Toilets
Many of us flush around 40,000 to 50,000 litres of drinking water down our toilets each year. That’s more than enough to fill a large backyard pool.
Using drinking water in our toilets is, as it were, a waste. If we can't set up a greywater or tank water system to flush the toilet, then it's a good idea to reduce the amount of water we use each time we flush.
And while we're on the subject of the smallest room, the chemicals we flush down the toilet to try to keep it clean can be harsh on the environment. There are simpler, cheaper and equally reliable cleaning options you can make, using ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard.
Toilets and the environment
The toilet is one of the biggest single users of water in the house. We can save about 35,000 litres each year by installing a dual-flush toilet. The 'half flush' option on a dual-flush toilet uses only three litres of water about one-quarter that of a single-flush toilet.
Even if you have a single-flush toilet, you can still save water by putting a plastic bottle full of water or a brick in the cistern to displace some of the toilet's water. Alternatively, fit a water-saving toilet cistern converter, which will save you up to nine litres of water per short flush. These are available from most hardware stores.
A leaking toilet cistern can waste more than 60,000 litres a year, for the sake of a $2 rubber seal that most people can fit with the most basic tools. Many hardware stores run classes to show you how.
If you install a greywater recovery system, you can have the greywater plumbed to be safely re-used in the toilet cistern. Alternatively, direct water from your rainwater tank to the cistern.
Using toilet paper that has been manufactured from recycled office waste paper both supports and fosters recycling industries, and works just as well as toilet paper made from virgin wood pulp.
How to make a simple toilet cleaner
A natural toilet cleaner is better for the environment, and is cheap and easy to make.
DIY toilet cleaner: 1/2 cup bicarbonate of soda, plus 1 cup white vinegar.
Mix bicarbonate of soda and vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray the solution around the toilet bowl and leave for a few minutes then flush. Use this product safely anywhere in the bathroom for general cleaning.
