We often leave the tap running when we’re preparing food, peeling vegetables, thawing meat or washing dishes. But, left running, the average tap uses 12 litres of water a minute! Instead, simply fill your sink with the water you need and use it for multiple kitchen duties.

If your dishwasher is reasonably modern, it should be able to clean your dishes with no pre-rinsing. If your dishes aren’t clean after going through the cycle, you may need to clean your filters or repair your dishwasher. If you’re handwashing dishes, fill the sink rather than washing them under a running tap.

A swivel tap aerator has two flow settings which let you direct the water to where it’s needed. A tap aerator will reduce water use without sacrificing the tap’s water pressure. Tap aerators are an inexpensive way to save water in the kitchen. You’ll find them in hardware and plumbing stores.

When the time comes to upgrade your current dishwasher, look for one that’s water efficient. You can tell how efficient it is by the water rating. Modern dishwashers use up to 60 per cent less water than older models. Dishwashers with five-star water ratings use as little as 7 litres of water per wash.

For example, use a bowl to scrub vegetables in the kitchen sink. You can then pour the water on your plants. Also, rather than running tap water over frozen food to thaw, let it defrost in the fridge for a few hours. If you’re in a hurry, the microwave is a more efficient option than running water. You can also choose healthy ways of cooking that use less water. Steaming or using a pressure cooker keeps more nutrients in food and saves energy and water.

Running your kitchen tap while waiting for the water to be cold wastes many litres of water. Instead, keep water in a covered jug in the fridge. That saves running the tap to get cold water (and gives you delicious, ice-cold drinking water).

Built-in waste disposal units increase your water use. Why not compost your food waste instead? The Kaipātiki Project provides free composting courses throughout Auckland, funded by Auckland Council. The council also offers a discount on composting systems. 

Showers are the greatest water users in the bathroom. In fact, it’s responsible for 27 per cent of water use in the home overall. So, reducing water use in the shower will have the most significant impact on total bathroom water savings.

Many older showerheads use a lot more water than is needed. Replacing your showerhead with a modern, efficient water-flow rate will save water without compromising performance. Modern heads don’t drop water pressure, but instead pull air into the water stream to give the same full pressure feeling while using a lot less water.

Leaving the bathroom tap running while shaving or brushing your teeth uses over five litres of water every time. By simply turning the tap off we can reduce this water use to just one litre.

The toilet may not seem an obvious place to save water, but a leaking toilet can waste about 80 litres of water per day. That’s like flushing your toilet seven times a day! There are two ways to check for a leak:

• If you can't access your cistern, do this simple toilet paper test to see if your toilet is leaking

• If you can access the cistern, put a few drops of food colouring in it. If colouring ends up in the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak.

If you get the leak repaired, you’ll notice significant water reduction in the bathroom.

If your toilet needs replacing, consider buying one with a dual flush. Check its water rating label. The latest four-star toilets use as little as three litres for a half flush and 4.5 litres for a full flush. Most toilets in Auckland use around seven litres per flush and older toilets use around 12 litres per flush.

If your current toilet is a single-flush, you can still save water by installing a gizmo. A gizmo is a simple, inexpensive weight that hangs inside the cistern tube and stops the toilet flushing when you take your finger off the button, meaning you can control how long each flush lasts.

Front-loading washing machines typically use about 50 per cent less water, 35 per cent less detergent and 30 per cent less energy than equivalent-sized top-loading washing machines, making them the most cost-effective and water-efficient option. You can find this out by checking the water rating label. If you have a top-loader, our best tip is to be economical in how you wash your clothes.

Another easy water-saving tip for the laundry is to use the economy settings on your washing machine. Reducing the wash to one rinse cycle rather than two will also save up to 100 litres of water per wash. That adds up if you calculate how many washes you do each year.

Washing a full load of laundry is the most water-efficient way to wash your clothes. If you don't have many items of clothing to wash, we recommend you wait until you have a full load ready. If you get caught out and absolutely must do a small load, make sure your washing machine settings are set for low water use. Remember: your machine will rarely default to an economy setting when switched on. You must do this manually. 

When handwashing clothes, use a bucket instead of leaving the tap running. You can reuse this water on your garden straight after (avoid the vegetable patch, as this water may contain microbes). Using a biodegradable detergent with low phosphorus, sodium, and nitrogen will be better for your garden.

Just because an item has been worn, doesn’t mean it requires washing. If your clothing shows no visible stains and passes the ‘smell test’ (used by mothers around the globe), place it back in your drawer for another use. This will not only save water in the laundry but also extend the life of your clothing and keep colours vibrant.