Water Conservation Tips for the Winter Months

During the cold winter months, we spend more time indoors and can end up using just as much water—if not more—than the summer months. Excessive hot water usage is a major concern as it wastes electricity as well as water.

Here are some tips to conserve water in the winter months to make conditions easier on the environment and on your wallet.

Insulate Hot Water Pipes

Do you find yourself running the shower or faucet for minutes before using the water because it does not warm fast enough? This is common in the winter months when cold temperatures make it more difficult for water to travel through pipes while maintaining heat. A way to combat this problem is insulating hot water pipes to minimize heat loss. Next time you run the water, you’ll be enjoying a hot shower much sooner!

Invest in a Tankless Water Heater

Along those same lines, upgrading to a tankless water heater can drastically increase the efficiency of your system. Instead of constantly keeping a supply of hot water in a tank, a tankless system heats water quickly on demand. If your current water heater is in good working condition, it’s better for the environment to keep using it. But if it is time for an upgrade, consider purchasing a tankless water heater.

Drip Your Faucet

Although typically a leaking faucet can waste a lot of water, during the time period when temperatures dip below zero you will want to drip your water. This inexpensive insurance prevents pipes from freezing and bursting in your home, wasting a lot more water than a day of dripping could do.

Find where the water comes into your home and drip a faucet at the other end of the house, pulling water through the majority of your system’s pipes. Catch the dripping water in a bucket and use it to water your houseplants!


These easy tips for winter can conserve water when it’s cold outside! Do you have any tips that we missed? Comment them below – We’d love to hear them!

Why It Is Important To Stay Hydrated in the Winter

Drinking enough water is incredibly important for your health all year round, but often, people do not drink as much during the winter. When it is hot and your body sweats, we naturally tend to hydrate because we thirst. However, here is why staying hydrated in the winter is worth putting in extra effort to sip your water all day.

Prevent Dehydration

Dehydration is easy to experience in artificially heated house all bundled up in warm clothes, but it is not easy to recognize. We might not feel dizzy or develop a headache; instead your body’s skin might start flaking and your lips might crack and bleed. Just because you are not thirsty does not mean you are hydrated.

Healthy Anatomy

Water’s benefits to your body are plentiful. According to waterlogic.com, keeping hydrated will regulate your body temperature, allowing your blood to carry important nutrients and oxygen around your body and remove toxins from your body.

Fight Fatigue & Winter Weight

Midday fatigue is often a characteristic of dehydration. Water replenishes our bodies and keeps us energized. Skip the 2:30 cup of coffee and reach for a water bottle instead. In the same way, drinking water can keep your body working to its full potential and help you lose weight. We need water to properly digest food, so sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. Next time you are reaching for a snack, drink a glass of water and see if it satisfies you.

Easy Ways to Stay Hydrated

A couple ways you can consume more water is to eat fruit. Many fruits are incredibly hydrating and healthy for you! Another idea is to buy a fancy water bottle. When you are using a water bottle you like, you tend to drink more water throughout the day. Bring it with you to work and especially to the gym. Another tip from health.com is to drink room-temperature water. The regulate your internal temperature better than water at cold or hot extremes.

These concerns should have you convinced that staying hydrated in the winter is very important! Find easy ways to drink water and appreciate the benefits that comes with it this cold weather season.

Reduce Your Water Waste Footprint this Fall

As temperatures drop, utility bills rise. Not only do most people start turning on their heat this time of year, they also use more water.

According to Move.org, the average American family uses 300 gallons of water per day, enough to fill a six-person hot tub. That’s a lot of water – which translates into a big water bill.

This fall, save water (and money!) with these simple tips:

Limiting Waste in the Bathroom

On brisk fall mornings, you may be tempted to spend a few extra minutes hiding from the cold in your warm shower. Those extra minutes can waste 5 to 10 gallons of water. In the best-case scenario, cut your shower time down. If that’s not an option, hack your shower by purchasing a low flow showerhead that uses less water per minute.

Leaky faucets can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water per year. Suddenly, that annoying little drip doesn’t seem so little anymore. Vow to check each faucet in your home for sneaky leaks and have them fixed promptly (or do it yourself).

When you’re brushing your teeth or washing your face it may seem easiest to let the water run, but those extra seconds and minutes add up to gallons upon gallons of wasted water. Instead, turn the faucet off until you absolutely need it.

Toilets are the top water waster in a home, but they don’t have to be. If you’re able, purchasing a water efficient toilet is a great way to cut back on unneeded water usage. Cheaper solutions include toilet banks, toilet tank damns, or fill cycle diverters.

Water Waste in the Kitchen

Though it may seem counterintuitive, washing dishes by hand uses much more water than opting for the dishwasher – especially high-efficiency models. If you must hand wash your dishes, make sure you’re turning off the water as you do.

Nothing tastes quite as refreshing as an ice-cold glass of water. However, running the sink until the water cools down wastes lots of H20. Instead, store bottles of drinking water in the fridge (reusable bottles – not disposable), and reach for one when thirsty.

Out in the Yard

Your yard and landscaping are the first thing people see when visiting your home, so keeping them green, clean, and pristine are probably at the top of your priority list. However, cooler temps and increased rainfall in the fall months means plants and grass need less watering. Put away your sprinkler until next summer. Also, use a broom instead of a water hose when cleaning off your driveway, sidewalks, and garage.

In the Laundry Room

Clean clothes are a must, but wasting water is not. Avoid using the permanent press cycle, which uses an added 50 gallons for the extra rinse. And try to only wash clothes when you’ve got a full load. If your load is smaller, adjust the water setting accordingly.

Consider purchasing a high-efficiency washing machine, which uses substantially less water – as low as 7 gallons per load!

All Around Your Home

Insulating your water pipes is a simple and inexpensive way to reduce heat loss and save water in the process, since you won’t have to wait as long for the water to heat up.


Recycling water may seem silly, but it’s an effective way to reduce your water footprint and save money on your energy bill. Collect rainwater and use it to water plants. Use the cold water that runs while you wait for it to heat up to flush the toilet (known as a bucket flush). Stubborn dirty dishes? Soak them in water leftover from cleaning previous (less stubborn) dishes.


This fall, make water conservation a priority in your home with these super-simple and effective tips. Small steps lead to big savings!

3 Ways To Remind Yourself To Drink More Water

You already know that drinking water is great for you. Staying hydrated can help you fight off sickness, improve your circulation and boost your energy.

It shouldn’t be a chore, but sometimes, it can be easy to forget. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to remind yourself to drink more water throughout the day.

Make it a Habit

Place a glass near your bed and sip it right away when you wake up in the morning. Or, drink a glass right after you get out of the shower. Fill up a cup every time you pass the water fountain at work. An act as simple as leaving out a glass of water may be the visual cue you need to help you remember. Building drinking water into your daily routine will make it feel like a no-brainer.

Track Your Intake

When you treat it like a game, it can be a lot more fun. Plus, tracking your actual intake can be a wake-up call if you’ve never been aware just how little water you’ve been drinking.

Download a free smartphone app to set daily reminders and alarms and mark off when you’ve finished a glass. Or, buy your own water bottle and bring it with you everywhere, marking timely goals right on the bottle with tape or a label maker. Either way, seeing your progress visually can be a fun way to cheer yourself on.

Make it Taste Even Better!

Tap water tastes great. But if you’re not used to drinking plain water all day, it can seem like a difficult adjustment. Luckily, it’s easy to add healthful flavors to your water by dropping fruits, vegetables or herbs into a pitcher.

Health experts also say that you can count your morning coffee or tea into your daily water count. That’s because they still hydrate you, despite their diuretic effect.

If drinking water all day still seems tough, feel free to ease into it. You can do this by making yourself a one-for-one promise: for every cup of juice or soda you drink, you’ll drink one glass of water. The glasses will add up before you know it.


Looking for more reasons to add water into your day? Visit our website to learn more.

Bottled Water and Plastic Straw Alternatives

As the world relies more and more heavily on plastics, so too the evidence stacks up against using them.

BPA-free does not mean healthy. A healthy alternative to bottled water and plastic straws are sustainable and reusable options. Here are some inspirational ideas and products you can use as alternatives to wasteful, unhealthy plastic.

Glass Reusable Water Bottles

There are many advantages to using a glass water bottle. They are dishwasher safe, can be completely sanitized therefore less likely to grow bacteria or mold, they are made of a natural material healthy for you to use, and result in pure tasting water.

Metal Reusable Water Bottles

Another alternative for reusable water bottles is metal options like stainless steel and aluminum. These bottles are very durable and easy to clean. Some even come with metal straw options. If you are in the market for one, check out this great guide on the difference between stainless steel and aluminum reusable water bottles.

Reusable Straws

There are a multitude of reusable straws on the market. Want ones with a bend like plastic straws? Get these stainless steel CoCo straws. Want clear straws so you can tell if they are completely clean before reuse? Buy StrawGrace handmade glass straws.Need ones that are extra long to fit your favorite reusable cup or bottle? Buy these SipWell stainless steel ones. All these materials are dishwasher safe and make cleaning easy with mini straw brushes.


There are many eco-friendly options out there like biodegradable cups and bamboo straws. However, to be the most ecologically responsible and still drink your fill of water every day, choose metal or glass options when searching for your next water bottle. Consider ditching plastic straws and buying reusable ones that set a new trend.

As the world uses less plastic, perhaps we can mend the pollution done to the oceans and earth.

Mystery to Monument: The Devil’s Kettle Water Foundation

In Judge C.R. Magney State Park on the North Shore of Lake Superior lives a fascinating geological mystery: The Devil’s Kettle.

The Devil’s Kettle is part rock formation, part waterfall, and complete conundrum. The Brule River runs until it hits the rocks at the top of a waterfall, then it splits in two. The right fork cascades down like a typical waterfall and the left fork appears to vanish into a large hole below. Then… it disappears. There’s no apparent entrance back into the river for the water that plunges into the kettle. It’s been called the Waterfall to Nowhere.

Image by aaronHwarren via Flickr

Visitors and scientists attempted to solve the mystery of where the water entering the Devil’s Kettle ends up for years. Some tossed in ping-pong balls, branches, and – legend has it – a car to see where they rejoin the river downstream. For a long time, no one could figure it out – the objects just kept disappearing.

That is, until last year when two scientists – a retired professor and a hydrologist – measured the water volume of the Brule River right before it plunges down the falls and again at the bottom. The results? The volume is nearly identical, leading them to believe that the exit to the Devil’s Kettle is a short distance away, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.

If you’re looking to test your own theories, by tossing in a handful of leaves or nearby branch, be prepared for a bit of a hike. Getting to Devil’s Kettle is about a 2.5 miles round trip, but there are plenty of benches to rest and enjoy the scenery along the way. In our opinion, it’s totally worth it to see one of the coolest water formations in the state!

Looking for other fun water facts and mysteries? Follow us on Facebook and check out our other blogs.

Foods To Keep You Hydrated This Summer

While drinking water is still the best way to stay hydrated, there are some foods that can help you because they consist mostly of water. During the hot summer days, consider munching on some of these hydrating foods!

Watermelon

Is it any surprise this is the first on the list? Consisting of 92 percent water, this melon lives up to its name. Even at room temperature, watermelon is refreshing like a cool glass of water. Even though watermelon is mostly made of water, the rest is low in calories and dense in nutrients and antioxidants. Read about the powerful benefits of water in this article on healthline.com.

Cucumber

Consisting of 95 percent water, cucumbers are a great hydrating food! shape.com claims cucumbers sooth skin irritations with vitamin C and caffeic acid. Cucumbers can also help you lose weight being low in calories while still making you feel full! This vegetables is a watery winner!

Zucchini

Similar to cucumbers, zucchini consists of about 95 percent water! This food is great to add to salads, main dishes, sides, and to eat plain with dip - even made into noodles! Zucchini is an excellent source of vitamins and nutrients. It is healthy for you and hydrating for your body.

Strawberries

These deliciously nutritious berries are 91 percent water. Plus, strawberries love the hot summer months, getting sweeter the hotter it is when they ripen. Their dark red color hints at their densely packed nutrients. Strawberries are high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Lettuce

At 96 percent water, lettuce is the wettest food on our list of hydrating foods! Lettuce provides a lot of water, but also folate and fiber. These nutrients are specifically important for pregnant women. Plus lettuce is high in vitamins A and K. Choose a salad for lunch and your body will thank you!

While many fruits and vegetables are incredibly hydrating, these five foods top the list! Keep your body hydrated, healthy, and happy by choosing to eat watermelon, strawberries, cucumber, zucchini, and lettuce more often this summer!