My Parents Are From the West Indies. Here's What They Taught Me About Saving Water.

Yes, I'm turning into my parents, and I'm okay with that

By Tanya A. Christian

Old practices die hard.

My parents grew up in Antigua, a Caribbean island nation of more than 365 beaches. But while they were surrounded by an abundance of water, the infrastructure meant that indoor plumbing was a luxury enjoyed by a select few. As a result, they were nurtured with a keen appreciation for water—the finite resource we often overindulge in here in the U.S. When they moved here, that attitude continued to inform their way of life, gleaming modern bathrooms notwithstanding.

Growing up in the suburbs of South Jersey, my sister and I would often hear my parents yell out: “Why is the water running?” “Stop wasting the water!” And: “Is somebody in the bathroom?” They were on us whenever our water consumption had surpassed their idea of what was reasonable.

It was exasperating back then. But the practice of conserving water as a child has turned into a habit that I’ve leaned into as an adult. Now, in a time when relentless drought conditions have gripped so many parts of our country, I’m grateful that saving water comes easily to me. And I believe it can for others, too, with enough practice. A few directives, courtesy of my parents.

Warming Up the Shower Is a Luxury, not a Necessity
I’m often flabbergasted when movie characters nonchalantly stroll into the bathroom, turn on the shower full blast, then walk away, not returning for what seems like a good 10 or 15 minutes. In my childhood home, running water meant we were actively using it. Studies have shown that the average household wastes more than 3,650 gallons each year waiting for faucets and showers to get hot. Instead of wasting that admittedly uncomfortable cold to lukewarm water, I use those couple of minutes to wash my face or scrub my feet, which doesn’t require hot water to feel tolerable.

If water seems to be taking an unusually long time to go from cold to hot, CR’s experts suggest getting to the root of the problem: your pipes. Insulating them costs as little as 50 cents per linear foot, which, in the long run, will be worth the money.

Shower Water Can Flush Toilets
Whenever I stayed with my grandmother at her home on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, there was a bucket, right under the bathtub spigot, to catch what environmentalists call graywater—the household wastewater that comes from your sink or baths. She, like many residents of the Virgin Islands, relies on a cistern for the plumbing throughout her house, and recycling water helps alleviate stress on the system. Collected water from the shower is used to flush the toilet, a practice that environmentalists say may become the norm.

“As water supplies become more limited, graywater systems for toilet flushing will become commonplace,” says Christopher C. Obropta, PhD, an extension specialist in water resources at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. Graywater systems redirect graywater from going into the sewer system and instead filter them into an irrigation system.

Though I don’t feel the same pressure my grandma does to recycle water in my own home, graywater comes in handy for cleaning and rinsing the toilet basin. Toilet flushing can account for up to half of indoor water use.

Soap-Ups Don’t Require Water
Some people call it a navy shower. My parents call it being conscious. Whenever we hopped into the shower we knew that the water needed to be shut off when it was time to lather up. “You can do the math there,” says James Dickerson, chief scientific officer at Consumer Reports. “If you think about faucets and showerheads, they can produce anywhere from about 0.5 to upwards of 3 gallons per minute. When you leave the water running, it means you have gallons of water being wasted in a matter of minutes.”

At this point in my life, I’ve gotten the timing of my showers down as well as how much water I use in the process. The practice saves me, on average, 30 gallons of water each day.

You Don’t Need Water to Brush Your Teeth
In the same way a constant stream of water isn’t needed for baths, my parents would insist on turning running water off while brushing their teeth. So now, I quickly rinse my toothbrush off at the start, turn the water off as I brush, then turn it back on to rinse. The 2 to 3 minutes between brushing and rinsing saves me roughly 3 to 4 gallons of perfectly good water each time.

Save It for the Plants
Every morning before my dad filled the kettle for our tea, he would go around the house, dumping out any excess water from the day before into one of our several houseplants. He’d even drain the water left over from rinsing fruit into the planters and pots. In fact, whenever he suspected that we were considering throwing “good water” down the drain, he would quickly remind us to “save it for the plants.” Today, I’ve continued that ritual—even adding to it, by pouring what’s left over in my puppy’s water bowl and what’s in my dehumidifier into the soil. (Of course, this will work only if you keep the dehumidifier clean, and use the water only on non-edible plants.) Saving water this way keeps my garden roses and hydrangeas blooming all summer long.

Hold the Clothes for a Full Load
If they gave out certifications for laundry skills, my mom would have an advanced degree. She taught us that having a designated wash day can save on energy because back-to-back loads in the dryer mean the remaining heat inside of the dryer is used during the next cycle. It can also save on water if you wait to accumulate clothes. That’s why she washes only full loads—even when it comes to whites.

“When you do a full load of laundry, you may use incrementally more water on the load, but it is significantly less water than doing two smaller loads,” says Rich Handel, Consumer Reports’ lead test engineer for washers. “It’s good for the environment and also your wallet.”

Pack the Dishwasher Properly
My father’s motto has always been: If you pack the dishwasher “properly” you can optimize the number of dishes that will fit, thus getting more out of each cycle.

Fitting each dish in its place can be a bit of a puzzle, but nowadays I’m always up for the challenge.

For those dishes with hard-to-remove foods that need a little prerinsing, I use the water collected in the kitchen sink throughout the day from washing my hands. And for delicate dishes that need to be hand-washed, I use the two-basin method, in which you use one basin to clean off the gunk on soiled dishes and the other to remove the suds.

“That’s the best way to do it,” says Larry Ciufo, CR’s senior test engineer for dishwashers. He estimates that this method could save you roughly 15 gallons of water or more.

More from Consumer Reports:
Top pick tires for 2016
Best used cars for $25,000 and less
7 best mattresses for couples

Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2022, Consumer Reports, Inc.