Saving water in the kitchen

Quick tips

• Install flow-controlled aerators for taps. They’re inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50%.
• Wash your vegetables in a bowl or container, and water your plants with what you collect.
• Defrost frozen food in the fridge or microwave, rather than placing it under running water.
• Use a plugged sink or a pan of water when working at the sink to avoid running the tap continuously.
• Use just enough water and keep a lid on it when boiling vegetables. The water will reach boiling point quicker.

Waiting on hot or cold water?

• Fill a jug and keep it in the fridge so you don’t have to wait for tap water to run cold.
• Catch running water while waiting for it to warm up. Use it to water plants, rinse dishes, or wash fruit and vegetables.
• Insulate hot water pipes so you don’t wait as long for the hot water to reach the tap.
• Set your hot water system thermostat at no more than 60 degrees, so you don’t have to add water to cool down very hot water.

Handwashing dishes?

• Use a bucket or sink plug instead of running tap water. If you have 2 sinks, fill the second one with rinsing water. If you have only one sink, stack washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a pan of water.
• Use dishwashing liquid sparingly, this will reduce the amount of rinsing required.

Using a dishwasher?

• Choose a more water efficient dishwasher. A modern 6-star WELS rated efficient dishwasher is usually more water efficient than washing by hand.
• Forget the pre-rinse, the dishwater does it for you. scrape your dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
• Use the rinse-hold setting on the dishwasher, if it has one, rather than rinsing dishes under the tap.
• Make sure the dishwasher is full before turning it on.