Bathroom
Water Use
You use more water in the bathroom than in all of the other rooms combined!
This is where you shower, shave, wash hands, brush teeth and flush the
toilet. There are three areas in the bathroom where you can save water;
click on each one to learn more:
The toilet is the highest water-consuming device in
the home, making up about 27% of indoor water use. Depending on the type
of toilet you have, modifying the amount of water it flushes or replacing
it with an ultra-low flush toilet could save you lots of water.
Upgrade Your Existing Toilet 
If your home is older than 1992*, chances are your toilets use between
3.5 and 5 gallons of water per flush. Some older toilet models even use
as much as 7 gallons per flush!
You can easily reduce the amount of water used per flush by displacing some
of the water in the toilet's tank. Simply place a water-resistant object,
such as a plastic bottle, inside the tank. Each gallon you can displace
represents thousands of gallons you will save each year. Modifying your
toilet in such a manner should not adversely impact its operation, however,
if it does, consider replacing it with a newer model.
Install an Ultra-Low Flush Toilet
Since 1992*, all residential-type toilets manufactured in the U.S. use
no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. If you have an old-style toilet, replacing
it with a newer model will save you lots of water and money.
While these low-flow toilets have, in the past, had a bad rap, newer
toilet models have been reengineered to perform better.
If you would like to replace your toilet, take a look at how the Consumer
Reports Magazine rated the new ultra-low flush designs.
* In 1992, the U.S. Congress passed water conservation legislation
prohibiting the construction of certain high-flow plumbing fixtures.
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Showers and baths consume about 18% of the water
used indoors. You can save water in the shower by installing low-flow
showerheads, keeping each shower short and sweet, and running the water
only when it is needed to lather up and rinse off.
Install Low-Flow Showerheads
If your home was built before 1992*, chances are your showerheads put
out about 5 gallons of water per minute (gpm). Multiply this by the number
of minutes you're in the shower, and the water adds up fast!
5 gpm x 10 min = 50 gallons
Most showerheads in homes built after 1992* deliver no more than 2.5
gallons of water per minute. Some even emit less than this and still provide
a great shower!
2.5 gpm x 10 min = 25 gallons
Install a low-flow showerhead today and begin saving lots of water.
If you would like to replace your showerhead, take a look at how the
Consumer Reports Magazine
rated showerheads.
Keep Showers Short & Sweet
Taking unecessarily long showers wastes water. Reducing the length of
your shower by just one minute could save you up to 1,825 gallons of water
each year.
Run Water Only When Needed
By far the best way to save water in the shower is to only run the water
when needed. This practice can reduce the water used to less than 10 gallons
each shower and will save you money each year.
* In 1992, the U.S. Congress passed water conservation legislation
prohibiting the construction of certain high-flow plumbing fixtures.
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The faucets in your bathroom sinks generally use about 2.5 gallons of water
per minute (gpm). By turning off the water when you brush your teeth, you
can save approximately 3 gallons of water! Filling the basin to rinse your
razor when you shave can save about 4 gallons.
Installing a faucet aerator is a simple and inexpensive way to reduce
water use in the bathroom. Faucet aerators reduce output from 2.5 gpm
to 1.5 gpm! This is a savings of about 40%!
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