Safe Water Bottles

clean your dishes before they’re put in the dishwasher. (Don’t give Fido too much, or anything bad for a dog.)

43. Aluminum foil. When cooking at home, line your pots and pans with aluminum foil. When you’re done cooking, remove the foil to make cleanup easier.

44. Buying your water. If you buy your drinking water, go for the gallons of distilled water rather than the smaller bottles of mineral water. The distilled is a better value and is actually more pure than the “designer waters.”

45. Bug sprayers. Your lawn and garden store will have 2-gallon pump-up sprayers. These will help you use your collected rain water or pool water for washing (and even fighting small fires).

46. “Go Jo.” Go Jo is a waterless hand soap that mechanics use. It’s rather effective on dirty hands and can be used without water. Similarly, use the little bottles of clear hand sanitizer.

47. In-line water heater. In-line water heaters can be installed closer to the faucets or tubs they’re to heat, and use less energy. If you get one don’t do away with your old water heater (even if you cut off the gas or electric to it) since it’s a great backup reservoir in water shortage scenarios.

48. No mopping. Most households now have a “Swiffer” or comparable cleaning aid intended to replace old-fashioned mops. If you haven’t made the switch, doing so will save a few gallons of water per year.

49. Skip a laundry load. Once in a while, some clothing really doesn’t need to be washed. In mild weather, outer shirts that were only worn briefly might need just a “fluff in the dryer” or another ironing to be perfectly ready to wear. Bachelors have known this secret for years.

50. General safety. We started this article with fire safety and we’ll close with general safety. Each time you prevent a trip to the hospital, you prevent the extra water that would be used during your visit.

Water is like money. Learn to save it well and spend it wisely.