Your kitchen appliances and the plumbing systems that run them are probably some of the most important parts of your kitchen, and you almost forget how hard they are working for you, every day. From your trusty dishwasher that manages to clean up effortlessly from your dinner parties, to your microwave and garbage disposal that have witnessed way too many mishaps than you care to mention. Your kitchen appliances and plumbing systems need to be maintained to stay working and dependable. I’ve partnered with American Home Shield, the nation’s leading home warranty company, to show you how easy it is to maintain your kitchen appliances and systems that continually work hard, so you won’t be caught without them!

The Best Ways to Care for your Plumbing and Kitchen Appliances:

Here is something to consider from an AHS contractor:

“We get a lot of calls every year to fix problems that in many cases can easily be avoided just by following the manufacturer’s maintenance guidelines and having regular service on the major appliances, ” said Devin Williams, President of Greenway Home Services, a top-rated AHS contractor. “That being said, if you plan on attempting the more advanced DIY maintenance tasks, it’s crucial to follow the instructions for that specific system or appliance to a T. Most of our calls come from people attempting to fix an appliance themselves with no knowledge or research on their specific model.”

Will your Microwave Remain Convenient for Years to Come?

Your late night movie popcorn or your mid-day microwave meal may make life easier now, but if you don’t maintain it you could be surely inconvenienced in the future.

Keeping your Microwave Clean Can Elongate its Life:

While most of us try to clean our microwaves from the occasional splatter of spaghetti sauce on the interior, we probably don’t clean it half as often as we should. And did you know food burns can cause damage to your microwave? Try these microwave maintenance tips to keep your food safe and your appliance running smoothly:

• Placing your Microwave for Efficiency: Many homeowners don’t realize placing their unit amongst a cluttered countertop or in between other appliances can make the microwave work harder. When choosing a place for your microwave, ensure it has good airflow and ventilation around the unit. Keep dishtowels, cookbooks, dishes and other appliances away from the sides of your microwave.
• Microwave Safety Tips: To keep you and your family safe, do not microwave anything other than food or liquids. Consider using the microwaves pre-set times for specific foods already programmed into your appliance. The manufacturer has chosen these times based on the model, wattage, size, etc… and you could elongate your microwave’s life by helping it run more efficiently.
• Microwave Heating: Use a paper towel or cover your food with a microwave-safe lid before heating. Wipe up spills and splatters shortly after using your microwave.
• Microwave No-No’s: Only place food and non-metallic cooking dishes inside your microwave. Even though you may want to dry a small piece of clothing quickly it could spark and cause a flame and damage your microwave.
• Microwave Cleaning: Let’s face it, it’s often hard to keep up with cleaning every spill that happens in your microwave. When you can, use a mild solution such as baking soda and vinegar to clean the interior of your unit. If you have to remove hard food stains and burn marks put the solution in a spray bottle and let the solution soak before wiping it clean.

Take a look at this microwave cleaning tutorial video from American Home Shield:

Your Garbage Disposal Maintenance is Easier than you think:

If your household is anything like mine, your disposal likely “eats” way too many items that aren’t really supposed to go down it! From eggshells to ice cubes, these foods can actually harm your garbage disposal and could cause it to malfunction. Take a look at these easy ways to keep your garbage disposal in good working condition:

1. Your Garbage Disposal Doesn’t Have Blades: While most homeowners think they can sharpen the blades of their disposal this is actually a myth. In fact, the impellers are blunt and therefore placing ice cubes or other hard items into the disposal will hurt it.
2. Keep your Disposal Clean by Eliminating Oils and Fats: I remember when I was a kid and watching my grandmother pour bacon grease down the drain and it was no problem… but of course, she didn’t have a garbage disposal either! With our modern kitchen appliances and systems, a garbage disposal can’t handle oils, fats, and grease poured into it. These fats can congeal around the impellers as well as clog the pipes and sewer system.
3. Your Garbage Disposal Isn’t a Trash Compactor: Make sure you and your family only put small and soft food remnants into your garbage disposal. Keep bones, seeds, fruit pits, popcorn kernels and other hard foods out of your disposal. If you’re cleaning up from a dinner party, scrape all the bones and other hard foods into a plastic bag and throw it away, rather than in your garbage disposal.
4. Treat your Disposal with Care: Even though you and your family have decided that your disposal is for all the leftovers of your entire refrigerator, remember it should only handle biodegradable foods. Use cold water to flush foods and prevent the pipes from overheating.

Now that we’re on the topic of plumbing, do you know how to maintain your kitchen sink pipes? While your garbage disposal plays a big part in the system, here are a few ways to keep clogs and drainage problems from your dishwasher to a minimum.

How to Care for your Dishwasher and Drainage Pipes:

Before you place another baked-on brownie battered cake pan into your dishwasher, take a look at these tips to ensure your dishwasher will last for years:

1. Wash off Food Completely: One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when loading their dishwasher is assuming there is a “garbage disposal” in it. Rinse off as much food debris as possible before loading dishes and utensils. If you hear irregular sounds while its running, stop the dishwasher because it may cause more damage to let it run.
2. Make Sure Your Dishwasher is Draining Properly: If you open your dishwasher door after it’s completed washing and you see standing water, you may have a drainage issue. Turn on your garbage disposal and ensure all food has been flushed out of the sink. An air gap in the drainage hose can also cause water to backup into the dishwasher.
3. Clear out Food Remnants Regularly: Inspect the bottom of your dishwasher to ensure larger pieces of food don’t block the water drainage out of your unit.
4. Change Your Dishwasher Filter per Your Manufacturer’s Directions: Who knew there was a filter in your dishwasher? Refer to your owners’ manual or go online and search your make and model dishwasher to find electronic manuals you can download.

Take a look at this video from American Home Shield for dishwasher maintenance tips:

As you continue to use your kitchen appliances, remember the hard-working systems that are going on behind the scenes! From your microwave and garbage disposal to your dishwasher and drainage system, use these maintenance tips to help keep them running smoothly. If at any time your appliances seem like a job that is too big to handle, consider hiring a professional to come look at your appliances. American Home Shield has a national contractor network made up of nearly 15,000 independent home service contractors and more than 45,000 service technicians. They have a library of videos, articles, and DIY information to help, but know when it’s too much and you need to call the professionals. With these helpful tips, your kitchen appliances should continue to run as a part of your family home.

For more kitchen tips and ideas on Stagetecture, take a look through our archives.

The thought of living in an eco friendly manner may fill you with dread. The immediate picture tends to be a life of no electricity and basic clothing, devoid of luxury. But don’t worry, you can relax, as eco upgrades are perfect for even the most stylish of homes. Most eco solutions work behind the scenes, so you can focus on your fashion forward interior.

With that said, consider these eco upgrades so you can live in a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way, while still enjoying a stylish home.

Stylish Homes and Cheaper Living: 5 Eco Upgrades for Your Property

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1. Use an Electricity Monitor

It can be frustrating when you receive an energy bill and can’t work out how you have used so much electric. To avoid surprises in the mail, you could buy an electricity monitor. As the name suggests, these allow you to track your home’s energy consumption. By tracking usage, the average household consumes 15% less energy, saving money year after year.

2. Install A Programmable Thermostat

In the cold months, it’s often a case of leave the heating on all day, or arrive home from work to find icicles. A programmable thermostat can solve all of that, as the majority have 6 daily adjustable time slots, meaning you only have to turn the heating on when it’s needed. Basically, it’s a simple digital eco conscious solution that promises comfort and savings. It also allows you to remove that old, bulky thermostat from the living room wall – bonus!

3. Increase Your Insulation

There’s three different areas you can utilise insulation: in walls, under floors and in the loft. There’s also a number of methods – each carrying different price tags – including fibreglass, blanket rolls, spray foam and reflective systems. However, depending on the type of property you own, some may be of more financial benefit than others. For example, if you own a period property, external solid wall insulation could save you up to £450 a year.

4. Upgrade your Kitchen Appliance Technology

When it comes to buying new kitchen appliances and technology, make sure to purchase those with a high energy rating – the best being AAA. By doing so, you will be reducing your carbon footprint as well as helping to minimise your monthly energy costs. Plus, even the best and biggest refrigerators, dishwashers and televisions are available with top energy ratings, meaning you don’t have to sacrifice on style.

Image via: Sub-Zero Wolf

5. Choose Dual Flush Toilets

As the name states, a dual flush toilet has two different settings: one for low volume and one for high. This clever mechanism reduces water usage, as the lower setting uses an average 1 gallon per flush, while traditional systems can use up to 5. This can save thousands of gallons of water per year, leading to huge annual savings, as well as reducing environmental impact.

For more energy savings tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Water problems in a home occur in cities with municipally supplied water and in homes with a well. The best way to treat water problems is to first identify their cause. However, many common problems that face homeowners can easily be solved if the right treatment is used.

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The Solution

The best way to solve water problems is to have a water softener or electronic water conditioning system installed in your home like scalewatcher. This is a proven product for homes that have hardwater and limescale problems. The unit that is added to the water system helps to remove limescale – and if it doesn’t work, customers get their money back.

For further information about Scalewatcher, watch this short video:

Here are 5 common water problems in the home:

Hard Water 

This is the most common problem with homes that have a well as the source or water. Hard water from a well is not typically treated to remove minerals and other dissolved solids. However, homes that have municipally supplied water also face hard water problems. The addition of a water conditioner is the best way to get rid of hard water.

Odour and Taste

Water that is not conditioned to remove dissolved solids can often have a bad taste or smell bad. These dissolved solids typically consist of iron, hydrogen sulphide, and other chemicals can cause your water to smell like strong chlorine or rotten eggs. The best way to solve this problem is to filter water using a sink-mounted filter or a whole house water filter.

Water Spots

This is a problem that typically occurs when clear glasses, silverware and dishes in a dishwasher. If the water is not treated to remove minerals, then this will be a common occurrence. Minerals in water may leave spots on glassware, fixtures, shower doors, and even on clothes. This problem can be corrected if you have a water conditioner installed. The unit will treat water by using salt to remove particles found in water that cause spots.

Image via: Fabrizia Frezza Architecture & Interiors

Rust Stains

The occurrence of rust stains on clothes, in a sink, or in a tub is the result of iron in your water. Iron is a substance that will typically leave a red or sometimes brown stain on fixtures and clothes. Rust stains are a main reason that money and time is spent to clean or purchase ruined clothes. Iron that is in water can also be the reason why there is a metallic taste when drinking water at home. You can get rid of the iron in your water by installing a new water conditioner.

Additional Information 

If you see that water leaking from pipes leaves a greenish blue stain on piping, then there the water has a high acid content. This can occur on the outside of pipes and on the fixtures of a sink and is the result of acid eating away the inside of your water pipes. The acid that is left unchecked will slowly eat away the inside of water pipe until a pinhole leak occurs. You can easily prevent this problem by installing a water conditioner in your home.

For more plumbing solutions on Stagetecture, click here.

Is the endless drip, drip, drip of your bathroom faucet keeping you up at night? Or maybe your garbage disposal is emitting a stench is making your kitchen repelling rather than inviting?  Times are tough and money is tight, so many of us ignore these pesky plumbing problems rather than hire a professional plumber. You will need to decide if you should use www.thehandypeople for fixing your minor problems or do it yourself. Maybe you don’t consider yourself a DIY type, but there are a few easy, simple, and cheap solutions that you can try at home to fix that incessant dripping or unsavory smelling disposal.

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Here are a few tips for fixing some of the more common kitchen and bath plumbing problems:

Foul odor garbage disposal:

Garbage disposals are very convenient, but after some time and use they can start to emit an awful odor. Lemons are one great way to clean out your disposal.  The acidity of lemon juice is a natural cleaner and disinfectant. Simply cut a lemon into large wedges and run them in the disposal with warm water. Another cheap and easy way to rid the smell is baking soda.  Generously sprinkle an entire box of baking soda around and down in the disposal. Leave the baking soda to sit for an hour or two (keeping it dry, so don’t run the sink). After a couple hours rinse the soda down the disposal and inhale the fresh scent!

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Leaky faucet:

Whenever dealing with your taps you should always follow these first two steps: turn the water off and grab a couple towels just in case. Once you have these steps complete, fixing your tap is easy! The most common source of the problem is an old washer or seal on the faucet. Here is how you can replace it: Lift off the plastic cover (it is usually marked hot and cold, and can be gently pried off with a thin screw driver). Then unscrew the tap, taking the handle off. With adjustable pliers unscrew the nut holding the valve and lift to get to the rubber seal/washer. Replace that washer and put the faucet back together. Problem fixed!

Poor water flow:

Does your water pressure seem low? Screens inside our faucets can become plugged and blocked by particles in our water and hard minerals. If you simply unscrew the faucet tip, pull out the thin screen and clean it, you can increase your water flow/pressure. Shower heads can also suffer this blockage. The best tip for shower heads is removal of the head and soaking it in a lime, rust, and calcium removal solution. These solutions can be bought inexpensively at your hardware store.

These are just a few of the common pipe problems that homeowners can encounter. Even if this did not solve your plumbing issues, take away this tip: With a bit of confidence, elbow grease, and research, you can fix a lot of small plumbing problems on your own ̶ avoiding that pricey plumber.

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, & Stagetecture’s YouTube Channel, click here.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Are you tired of hearing that stubborn drip noise in your bathroom? My guest blogger gives tips to help you fix it without having to call a plumber.

A continually dripping tap generally indicates that the tap’s washer needs replacement although a damaged valve seating can also be the culprit. If you have a dripping mixer tap, you should change both washers.

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Step 1.

In order to access the washer you will need to remove the tap headgear. First of all turn off the water supply either at the mains or underneath the taps at the service valve.

Step 2.

Ensure that the tap is turned on fully. A good tip at this point is to put the plug into the plughole. This will prevent any small components from the tap being lost down the waste pipe whilst you are making repairs.

Step 3.

If the tap is a non-rising spindle type tap, use a flat head screwdriver to unscrew the cover or prise it off. The retaining screw will now exposed. Remove it and put it safely aside then remove the tap head.

With a rising spindle tap remove the index disc at the centre of the tap handle then remove the retaining screw to release the handle. Remove the metal shroud from the headgear nut using an adjustable spanner.

Step 4.

Unfasten the larger headgear nut with a spanner. This may be tricky if the nut is stiff but force must not be used. The application of some penetrating oil around the joint may help. Several applications may be required and you must be sure to allow at least 10 minutes for the oil to soak in completely before trying again.

Step 5.

Inspect the valve seat inside the tap. If this is in poor condition, the seal between the washer and valve seat will still be leaky even with a replacement washer. You can solve this by using a combined washer and seating set – these available at all good hardware and DIY shops.

Image via: Bhg

Step 6.

Now you are ready to replace the washer. Use a screwdriver to prise off the damaged washer. There may be a small nut securing it in place and you will need to unscrew it using a spanner. As before, use penetrating oil if the nut is stiff then remove the washer.

Step 7.

Finally fit the new washer. You can use either silicone gel or Vaseline grease for the threads on the base of the tap to reassemble the unit.

James Christie writes for Business Directory Thomson Local. Use Thomson to find plumbers throughout the UK.

For more bathroom ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Watch Stagetecture’s You Tube Channel for more DIY ideas

You stroll into the bathroom and discover water across the floor and say “oh no” to yourself. You look into the cabinet beneath the sink and find that one of the pipes has developed a leak. What should you do?

Well, there are two options to treat a leaking pipe. Fix it yourself, or get someone else to do the job for you. The point is; how would you know whether or not this problem is something you can and must fix yourself?

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Choosing The Best Option

If you are either experienced or familiar with plumbing work, perhaps, you will be in a better position to fix a leak yourself. However, if this is a task you have never done before, take a closer look at the problem at hand and then decide whether you can handle it, or need the services of an expert to get the job done.

Doing The Job Yourself

More often than not, if you have identified the problem, it will be easier to decide whether or not you can fix it yourself. For example, if a leak is merely caused by a cracked seal, applying plumber’s putty may be all that is needed to stop it.

On the other hand, if you are clueless as to why a pipe has developed a leak and sense it is part of a larger or more complex problem than a minor one, the smartest thing to do is to hire a professional plumber before the problem worsens.

Image via: Design Sponge

Following Directions

Following directions is a crucial aspect insofar as plumbing installation, maintenance and repair. Unfortunately, some people dislike reading detailed instructions and therefore tend to wing problems. Failure to read instructions thoroughly often results in a bathroom floor strewn with plumbing parts, and utter confusion about how a leak can be fixed.

Of course, if you are a person who follows instructions meticulously regardless of the nature of the task, repairing things will be much easier. Moreover, adhering to instructions will also end in a job well done, and in a shorter period of time.

Consulting A Friend If at times you are unable to do a job yourself, consult a friend who may have the knowhow to do it for you. However, it is essential for such a friend to possess enough experience and knowledge in the field of plumbing in order to do justice to the job entrusted to him or her.

Alternatively, if you have no friend who is conversant with plumbing, then the smarter way to go is to hire a qualified plumber, especially when a particular job is beyond your level of competence.

Emma Cub is a specialist in interior design and home improvement. She writes for Liberty Bathrooms, who are an online retailer of bathroom suites, bathroom furniture and bathroom accessories including heated towel rails, vanity units and cheap bathroom suites.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Happy DIY Saturday! Is your home starting to feel the cool chill of the fall-turning-to-winter? If not, then it will only be a matter of time, and if you are you know how important it is to have heating options. One option is underfloor heating. It heats from the floor, and relies on heat rising, as opposed to only heating the walls or having vents from the ceiling that keep heat up in the ceiling!

Image via: Creative Heating

Today, watch a You Tube video lending advice as to what is more beneficial between underfloor heating and traditional radiators. Then my Guest Blogger gives helpful tips on determining if underfloor heating can benefit your home!

You Tube Video – Underfloor heating vs. radiator

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Guest Blogger – The Benefits of Underfloor Heating

During the winter season, heating up the house is one of the most pleasant things that people wanted to do. They use their heating systems during winter and they expect that it can provide the heat that can keep them warm during the day. There are some people who prefer heating up the air inside the house while some people find it really pleasant to walk in the house with a perfectly warmed floor. Actually, it is said that more people are satisfied on warm flooring than heated air inside the house. They said that they feel suffocated when they feel warm, damp air inside their house even if it is the winter season.

Unfortunately, if you are really interested on the warm flooring, the traditional way of heating your house is focused on heating the air inside. The worst thing here is that, the heat does not last longer because the walls and the floor are also called. It will only mean that the heat will disappear after a while which will surely make you realize that using it will only be a waste of money and energy as well.

Advantages of underfloor heating

If you look closely, it is not advisable to make use of something that will surely cost a lot of money especially with the current standing of the economy. This is the reason why electric underfloor heating is the best heating system to consider during the winter season. There are cables that are attached to the electric underfloor mats and theses cables are made of copper that make it possible to heat up an entire room. The mats can serve as a good way to provide more flexibility making it possible for the cable wires to heat up any size and any room shapes.

Image via: Channel4

Insulating your underfloor heating

However, cable wires and electric underfloor mats are not the only thing that is needed. It is also the same with heating the air inside the house. Since the heat is not contained inside the house, it will just disappear and it will be attracted to cold air. To prevent this from happening when using electric underfloor heating, you need thermal insulation. You can place them on the sub floor as support for the heat produced by the copper wires. It will provide a more convenient heating experience to the house while you cut down the costs of energy.

A lot of people all around the world already seen the potential of these heating systems and it is now used not only on small houses but also on large establishments. It is also one of the ways for large companies to cut down their operating cost by installing these heating systems. This is probably one of the best ways to heat up your winter and save money.

Marty White is a copywriter who comes from a long line of heating engineers. His father and grand-father often quiz him as to why he got into media when engineering was the family tradition.

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, & Stagetecture’s YouTube Channel, click here.

The winter months loom ahead which means plummeting temperatures, frost on the ground and chattering teeth. The sub-zero temperatures can cause significant problems for the home, one of the more severe consequences being freezing pipes. When a pipe freezes it expands and ultimately could burst, flooding the home. This can have devastating superficial and structural damage and even cause floors to rot and collapse, which would be extortionate to rectify.

Image via: Bathroom Designs Pictures

Seasonal maintenance of the plumbing system is mandatory if you want to avoid freezing pipes. The best time to begin thinking about winterizing the home is autumn/fall in preparation for the inevitable temperature plummets which are to follow.

Location of pipes

Some pipes are more susceptible to freezing due to their positioning in the home. Particular care needs to be taken for exterior pipes which will be subjected to the harshest of temperatures. However, even if the home is above zero some interior pipes will require insulation, especially if central heating doesn’t get used overnight while people sleep or the house is vacant. Pipes which are situated in the garage, attic or run along un-insulated walls are more likely to freeze.

Foam insulation tubes can be fitted to individual pipes as a preventative measure for interior pipes. For pipes which are adjacent to exterior walls fiberglass insulation can be placed between the exterior wall and pipe to prevent the pipe being subjected to harsh temperatures. Cavity wall insulation can also help to increase the heat efficiency and trap warm air, particularly useful for pipes which run along exterior walls.

Image via: Diylife

How to prevent freezing

For particularly cold days, bathrooms suites and kitchen taps can help to prevent the freezing of pipes. Simply keep the water flowing through the taps on all levels of the home as the continuous flow of helps to prevent the pipes from freezing.

For seasonal homes which won’t be in use during the winter months, or if you’re going on a winter holiday it may be wise to drain your pipes. This ensures no water sits in them during the colder months making them unable to freeze and burst. Draining the pipes is a rather simple task, simply turn off the water supply at the mains and run all water outlets, including every unit in all of the bathroom suites in the home and wait for them to run completely dry. This ensures you have no stagnant water waiting to wreak havoc with your plumbing system!

Ensuring pipes don’t freeze over is incredibly important as we rely on the constant supply through our plumbing system. Prevention measures are all fairly easy tasks which are definitely worth the effort in the long run. It’s particularly important to carry out such prevention methods in older homes which may not be insulated as thoroughly as newer homes.

Written by Stephanie Staszko for Bathshop321. You can catch Steph talking about home improvement on Twitter, drop her a line @StephStaz

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Are you thinking of remodeling your kitchen or bath? Even if the thought of updating your sink, tub, or shower faucets sounds enticing, how about the chance to win a $5,000 prize package from Pfister Faucets?

HGTV’s – Lisa LaPorta will give you design tips to help you choose the perfect faucets for your home.

For your chance to win, click here => Pfister Faucet Sweepstakes

Choose from Pfister Faucets line of designer styles:

1. Classic Elegance:

This look evokes the past with warm wood tones, detailed craftsmanship and luxurious fabrics creating a tailored style.

2. Crisp Contemporary:

Sleek, Airy, Bright

Avanti in Stainless Steel

Inspired by Swedish design, this style creates a light and airy feel with clean, bright whites and shiny, sparkly surfaces.

3. Vintage Decor

Fun, Eclectic, Colorful

Ashfield in Brushed Nickel

This lived-in, heritage-inspired style is defined by a colorful palette, decor with character and mixing of textural fabrics.

4. Modern Metropolitan

Polished, Bold, Architectural

Pasadena in Midnight Chrome

Blacks, whites and neutrals complimented by clean lines and jewel-toned accents create a modern, functional and sophisticated look.

For your chance at the $5,000 prize package, click here => Pfister Faucet Sweepstakes

Good Luck and Happy Designing!

 

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Happy DIY Saturday! From water conservation to spending less money to run water in your home, saving water is essential. Today, see how saving water can be made easier by installing technological plumbing fixtures in your home. From low flow toilets and shower heads to Energy standard appliances, these tips will help get your home saving water and money.

You Tube video – How to Install a Low Flow Showerhead

Guest Blogger – How technology can help save water at home

70.8% of the world’s surface is covered in water, a fact that is wheeled out whenever we’re trying to put some context into our place in the planet. The volume of water on our world is apparently there to humble us in realization of how small human coverage of the earth is, to demonstrate how unique the earth is in its ability to sustain life, and even to make us aware of the great dangers of global warming and increasingly erratic weather patterns.

But it’s a figure that can be quite damaging to the ecological agenda. Similar to how colder winters are making people question the notion of ‘global warming’ by simple word association, the fact that there is so much water on the earth is a thorn in the side of water conservation. There’s so much water out there, why do we need to be careful about wasting it?

A Quick Why and How

Of course, thinking about it for a bit will give you an obvious answer, and suggest a trite old saying. Water is everywhere, but the drinkable stuff is in the minority. Depending on where we are in the world, the amount of rain falling from the sky is somewhere between inadequate to not quite adequate when it comes to providing an urban population with the water they need to live.

Clearly, this makes water conservation imperative in areas with low rainfall (deserts and polar regions). But the fact that rainfall is undependable in all areas and that it never completely covers demand means that everyone should practice water conservation. This is because conserving water is actually more an issue of conserving energy. Water may appear free but purification, storage and transportation require that electricity is involved. The more water we all use, the more electricity we must use. Oh, and if you’re not convinced, remember there’s money involved on metered water supplies!

So what can you do? There are many ways in which you can change your habits to conserve water, but they have quite similar underlying principles. If you want to use less water, leave your taps running less: run bowls to do your washing up, don’t leave your taps running when brushing your teeth. But some things you can do are down to the appliances you use. So choosing the right fixtures and fittings can help you save water, energy, the environment and your bank balance.

Low-Flow Toilets

Such is the demand for low-flow toilets, it’s actually quite difficult to buy one without the widely hailed dual-flush technology. Lever flush toilets have seemingly had their day as people have accepted that a single flush is excessive for every bathroom visit. If you still have an old model around, perhaps it’s time to replace it?

Low Flow Shower Heads

Water wastage seems to be a natural consequence of operating a shower. But there are still options for using less water when you shower. Euroshowers do a ‘Shutoff Shower Head’ with an easily pressed switch to stop the water flowing whilst you lather up. Other manufacturers offer flow selection so that you can reduce the flow to when you only need a light sprinkling!

Hands Free Faucets

Hands free faucets have been in businesses and service stations for years, and now they’re finding a place within the home. Often designed to be stylish and to coordinate with the sleek, seamless modern basin, they’re the ultimate hygienic solution and, of course, you’ll be using a lot less water thanks to their automatic start and cut off.

Label Appliances

Energy standards vary from country to country, and there are several labels worth looking out for. In the EU, energy labels are awarded from A to G. UK appliances also have Energy Saving Trust ‘recommended’ stickers and are only given to select appliances. Energy Star is the US equivalent. It is imperative to find washing machines, dishwashers and other water using devices that use little energy, since over time the money you save on purchasing an inefficient model will be outstripped by the money you spend running it.

Steph Wood is a blogger who writes regularly for Splash Direct, a UK-based Bathroom Furniture company.

For more water saving ideas for your home on Stagetecture, click here.