With the warm summer weather comes an increase in activities around your home, outside and inside, that use water. Here are 10 tips for smart water usage.

Check Your Connections

1. Check hose connections and outdoor faucets for leaks. Replace or adjust them as soon as you notice a leak. Also watch lengths of hose when water is running through them for holes or other damage.

Strategically Schedule Your Water

2. Be strategic by scheduling when you water lawns, gardens and flower beds. Watering before the heat of the day means less water is lost to evaporation. A regular watering schedule also keep plants and lawns from drying out and becoming stressed, which in turn leads to the need to water more.

Regularly Adjust Your Sprinklers

4. Stay pointed in the right direction. Regularly adjust the direction of your sprinklers to make sure you aren’t watering the sidewalk or driveway.

Make A Clean Sweep

5. Use a broom on driveways and walkways as a first step to cleaning them. Use the hose as the second step.

Maintain Your Pool

6. Don’t let your pool make an unwanted splash on your water bill. If you have a pool, make sure it is regularly maintained and thoroughly checked for leaks.

Use A Rain Barrel

7. Set up a rain barrel. Then use water collected to water trees, shrubs and flowers. In a similar vein, see if downspouts can be directed to deliver water to certain areas that need it such as lawns or garden beds.

Fill Your Appliances

8. Appliances are most efficient when full. Wait until there is a full load to run the dishwasher or washing machine.

Inspect Your Appliance

9. Inspect other appliances that use water to make sure they are performing in an optimum way. Don’t forget your evaporative cooler or hot water heater.

Don’t Wait For The Tap To Get Cold

10. Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting tap water run to get cold for drinking. This has the added benefit of giving you a cool drink instantly.

Saving a drop here and a drop there really makes a difference when it comes to water usage. What looks like a small amount of wasted water adds up quickly when it happens every day or all summer long. In a similar way making what seems like a small step now will help keep your home green. Then you can enjoy summer the way it was meant to be.