So what do you do?

You let it run on at the highest setting possible, it gushes out of the tap like a fire hydrant and then you continue to wait, and then wait some more. While you are impatiently waiting for your water to reach the optimal temperature to your satisfaction, you are unvoluntary letting that perfectly fine drinkable water just emptying down the drain.

Did you know just by doing this can actually waste up to a gallon of perfectly drinkable water at the expense of getting just one glass of cool water the way you like it? And naturally the exact opposite applies when you wait for the hot water finally kicks in to fill up the sink for your dishes.

It is not until you crunch the numbers and factor out the sheer number of individuals in your household that use this method of temperature selection, and the number of times each day this occurs when you realize that you have accumulated some pretty substantial water losses over the period of a year. Even the least amounts over time add up.

I don’t blame you, it is an easy thing to do when you aren’t aware of it. You don’t notice the volume lost because it disappears down the sink. It would be a different scenario however if you were to get a sense for the sheer amount you were losing down the drain.

And so what’s the best solution to the problem?

One simple way is the addition of a small sink for capturing excess water while you wait for your water to reach the right temperature to your liking.

The small sink you install leads to a containment placed underneath your kitchen sink instead of to be diverted directly to the sewer system. The water collected in the containment becomes what is known as ‘gray water’. This is water that is relatively clean and can be recycled and used to water a thirsty lawn or house plants in need of a good drink.

The benefit of having an additional small sink is that you then have a system in place that collects this clean water which is immediately ready for use.

But then, gray water that is captured from other sources such as the bath or the washing machine must be treated before re-using seeing as it full of detergents and chemicals. You can still recycle this type of water but it’s just a little more labor intensive to do so and to get the most use out of.

Although the entire planet is covered in water but less than 1% of the earth’s entire water supply is drinkable, so the next time you find yourself at the kitchen sink, please spare a thought for the amount of water you use and try to set a goal to reduce it. Even a little difference goes a long way.