel use, you are helping to save water.

Confused about which appliances and fixtures have the best water efficiency? Just look for the EPA’s WaterSense label, which indicates that these appliances have met independent, well-researched standards for water savings, quality, and performance.

Have your family take this EPA-designed quiz for kids, then challenge them to find everyday ways to save water. Turn it into a game, and encourage everyone in the family to find fun and creative solutions. Review your water bill as a family, then choose a usage target—and a reward for hitting it.

This headline says it all: “It takes 2,700 liters of water to make ONE T-shirt—as much as you’d drink in 3 years.” Think before you buy, and don't fall for fast fashion and seasonal buying sprees. The power is in your hands.

Related: 25 Things Your Local Thrift Store Doesn’t Want You to Donate

Save water and cut down on the number of germy, polluting plastic water bottles littering the streets and clogging up recycling facilities. Instead, buy a sleek, refillable stainless steel bottle, and keep it with you at all times.

For those lucky pool owners among us, did you know that an average-size pool loses upward of 20,000 gallons of water each year to evaporation? Cover your pool in all types of weather, or invest in an automatic pool cover system.

Money-saving, time-saving—and yes, sometimes even life-saving—the latest and greatest smart home technologies span from self-programming thermostats to voice-activated TV controls to video doorbells and beyond. Raise your home's IQ!