Smart Spending: Don't let money go down the drain

For residents of 16 states experiencing some drought conditions and more than a dozen others contending with an unusually dry summer, conserving water is increasingly essential for the environment. It also can provide significant savings on the water bills most homeowners pay.

Here are several simple steps to cut your household's water use by a third — more if you make a few well-chosen investments.

1. LOWERING YOUR FLOW: Toilets typically guzzle the most water in a home, especially toilets made before 1992, when new codes mandated more efficient models.

Start by putting a brick or large rock in the tank so it takes less water to fill. Stop flushing down bugs, tissues and other random items. Use a trash basket instead.

Then consider switching out the old commode to cut the water you use per flush by half or more. Models using 1.6 gallons per flush cost $98 and up, plus installation.

2. SHUTTING THE SPIGOT: A gallon of water can flow through a bathroom faucet every 30 seconds.

Start by shutting it off while you brush your pearly whites for the two minutes twice daily that dentists recommend. That can save just under eight gallons of water a day — per person. Similarly, when washing dishes or pots by hand, fill one with warm soapy water and turn off the faucet while you scrub.

Then consider a dishwasher (from $259, plus installation), which can cut water use by three-quarters for a typical meal's dishes.

3. WATCHING THE WASHER: Toilets may be the No. 1 user of water in the typical home, but clothes washers are close behind. They consume about 15 gallons of water per day per capita, according to the American Water Works Association.

Start by disciplining yourself to wait until the machine is full before running a load. It takes the same amount of energy to run a small load as a jumbo. And, when you must wash a small load, make sure to adjust your water level.

Then consider swapping your top loader for a front-loading federally rated Energy Star model (about $550 and up). You could cut the water you use cleaning clothes by half and the energy you spend on laundry by one-third.

4. SNEAKING UP ON LEAKS: Small leaks can cost big bucks. At the rate of a drip per second, your sink or bathtub faucet could send 2,700 gallons of water down the drain unused over the course of a year — the equivalent of more than four flushes a day from a modern toilet.

The solution to a leaky faucet can be as simple as replacing a worn-out washer inside.

An easy way to check for leaks you're not aware of is to read your water meter, then not use any water for two hours and then recheck the meter. If your reading changes, you probably have a leak somewhere.

If you suspect your toilet, place a few drops of food coloring in the tank and check back after 30 minutes without using the toilet in between. If any of the food coloring has found its way into the bowl, there's probably a leak. (Make sure to flush the dye once your experiment's done because it could stain your tank or toilet bowl.)