In times of drought it is very important to save and reduce the waste of as much water as possible, but it is also very important to take measures to prevent fires when the drought coincides with high temperatures or windy days.
During the last few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the drought and its effects. More and more customers are contacting us to ask how we anticipate it may affect their stays. The restrictions imposed by local and regional governments are constantly being updated and modified, so we recommend that you find out before your stay which restrictions affect the municipality where you will be staying.
For this reason, here is a guide with a series of tips that can help save and, above all, reduce water waste and also measures to take into account for the prevention of fires during your stay in the rural house:
1. Open the tap only when necessary
A running tap wastes 10 liters every minute, you can save water by simply turning off the tap while brushing your teeth or soaping your hands.
2. Shower vs. bathtub or jacuzzi
Filling a bathtub or jacuzzi requires an average of 300 litres of water. The shower is up to 6 times more efficient than the bathtub or jacuzzi. While you wait for the hot water to come out, you can fill a bucket to reuse it for watering, to scrub the floor or to save some toilet flushing.
3. Barbecue safety measures
One of the effects of the droughts are fires, a safety measure you can take into account when using the barbecue is to have a bucket with water nearby, better if you have previously filled the bucket with reused water, or a hose connected to a water point. Be extra cautious on windy or very hot days.
4. Use the right flush on the toilet
If you have a dual flush toilet, if you use the minimum flush whenever possible, you can save up to 3 litres every time you flush.
It is also very important not to use the toilet as a waste bin, this helps us save many litres of water and also helps to avoid many breakdowns such as clogged pipes.
5. Prohibition of making fire
It is absolutely forbidden to light fires on the ground or anywhere other than in the barbecue or fireplace. Firecrackers and fireworks are forbidden inside the estates or around our houses. For Saint John's eve, you can check the restrictions and the areas adapted for setting off firecrackers in each municipality.
6. Washing machines with full load
At Naturaki we are committed to energy-saving appliances to help us save energy and also a lot of water. A washing machine with a full load helps to reduce water consumption by a quarter and if you use the most efficient programs, usually the longest ones, it will also help to reduce energy consumption.
7. Dishwasher vs. wash dishes manually
Using the dishwasher with a full load will save more water than washing dishes manually, but if you opt for the latter option, we recommend that you do so by placing the stopper in and filling the sink a little with soap and water so that you can wash the entire crockery and cutlery. Remember to close the tap while soaping and when rinsing, open the tap at minimum pressure.
8. Reuse the water when cooking
A very simple way to save water in the kitchen is to reuse the water you have used to wash food or boil it for irrigation. Of course, wait until the water has returned to room temperature before watering plants.
9. Automatic watering of our gardens
For many years at Naturaki we have opted for the installation of artificial grass in our gardens, as it requires less maintenance, and nowadays when watering bans are starting to be introduced, we have found that our option is the most suitable to save water. Being able to water the garden is becoming a luxury. When gardening, we advise and opt for native Mediterranean plants that need little water and also install automatic watering system that allow you to program and control the watering hours so that water consumption is more efficient, avoiding watering during hotter hours.
10. Maintenance of swimming pools
We try to maintain our pools throughout the year so that we don't have to refill them every summer. Most of our homes have a saltwater pool, this type of pool requires less maintenance and therefore helps save water and energy.
It's a good time to raise awareness among all of us and to contribute, each one of us, our grain of sand to fight against this drought that affects us all.
Every litre of water counts!
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