Save More—and Waste Less—in the Bathroom

How to rein in your water usage and reap savings of up to $330

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Americans use a lot of water in the bathroom, with toilets accounting for nearly a third and showers almost 17 percent of a typical household's indoor water use. And leaky faucets and toilets can waste thousands of gallons a year. But there are all sorts of cost-free tricks and smart new products that can help you conserve water, plug those leaks, and save up to $330.

Read on for the simple habit changes and actions you can take to help you save—and live more sustainably in the process. And check the links below to find out how to save energy, water, and more throughout your home and yard.

How to Save More at HomeSave More—and Waste Less—in the KitchenSave More—and Waste Less—in the Laundry RoomSave More—and Waste Less—All Around the HouseSave More—and Waste Less—in the Yard and Garden

Household leaks siphon off 1 trillion gallons of water per year in the U.S. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, fixing leaks around your home can cut your water bill by 10 percent, saving up to $100 per year. To check for toilet leaks, put a few drops of blue food coloring in your toilet tank and see if, after 10 minutes, it has seeped into the bowl. These silent leaks are common and can usually be fixed by replacing the flapper or floater (available at Amazon and elsewhere, $6 and up).

A single leaky faucet can waste 3,000-plus gallons a year, or enough to take more than 180 showers. The EPA recommends Lowe's and Home Depot's online videos for the steps to fix sink and tub faucets. Also, turning off the tap when brushing your teeth can save 8 gallons a day; doing the same while shaving can further slash water usage.

Check out eco-friendly products and simple solutions for a green home.

Water-saving toilets aren't new, but there's room for improvement. Toilets account for close to a third of all indoor water usage. While new toilets typically use 1.28 to 1.6 gallons a flush, older models can use 6 gallons. A WaterSense–labeled toilet can cut your annual water usage by 13,000 gallons.

These two WasterSense toilets—one single-flush, the other dual-flush—rate well in CR's toilet tests.

Replacing old faucets and aerators (which cost just a few dollars) with WaterSense-labeled ones can save the typical household about $10 to $20 and up to 700 gallons of water annually (45 showers’ worth). Do the same for showerheads and you could save more than 2,700 gallons and an extra $70 per year. Check here to see whether you can get a rebate.

Showering accounts for almost 17 percent of a typical home's water usage, amounting to thousands of gallons each year, and heating the water consumes considerable energy, too. To trim your usage and save:

• Capture your cold shower water. You know that first minute or two when the shower water is still too cold to use? Don't let it go down the drain, says reader Peter Decker of North Carolina. Decker and his family save water in a bucket and then use that water for flushing the toilet (just pour it into the toilet bowl), watering plants, washing bugs off the windshield—anything other than drinking it.

• Hit pause. Many showerheads allow you to pause the flow of water while lathering up, so you can save water without having to turn it off and on again. If you shower daily and pause a high-flow showerhead for just 1 minute in a typical shower, you’d save 900-plus gallons of water per year. No pause button on your showerhead? Consider installing a manual shutoff switch (available online) between the shower arm and showerhead.

• Consider a low-flow showerhead. If your home has decent water pressure, a low-flow showerhead can provide a robust shower while typically using about 30 percent less water. Both of the CR-tested models below provide satisfying showers and get top marks for water use.

Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the May/June 2023 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

Janet Siroto

Janet Siroto is a writer and content strategist specializing in lifestyle and wellness topics. She's held senior editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan, and contributes to Real Simple, Next Avenue, and other titles. She is also a trend tracker whose work has been presented at South by Southwest, the Wall Street Journal's The Future of Everything, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and other summits.