Water - Water Conservation in the Home - Outdoors

Here are some tips on how to save water outdoors:

• Collect rainwater from your roof and down-pipes in a water butt or bucket and use it to wash your car and water your plants. Rainwater is more natural than piped water to use for watering your plants.
• Washing your car with a hose typically uses 300 litres, which is equivalent to 33 buckets of water.
• If you must wash your car, use a bucket and sponge and wash it on the lawn! You may as well water the lawn at the same time. Even better, wash your car in the rain! This can be fun for the kids too.
• Mulch around garden plants to conserve moisture and reduce the need for watering.
• Before watering your plants check the weather forecast – it may rain tonight or tomorrow!
• Water in the evening to reduce the amount of water that may evaporate.
• Watering gardens and hanging baskets from a hand-held watering vessel uses much less water than a hose. Reusing suitable water from other household activities will save even more.
• A sprinkler uses more water in one hour than a family of four uses in a day. Use a watering can instead of a sprinkler.
• Avoid the use of paddling pools and if you do use them, reuse the water in your garden.
• Avoid using your hose to wash down your driveway or patio. Sweep up leaves instead. If you must wash the drive, use bucket or even better, do it when it’s raining!
• Know how to turn off your water supply. This could save thousands of litres of water and damage to your home in the event of a pipe burst.
• Phone and report water leakage from burst pipes to Irish Water.
• More plants die from over watering than under watering. Only water plants when necessary.
• Place ice cubes under the soil in hanging baskets, planters and pots to give your plants cool water and eliminate an overflow of water.