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Taking Care in Your Home
When you read product labels, look for signal words. Signal
words are found on labels of new products and let you know how
toxic a product is. Older products in your home may not list
signal words. Drugs and personal care products are not required
to list them, although many are hazardous.
|
Signal Word |
Meaning |
|
Poison |
highly toxic |
|
Danger |
extremely flammable, corrosive, or highly toxic
|
|
Warning |
moderate hazard |
|
Caution |
mid/moderate hazard |
|
No signal word |
not hazardous |
In the Bathroom
-
Install a
low-flow shower head with a maximum flow rate of 2.5 gallons
per minute or less. You'll cut your bathroom water use by 30
to 50 percent, and you'll conserve the energy required to
heat the "extra" water.
-
Turn off
water when you're not using it. Don't let it run while you
shave or brush your teeth.
-
If you have
a dripping faucet, you may be wasting hundreds of gallons of
water a week. Replace worn out washers to stop faucet leaks.
-
If your
toilet "runs" between flushes, you are wasting a lot of
water. In fact, you usually can't hear a leaky toilet valve
until you're losing more than 250 gallons per day. To test
your toilet, place food coloring or dye tablets in the
toilet tank, and then check the bowl for traces of color
after 15 minutes. Buy an inexpensive repair kit to repair
any leaks or call a professional plumber.
-
When you
replace a toilet, install a low-consumption model or a water
saver. Standard toilets use 5 to 7 gallons per flush;
"water-savers" use 3 to 4 gallons per flush; and new
low-consumption models use 1.6 gallons, or less per flush.
Until you replace your toilet, put a plastic bottle filled
with water in the tank to cut down on water needed for a
flush. (Don't use bricks. They can disintegrate and cause
plumbing problems.)
In the Kitchen and Laundry Room
-
Add low-flow
aerators to threaded faucets in sinks. These inexpensive
devices reduce flow rates while maintaining enough force for
washing and other uses.
-
To conserve
water and energy, wait until you have a full load before
running your dishwasher or washing machine. Use the
water-saving cycle whenever you can.
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