Celebrate World Water Day by making these seven small changes!

How much water does your family use? To celebrate World Water Day we share seven small changes you can make to conserve water (and save money on your water bill)!

From baths and showers to what we eat and drink, water is fundamental to our lives. Indeed, research shows that with each person in the UK uses approximately 150 litres of this valuable resource every single day.

Seven small changes you can make to celebrate World Water Day

In honour of World Water Day we’ve found out the small changes that people can make in their daily lives to make a big difference to the amount of water they waste. Here are seven simple changes you can make today.

1) Shorten your shower

33% of people in the UK spend more than 10 minutes per day in the shower. And when you consider that showers can use anywhere between 6 and 45 litres per minute, that’s a LOT of water!

A speedy but refreshing five minute shower is the perfect way to scrub up and conserve water. You can save even more water in your shower by investing in an eco-friendly water-saving shower head.

2) Eat less meat

64% of the UK eat meat more than twice a week. However, a single serving of chicken, pork or beef can take between 340 and 1,135 litres of water to produce. Proteins are the biggest culprit for water consumption, but fruit and veg can be pretty guilty too – producing a single, 7 ounce mango will use roughly 900 litres!

You can significantly conserve water by considering how varied your diet is. By balancing proteins with starch, we can reduce production demand, saving water across the globe.

3) Avoid unnecessary flushing

As much as 30% of the water you use every day is flushed down the toilet. If you have an old-style flush system you’re probably using a whopping 13 litres of water per flush!

Avoid unnecessary flushing by putting rubbish in the bin, and invest in a modern dual flush loo so you use a maximum of six litres for a full flush and just three litres for a reduced one. 1 in 5 people do this regularly. Or you can switch to off grid water systems.

4) Stop running the tap

In the bathroom: a family of four could save up to 17,520 litres of water per year by turning the tap off between rinsing their toothbrushes and razors? Turn the tap off in between uses and when shaving, rinse your razor in a few inches of water in the basin, rather than rinsing under the tap. 33% of people leave the tap running in the bathroom.

In the kitchen: when washing fruit and veg, a running tap uses as much as six litres of water per minute – meaning a lot of water flows from the tap and straight down the plughole without being used! Run a small bowl of water instead and then use it to water house plants. 44% of people leave the tap running regularly.

5) Wait for a full load

Laundry accounts for 15% of the water we use in our homes, and various studies show that the average load of washing is significantly below the maximum capacity of the washing machine.

13% of people still only fill their washing machines half way or less. However, a full load of laundry uses less water than two half-loads so only do laundry when you’ve got enough to make up a full load.

6) Quit the bottled water trend

Over a third of people buy at least one plastic water bottle each week. But did you know that it takes three litres of water to produce every one litre of bottled water, due to the production process of plastic? For water on the go, pick up a reusable wide mouth water bottle and fill it up from the tap rather than buying single-serving bottled water.

7) Store water in the fridge

65% of us leave the tap running when getting a glass of water. Waiting for tap water to run cold can waste as much as 10 litres of water a day!

Instead, why not fill a jug or a large bottle with water and put it in the fridge? This way, you can have a chilled glass of water whenever you want. 65% of people leave the tap running when getting a glass of water.

How water efficient is your family? Take the bathstore water quiz here and find out!