Saving Water: Additional Tips

Additional tips — outdoors

The following are additional ways to save water and money outside your home.

Collect water in a rain barrel to use to water your plants. Rain water is free and is better for your plants because it doesn’t contain hard minerals. Planter beds or flower gardens and potted plants can easily be irrigated with water from a rain barrel. Rain barrels are easy to construct following directions available from the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program.

Pay attention to your hose. Left unattended, a garden hose can pour out 8 to 12 gallons each minute, or hundreds of gallons of water in an hour. Check all hoses, connectors and spigots regularly to make sure they are in good working order. Use hose washers between spigots and water hoses to eliminate leaks. Replace or repair damaged or leaking hoses, nozzles, spigots and connectors.
Use a broom to clean leaves and other debris from sidewalks and driveways rather than a hose. Using a hose to clean a driveway can waste hundreds of gallons of water.
Outfit your hose with a spray nozzle that can be adjusted so water flows only as needed. When finished, turn it off at the faucet instead of at the nozzle to avoid leaks.

Wash your car efficiently. Consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water. If you wash your own car, park on the grass and use a hose with a spray nozzle.
If you install ornamental water features, such as fountains, make sure they are designed to recycle water.
If you have a swimming pool, consider a new water-saving pool filter. Cover your spa or pool to reduce evaporation.