Ideal Bite

How many gallons of water does it take to wash a plate?

Submitted by idealbite on Mon, 11/14/2005 - 7:00pm.

The Bite:

Many more than you might think if you let the water run while you are washing dishes. Many faucets use as much as 3-5 gallons per minute. Conserving water during this daily chore could save hundreds of gallons a month.

The Benefits:

Preserve natural resources. The average American uses between 80 and 100 gallons of water a day while two-thirds of the people in the world use less than 13 gal/day.
Save money on water and water heating utility bills. Install a faucet aerator in your kitchen and bathroom faucets and you could save 13% on your water bill.
Reduce pollution. Conserving water helps prevent municipal sewer systems from overflowing and pouring untreated sewage into lakes and rivers.

Personally Speaking:

We both have a drain stopper and use it. It is that simple.

Wanna Try:

Fill the sink with soapy water instead of washing dishes with the water running.
Use smaller amounts of detergent so less water is needed for rinsing – you just need to have bubbles to cover the surface of the water – not enough to make a bubble beard.
SimpleHuman - let your dishes air dry in a quality rack. Cool, durable designer dish racks ($30-$70).
Delta - get a quality faucet aerator ($5).

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Bang For The Bite

Combine an aerator with dishwashing water-saving tricks and the savings can really add up. A faucet aerator alone will save the average home 1,700 gallons of water per year.