4 easy, pain-free ways to save water

Ever since the water price hike was announced, people have not been pleased.

Unlike beer and cars, water is one thing you can't go without.

So, just suck thumb and accept that your water bill will be higher from July 2018.

However, if you've already taken a look at the breakdown of the fees, tariffs and taxes to be charged (there's a handy rundown here), you'll see that households using more than 40 cubic metres of water per month have to pay disproportionately higher rates than those who use under 40 cubic metres.

It's easy enough to tell everyone to start saving water and the earth.

But in reality, collecting rain water to flush the toilet with or taking 30 second showers is just too uncomfortable and leceh, and for most people, totally not worth it just to save $10 a month.

But there are a few pain-free, easy ways to save water that won't require you to sacrifice hygiene and comfort, such as the following.

Get a cheap water saving shower head

Taking multiple showers a day is a fact of life in Singapore.

Try skipping your shower to lower your water bill in this climate and you'll enjoy the added bonus of having an MRT cabin all to yourself on your morning commute.

Kitting out your bathroom with a water-saving shower head is one way to save water without having to sacrifice your shower time.

You can get very cheap ones on Carousell and Qoo10 for less than $15.

If you really don't want to spend a single cent, you can get PUB to send you their free water saving kit, which comes with thimbles to fit on your taps and showerheads to regulate the flow.

Make your toilet use less water when it flushes

Did your mum ever tell you to flush the toilet with the toilet seat cover down, otherwise you'd flush away the family's wealth?

Well, each time you flush the toilet you actually are flushing away money, since up to four litres gets used each time.

It costs quite a lot of cash to replace your toilet's flushing mechanism, but luckily you don't have to.

Here is an easy way to reduce the amount of water your toilet flushes, simply by sticking a plastic water bottle into your tank.

When it's finally time to replace your toilet, get a low flush one, or at least one that's equipped with a dual-flush so you have the choice of whether to use the low or high flush… we'll leave it to your imagination as to which flush is more appropriate for what sort of activity.

Wash your dishes and vegetables in a container

Get a cheap plastic bucket or container from your neighbourhood provision shop, and you'll save a lot of water each time you wash the dishes.

You can use such containers to soak vegetables too.

Of course, for the 20 per cent of Singapore households who hire maids, getting your helper to switch to this water-saving practice is simply a question of buying the container and giving instructions.

Use a cup when you brush your teeth

We all know we should turn off the tap when we brush our teeth.

But in reality, it seems the hypnotic quality of the sound of running water paralyses people once they stand in front of the sink, and turning off the tap suddenly feels like huge task.

Instead of relying on your willpower to turn off the tap each and every time you brush your teeth, rinse your mouth with a cup and you'll discover that the tap gets turned off like magic.

You also use a lot less water this way than someone who doesn't use a cup but is diligent about turning off the tap, since the only water that goes down the sink is water that's made it into your mouth.

Best of all, you'll have finally found some use for that ugly novelty mug your colleague gave you during your company's Secret Santa exercise last year.