5 Ways to Conserve Water in the Bathroom

Monday, March 22, 2021 is World Water Day, a day that raises awareness of the global water crisis. A core focus of this day is to support reaching The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

We often don’t think about the amount of water we use on a daily basis, but being more mindful of your water usage has two major benefits: it’s good for the environment and allows you to reduce your water bill.

Your kitchen, lawn, and bathroom account for the majority of your household’s water usage. Since the bathroom is our domain, we’re here with 5 ways to conserve water.

1. Reduce Shower Time

There’s nothing quite like a long, hot shower, but shorter showers are one of the most impactful ways to conserve water in the bathroom. A standard showerhead uses around 2.5 gallons of water per minute. The average shower time is 8 minutes, which means the average shower uses 20 gallons of water. A 15-minute shower, which is on the longer side, uses 37.5 gallons of water.

If you’re trying to save water, the ideal shower time is 5 minutes.

If the idea of giving up your long showers seems difficult, try shortening it a minute at a time. You can take it a step further and install a digital shower system like the DTV Prompt. With this system, you can set a timer and it will automatically stop the water flow when the timer goes off!

2. Check for Leaks

Leaky faucets are easy to spot, but what about a leaky toilet? Toilet leaks don’t always mean there is water coming out of the base. In fact, many people don’t realize they have a toilet leak until they get a high water bill. On average, a leaky toilet wastes around 200 gallons of water per day. (That’s like taking 8 showers a day!)

If you’ve noticed your water bill has gotten higher and higher and there’s no other explanation, it’s worth checking your toilet for leaks. The easiest way to do this is to put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. After around one hour, check the toilet. If the colored water has made its way into the bowl, you have a leak. Fixing the leak will save water and money!

3. Don’t Run the Water While Brushing Your Teeth

This is a classic water conservation tip: turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth. How much can you really save by doing this? If you brush your teeth twice a day, you’ll save around 8 gallons of water every day. Over the course of a month, you’ll save nearly 250 gallons! For a family of four, that’s around 1,000 gallons of water saved every month.

4. Shave Smarter

Most people leave the water running so they can easily rinse off their razor between strokes. Similar to turning off the water while you brush your teeth, not letting the faucet run while shaving your face is a simple way to save water.

So how do you clean your razor without running the faucet? Simply fill your sink or a small bowl with just enough water to rinse your razor with. Take it a step further and invest in an electric razor. You’ll save even more water!

5. Turn off Water While Washing and Lathering

This is known as showering “Navy-style” since members of the Navy have showered this way to conserve water on ships for decades. The idea is simple: get in the shower and wet your hair and body. Turn the water off while you lather up, turn the water back on to rinse off, and you’re done!

This is another water conservation method that can be made easier with a digital shower system. Some digital shower systems allow you to pause and restart the water with the push of a button. It doesn’t get any simpler than that!

Bonus Tip

Switch to a low-flow showerhead. Kohler’s range of water-saving showerheads have earned the EPA WaterSense Certification and use just 1.5-1.75 gallons of water per minute. That’s up to 1 gallon less than the average showerhead. And with our Katalyst air-induction technology, every droplet is infused with air to deliver a shower experience so luxurious, you’ll never believe you’re saving water.