Using excess water or having leaks can cost you hundreds of dollars a year in wasted water. A simple toilet leak can use 50 extra gallons of water a day, and a faucet leak can waste up to 5,000 gallons a year. Here are some tips for keeping your water bill down:

Saving Water Indoors

• Think you might have a leak? Check by reading your water; Do not run water for at least a 2-hour period; Check meter again. If the reading is not exactly the same, you have a leak.
• If you have a well-water system and the pump comes on when no one is using water, you have a leak.
• Find out if the toilet is leaking by putting a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank. If the color leaks into the bowl, replace the flapper.
• Repair dripping faucets. Usually it is a simple matter of replacing worn washers. Check all the washers in the house and replace them all at once.
• Replace "sticky" toilet handles.
• Make sure the flapper ball in the toilet tank seats correctly.
• Do not use the toilet as a wastebasket or ashtray. Avoid unnecessary flushing.
• Install faucet aerators to slow the flow of water.
• Rinse vegetables over a large bowl and reuse what would have gone down the drain to water plants.
• Keep drinking water in the refrigerator to avoid letting water run until it gets cool enough to drink.
• Defrost foods in the microwave instead of under running water.
• Insulate water heater and water pipes. (65% of the water you use is hot water.)

Saving Water in the Bathroom Do not let the water run continuously when you are shaving, brushing your teeth, etc. Replace two-handle systems with single-lever faucets. Shower instead of bathe. Install low-flow showerheads that reduce water use up to half, but still give a great shower. Use a showerhead with a "shower off' button to conserve water while you lather up. Take shorter showers. Five-minute showers per day for a four-member family use about 28,000 gallons of water per year.

Saving Water in Cleaning

• Older standard washing machines use up to 50 gallons of water per toad; newer models use only 11-30 gallons.
• Do not wash half loads, and if you do, adjust the water level.
• Presoaking prevents having to re-wash heavily soiled clothes
• Soak dirty dishes instead of rinsing each dish separately.
• If you are washing dishes in a double sink, wash them all at once and rinse them all at once.
• Replace an old, water-inefficient dishwasher. You can save 10 to 20 gallons of water per wash cycle.
• Select the water-saving cycle on your dishwasher.

Saving Water Outdoors

• Landscape with plants that need less water.
• Do not over water. Buy a gauge to measure the rain your lawn gets.
• Water lawns during the time of day when temperature and wind speed are lowest to reduce evaporation.
• Put a timer on your sprinklers so you don't forget to turn them off.
• Over-fertilization increases your lawn's need for watering. Do not over-feed.
• Use a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler system to better target the water to your plants.
• Mulch plants well to retain moisture.
• Make sure your sprinkler system is not watering the sidewalk, driveway or street.
• Set your lawnmower blades to 3 inches or higher to encourage your lawn to grow deeper roots and hold moisture better.
• Use water-saving filters in your pool.

Look for these and other great tips on our web sites, www.allabouthome.com and www.servicemastercleanhome.com, both brought to you by the Cleaning Experts at ServiceMaster Clean.