Did you know that toilets consume the most water in residential homes? Americans flush approximately 4.8 billion gallons of water down the toilet (EPA). That’s insane! There are a few ways to go about reducing the amount of water your toilet uses – besides holding it in, hehe. You can purchase a low-flow toilet or try out a bidet if you find it easier to eliminate toilet paper as opposed to lowering water consumption. If that’s not in the budget or if you rent like I do, you can convert your toilet in a few easy steps.
This little hack will reduce the amount of water in the tank, leaving enough water for a successful flush. It should save half a gallon of water per flush with a projected savings of 350 gallons per month for a household who flushes 25 times per day total.
Materials
1 1/2 gallon plastic bottle (give or take a few ounces)
Gravel
Funnel
Instructions
Remove any paper or plastic labels from the outside of the plastic bottle. Fill it with gravel or sand. You may add water if more weight is needed. Keep in mind that the bottle may move around in the tank. Remove the lid of the tank and carefully lower the bottle into the water. Replace the lid and give the toilet a flush.
Converting your toilet to low-flow is a small green choice you can make to conserve water, money and the environment one flush at a time. Stay tuned for this Friday’s post as I will be sharing another way we conserve water in the bathroom.
While SC Johnson is the sponsor of the 30 Green Days Challenge, all opinions and comments within this post are my own.