Water is our most precious resource, so do your bit to save it during National Water Week - and for the rest of the year, of course.
Start outdoors, by giving your car a waterless wash - use a small amount of water to wipe of excess dirt and then spray on a waterless car wash product with a soft cloth for a clean finish. Consider buying a rain water tank or use barrels to catch water from your gutter system to use on your garden plants. A barrel that holds about 200 litres or 60 gallons and has a childproof lid is relatively inexpensive and most come with a spigot for easy dispensing. But, if you're using a hose to water the garden, adjust attachments and sprinkler heads to give out large drops instead of a fine spray that evaporates easily. Only install water features and fountains that recycle the same water. Use a swimming pool cover to stop the water evaporating quickly and fill to a slightly lower level than usual. Remember to avoid water toys that need a constant stream of water.
Indoors, run the dishwasher and the washing machine only when they're full. Don't pre-rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher - tests show pre-rinsing doesn't improve cleaning and you'll save as much as 90 litres a load, or 29,000 litres per year. Alternatively, use the rinse-and-hold feature, which uses about 9 litres of water, for a less-than-full load before running a full load later. Go back to hand washing for smaller amounts of crockery - put soapy dishes on a rack and spray rinse.
When you're preparing fruit and vegies, wash them in a bowl or basin using a brush rather than running them under the tap, and steam or microwave instead of boiling to save water. Chill drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap until the water is cold.
In the bathroom, turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth - taps spout 10 to 20 litres every minute - and time your showers to keep them short. When you're taking a bath, put the plug in before turning on the water, and only fill it half as full as usual - you could save 40 to 50 litres. If your toilet is old, fill a plastic bottle with water and place it in the tank to reduce the amount of water used for every flush.