To save water here are a few useful tips.

Outdoors

A household with a garden can use up to 50% more water when it's hot outside, but there are many things you can do to keep your garden blooming and save water:

• Water the roots of plants rather than the leaves
• Chop the bottom off a plastic water bottle and insert it into the soil so that the narrow end is directed straight to the roots. Pour water into the upturned bottle and down it goes to where it's needed
• Water plants in the evening once the sun has gone down. Less water will evaporate before it's had a chance to soak down to the roots
• When the soil is moist, apply a layer of mulch or organic matter (such as fermented grass cuttings or compost) to the surface
• Don't use a sprinkler, it can use up to 540 litres an hour. If you have to use a hose, use a seep hose, available from your water company. Fit a trigger-gun head to your hose so that you can turn the water off when you're not using it
• Don't cut the grass too short - longer grass keeps moisture in the soil and stays green for longer. Over-watering the lawn only encourages moss and even a brown lawn will turn green again when it rains
• Use water butts to collect rainwater from the downpipes connected to your house guttering. Rainwater can be better for your plants than mains water and it's free

Indoors

• Turn the tap off when cleaning your teeth
• Use a bowl of water to wash fruit and vegetables
• Use a bowl when washing up
• Turn taps off completely and fix any dripping taps
• Only use washing machines and dishwashers when they're full, or use the economy or half-load setting
• When buying a new appliances check the efficiency label - the water consumption should be under 55 litres per cycle
• Think about how much water your shower and bath uses - a five minute shower uses about 25 litres, a bath uses about 80 litres and a power shower 120 litres of water
• Fit a water hippo, save-a-flush or eco-flush in your toilet. Toilets account for a huge 35% of domestic water use with older toilets using 9.5 litres each flush and toilets installed since 1993 using 7.5 litres.
• Find out who your water supplier is at http://www.water.org.uk/ and see if they have any freebies for householders to reduce water use – some water authorities give away water hippos for free

• WaterAid Campaign - Dine, drink and donate. You can still mark World Water Day by supporting Tap into WaterAid. Tap into WaterAid is an inspired way for restaurants, cafés, bars and their customers to help bring water to the 1.1 billion people worldwide who have no access to safe drinking water. It works simply by restaurants, cafés and bars suggesting customers make a small donation to WaterAid when they request a glass or jug of tap water. http://www.wateraid.org/uk/default.asp

As well as using water efficiently it is important to protect the quality of our water. Personal waste items such as tampons, sanitary towels, nappies, cotton buds, condoms and cigarettes can cause blockages in pipes when flushed down the toilet. This waste reaches the sewage treatment plant and any blockages that occur mean that the sewage will eventually end up in rivers and the sea. Put these items in the bin instead of down the toilet.

Bleach and chemical agents used in cleaning products may leave your home looking clean but they really make a mess of the water supply when they find their way into rivers. Detergents contain phosphates which, when released into our lakes and rivers, damage the eco-system and can kill fish and other organisms. Buy eco-friendly detergents, have a look at the range available at http://www.greenguideonline.com/ or think about making your own such as using distilled white vinegar for descaling limescale in kettles and cleaning toilets by using a dissolved quarter of a cup of baking soda and 50ml of vinegar in boiling water.