My Top Water Saving Tool

Another fall has arrived and I’ve been thinking about all the fun things we managed to do this summer. Camping, visiting chalets, beaches and pool time. From that, I realize that most of the time was spend near the water. I’m not sure what it is, I mean I’m not a psychologist. But there is something about water that is so soothing – I have a hard time drawing myself away from it. And whether it was a camping trip near a lake, or just beside our pool – summertime, for me, means fun in the sun, but mostly, next to the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, since I love spending time on a beach, or boating on a lake, what’s really important is to be able to always do that. So conserving water is a BIG deal for me. That’s why I’m always on the look out for the best products for conserving water, while still performing the way we want them to.

As an interior designer, its important to me to ensure that I’m not only recommending products to my clients that are styling and fit for purpose, but ones that are also environmentally friendly. I mean, one day, when I’m the most sought after Interior Designer in the world – I don’t want to leave a huge ecological footprint in my wake of good design. The least I can do, is to do my part to ensure we are conserving water’s natural beauty and also functionality to keep us alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not to mention the cost savings. Where I live, we don’t pay for water – but this isn’t the case in many other nearby neighbourhoods, in Quebec, and in other parts of Canada and the U.S. Saving water = saving money for many people as well.

So what types of products do the trick for me when it comes to environmental friendliness, as well as performance. Well, let start with something we use multiple times per day – the toilet. A huge water guzzler, conventional models can use up to 7 gallons of water PER FLUSH. I just returned from Poland, where I only saw the dual flush toilets – one for liquid, and one for solid waste – if your picking up what I’m putting down (not literally). These can be found in North America as well and, when used properly, can save a ton of water. Just make sure you remember which one to press. This can reduce flushing to as little as about one and a half gallons per flush.

Of course, High Efficiency washing machines are a staple. You can’t find many that aren’t, but if you have been holding on to an old, trusty model, it may be time to trade it in, not for an updated look, but to save water, electricity and money.

But of all the fixtures to save water, one of the easiest, cost-effective, and my preferred way, is to move to more efficient shower heads. Now I know what your thinking…what good is a shower if there is no pressure? Well my friends, you just need to find the right shower head. One that can use less water but still give you the pressure you crave is a nice, hot (or cold) shower.

Especially after a weekend of camping or a day in the sand. It feels amazing to get cleaned up with a nice hot shower. But just with showers alone, our house can use A LOT of water. Add in laundry from 5 people, a dishwasher running daily, toilets and sinks, and we are using a good amount of water in our home.

I was recently introduced to a company called Oxygenics. They use a patented technology in order to save water, but still deliver the shower pressure that people love. I had the opportunity to try out one of these products – that has just launched exclusively in Costco locations across Canada – the Vortex. This shower head is super easy to install – it took my dad (who was in town visiting) like 2 minutes to install. Which means probably 5-10 minutes for the average homeowner. I placed in it my girls’ bathroom as we already had a rain shower head in our shower.

 

 

Let me tell you – my kids went from committed bath-takers, to only wanting showers. They can choose the type of setting they like, and it still delivers the pressure in order to get all the soap out of their hair, without much help from me.

 

So I had to try it out…and I instantly regretted not using the shower head in my shower. The flow was gentle enough to mimic a rain shower if I wanted, but I could also create a more solid flow if I needed it (like after a run). In fact, it has 8 different settings. Perfect for a family with different preferences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to admit – its quite big – so can look a bit awkward at first – but still nice enough to work in any type of shower. However, Oxygenics does have various other models, to suit any type of shower or stream desired.

As I mentioned the Oxygenics Vortex has just launched in Canada, exclusively in Costco stores. So look for it and if your in the market for a shower head upgrade, or would like to save more water at home.

 

In the meantime, to celebrate the Canadian launch of this product, I’ve teamed up with Oxygenics to give away an Oxygenics Vortex to one lucky Canadian reader*. All you have to do is comment below (it can be as simple as “Yes”) and you could receive one of these amazing shower heads.

So make sure you enter and GOOD LUCK!

*Open to Canadian Residents only. Contest closes October 31st at 11:59 pm EST. No purchase necessary.

**Note that this post contains sponsored content.