I learned a while ago the valuable lessons of which appliances sucked up the most energy when we had a 4-day black out, and had only a tiny generator to run a few necessities. First off: things that blow, suck or heat use up the most energy, by far, over things like lights and TVs. Besides energy conservation, we can all do a bit more to conserve water at home, too!

Below are a few super-easy tips for conservation in the home that I’ve picked up over the years. Please feel free to share your own!

1. When I’m ready to wash my face or hands, like most people I let the water run to get warm water flowing. I have an old house and small water heater so it takes a while. A great water conservation tip is that I keep a bowl or pitcher next to all my sinks. When running the water, I capture the cold water and use it to fill my water filter, water my pets & plants, or just save it in case I need it later in the day. I’m sure this can add up to conserving dozens of gallons per week.

photo by TeeeJayy via Flickr

2. My blow dryer sucks…tons of energy, that is. Using a little micro-fiber super-absorbent towel to do a quick towel-dry cuts down dramatically on the use of the blow dryer, and works way better than using a bath towel on your hair. In fact, its been over a year since I’ve used a blow dryer at all, and I have very long hair! You can find great micro-fiber towels in the auto section of your local department store, and MOMs carries a good one too, in the household section.

3. Talk about blowing, the clothes dryer also sucks up tons of energy. Over the past year, I’ve experimented with a lot of ways to reduce use of the darn dryer. Obviously a clothesline or an indoor drying rack is a good start, but some fabrics just don’t hang right after drying on the line. For clothing that looks a little ratty after drying on the line (or rack), I’ve found an easy fix: Dilute (50/50) tap water and a nice flower water in a spray bottle, hang your clean, dry clothing on hangers, and spray them evenly. Give them a little shake and let them re-dry. They’ll come out looking 100% better, no ironing needed. [And you can avoid synthetic, formaldehyde-boosting fragrances by using a basic diluted flower water, and it won’t damage your clothes. Watch out for silks and fancy fabrics, though, of course.]

Now if I could only come up with a way to put the vacuum in “time out”! That thing also sucks! Please share your little tips and ideas, too, in the Comments.

Alyssa works in multiple MOMs locations.