In this section

Tips for saving water home

Indoors

• Leak detection
• Toilets
• Showers and baths
• Faucets
• Laundry and dishwashing
• Additional tips
• Florida Water StarSM indoor resources

Outdoors

• Irrigation schedule
• Irrigation hours
• Irrigation amounts
• Irrigation methods
• Micro-irrigation, the basics
• Lawn maintenance
• Additional tips
• Florida Water StarSM irrigation resources

Laundry and dishwashing

When you replace your clothes washer, consider a water-efficient model that uses an average of 18 gallons of water per load. Older and non-water efficient washing machines can use as much as 40 gallons of water per load.

For washing machines with variable settings for water volume, select the minimum amount required per load. If load size cannot be set, operate the washer with full loads only.

Use the shortest wash cycle for lightly soiled loads. Normal and permanent press wash cycles use more water. Check hoses regularly for leaks. Pretreat stains to avoid rewashing.

For more information on water-conserving clothes washers, click HERE.

When purchasing a standard-size dishwasher, consider a model that uses 6.5 gallons of water per cycle or less. Compact models should use 4.0 gallons per cycle. Older models can use 11 gallons per load.

Operate the dishwasher only when you have a full load.

When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water and fill the rinsing sink to one-third or one-half full. Avoid letting the water run continuously in the rinsing sink.

For more information on water-conserving dishwashers, click HERE.