Water Log: Day 7 (Sunday 5th August)

The final day is here and my mind is already starting to think past water efficiency.

I know the day will be an easy one as I have a lot of bath water still collected to use for toilet flushing, which leaves me with a very generous daily allowance.

This surplus reflects in a variety of small luxuries, drop sized rewards for my hard work over the week. I use a quarter of a litre to make up a salt mouth-wash I use daily, another half litre to wash raspberries and vegetables, the same again for cooking pasta.

Relaxing and for the first time in ages, not worrying about water and planning use, I struggle to remember how bad I felt on Friday. Even on that bad day I always knew restrictions would end soon, it would have been much tougher otherwise.

Thinking over the week I wonder what lessons I will take with me back into 'water as usual' life. I'm sure I'll slip back into bad habits, but I do plan to try and make small changes.

The tap won't be left running and running and running as I clean my teeth. I will wash fruit and veg in a bowl. I'll be a bit more aware of just how long I'm luxuriating in the shower.

In one area I'm not budging, you've guessed it, the toilet goes back to being flushed as many times as needed. But maybe I will get a bubble bag for the cistern to reduce the amount of water it uses.

Urban, Islington life doesn't lend itself well to big revolutions in water efficiency and I have missed normal socialising desperately. But small changes make a great difference the water companies will tell you, and reflecting on some of my previous water-waster habits I agree with them.

Armed with my usage figures, I am going to do some number crunching to find out just where all that water went this week. Maybe the stats will throw up some interesting trends.

Having generally ignored water issues before; hose pipe bans, bah, that's ridiculous - turn off taps, state nag nag nagging and why don't they sort out the leaky pipes first anyway - I have a new found respect for just how important this simple two-element compound is to our bodies, homes and lives.

I remain a splashingly enthusiastic aqua fan but may just listen a little more to seriously to appeals to use water wisely.

Water used:
1.5 litre - drinking water
0.5 litre - cleaning teeth and retainers
0.5 litre - cooking pasta
0.5 litre - orange squash
0.25 litre - washing strawberries
0.25 litre - washing vegetables
0.25 litre - salt water mouthwash

Total: 3.75 litres