Water Conservation Checklist for the Home

Personal Care picture of a checkbox and a shower head

If you do not do or do not plan to do the task, leave the boxes blank.

Have
Done 		Will
Do 		 
Urge family members to take 4 minute showers instead of tub baths. Showers—especially those fitted with flow restrictors or low-volume heads—usually use less water than a bath.
Cut down on the number of showers taken. Replace some of them with sponge baths using a small amount of water in a basin.
Seek other ways to relax besides staying in the shower for long periods of time.
Turn off shower water while you apply soap to body, or lather hair and massage scalp. Install shut-off valve to stop flow without affecting temperature.
Turn off water while you shave, brush teeth, etc.
Emergency Situations:
Close bathtub drain during shower so that the water stays in the tub. Use this to flush the toilet or water outdoor plants.

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Adapted in part from Extension Service-USDA Program Aid Number 1102.

Texas Water Resources InstituteCooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service logoTexas AgriLife Extension Service logo

Adapted and written by Janie L. Harris, M.Ed., CRS, Extension Housing and Environment Specialist, and edited by Bev Kellner, Extension Assistant, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System, College Station, Texas.

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Last updated: 26 July, 2010

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.