4 Water Saving Myths

blades of grass with water on them

Water conservation is a hot conversation topic these days...but how much of what’s being said is actually true? Some water saving myths out there can end up costing you more money on your water bills. Sort out the facts from the fiction to start using less water right away and save yourself a lot of time and trouble believing the misinformation that will cost you more in the end.

Why Save Water?

There are lots of good reasons why saving water is better for the environment but there’s one huge reason why it’s better for you: it can save you a lot of money. That’s why you need to know the truth about water saving and how to use it to benefit you.

The best ways to save water aren't turning off the faucet while you're brushing your teeth or shutting off the shower while you're washing your hair. The best way to save water and end up saving a lot of money on water is by making lifestyle changes. The sooner you get the right information about saving water, the sooner you can actually start doing it.

Myth 1 - Landscaping Doesn't Matter

Contrary to popular perception, the landscaping you choose absolutely affects how much water you use. Some types of grass, particularly bluegrass, require lots of water to stay green.

Consider replacing your grass with native grasses that will consume far less water. There are also many beautiful groundcovers that don't need a lot of water. Watering the lawn can take up a huge chunk of the water you use. You'll see the increase in those big water bills during the summer months.

Replacing your grass is a big undertaking but it will make an enormous difference. Reducing the amount of water your lawn uses will greatly reduce the amount you pay in water bills, and moving away from standard grass gives you some gorgeous alternative options.

wildflowers

Myth 2 - Plumbing Fixtures Don't Do Much

Some people say that those water-saving toilets and low-flow showerheads don't really save that much water and it isn't worth spending the money to have them. This is absolutely not true. The water-saving fixtures don't cost that much more than standard varieties but they do save you money on your water bills. You will notice the difference right away on your water bill. In pretty short order, those water-saving fixtures will pay for themselves.

efficient low flow shower head

Myth 3 - Showers Use More Water Than Baths

For decades, there's been a myth circulating that it actually conserves more water to take a bath, as opposed to a shower. For the most part, this just isn't true. Now of course there are exceptions.

If you take incredibly long showers, then you may use more water than if you had opted for a bath. On the other hand, if you have a small bathtub and you don't fill it up all the way, you may actually use less water bathing here than standing in the shower.

As a general rule, however, showering is by far the more water-saving option when it comes to cleaning your body.

Myth 4 - Handwashing is Cheaper

hands washing plate in soapy sink

If you've been hand-washing your dishes to save water, stop. It's a common myth that washing dishes by hand conserves more water than running the dishwasher but in most cases this is utterly false.

Hand-washing a sink full of dishes takes about 20 gallons of water. By contrast, a dishwasher uses about six gallons of water per load. That's a win-win scenario because running the dishwasher saves you time, too.

And if you've been washing your car with a hose in the driveway to save water, you can stop doing that as well. You will use far more water when you wash your car by hand, rather than just going to the car wash. Washing the car by hand can use more than 100 gallons of water, compared to 15 to 75 gallons of water used by most commercial car washes.