Whether it's your driveway, your patio, deck or sidewalk, give it a sweep before turning on the hose. You'll save a lot of water, especially during those drought prone summer months.
A free-flowing garden hose can flow at over twelve gallons a minute! Cut down on the amount of water used by getting a water spraying nozzle. This will give you more control of the flow and use the H2O more efficiently. Seal up any leaky connections, and hose down surfaces less often and for less time.
And before you think about spraying at all – sweep first. This may eliminate the need for hosing all together, and will cut down the amount of water needed. Any old broom will do, but if you want to opt for an eco-friendly broom check out Sweep Dreams, available at 3R Living.
Amy says: I live in NYC and it is a daily ritual for shopkeepers and maintenance guys to hose down the sidewalk in front of their building instead of just giving it a little sweep. The act is so prominent in the city it even made a Seinfeld episode:
ELAINE: Officer. Officer, is there some reason this man has to always be using a hose? I mean, he's flooding the sidewalk. It's a waste of water. Couldn't he just use a broom?
Can't we all just use a broom?
Thanks to GO's Philip Proefrock for the tip!