Turn Off The Tap When Brushing Your Teeth
Switch off while you brush. As a default, most of us leave the tap running while we brush our teeth until we’ve finished the final swill. It’s time to break that habit and save up to 5 litres a minute to boot.
If the entire adult population of England and Wales did likewise, this could save a total of 180 mega-litres a day – enough to supply nearly 500,000 houses.
Saving water at home, in the garden or at work takes very little effort, but makes a surprisingly big difference. In general, this involves simply cutting out the amount of water we are wasting through our day-to-day habits – like when we leave the tap running while we brush our teeth.
It’s about consciousness – the more we become aware of our ordinary everyday actions, the more we can choose to modify them to look after this good world. Even when cleaning our teeth.
This is especially poignant when you consider what a precious commodity water is and how highly valued it is by those who do not have a multiplicity of taps in their village, let alone their home. It’s all part of our good care for the planet for which we’re responsible.
Related links
The Environmnt Agency water-saving tips
The Millennium Development Goals on water – DFID
Some great schools resources on water here
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07 Nov 2005
I have taken this action and even changed over to organic tooth paste too!
London, GB , 24 Jan 2006
I’ve always done this – my parents used to have a chart by the back door where they would chart our daily water and electricity use, so we were always very conscious of every drop of water we used: how full we filled the tub, how many times we flushed etc…
25 Jan 2006
I’ve been doing this for a long time. One of those things that is best if you can make it a completely unconscious action.
Nashville, Tennessee, US , 25 Jan 2006
We turn off the water while we soap up our hands when washing them, too. It quickly becomes second nature! And of course, we never let the water run when rinsing dishes. Amazing how little water you can use when you are conscious of it!
27 Jan 2006
I’ve been trying this for a while already. Always good to recommit to something! I also agree with the natural toothpaste comment. I can recommend Aloe-Dent which I started using a couple weeks ago. Personally I would advise against using ‘Kingfisher’ brand. It left my teeth feeling all coated and like they still needed brushing.
31 Jan 2006
I have been trying this although my automatic reaction is to leave the tap running. Giving it a go though.
Bracknell, GB , 05 Mar 2006
Have to be honest and admit that I’ve only started doing this since we moved into a house with a water meter.
17 Mar 2006
This we do. We also recently installed a water saver shower head. We take much shorter showers too.
22 Mar 2006
Same with the majority done it since i was little
26 Mar 2006
I’ve been doing this most days since someone suggested putting the plug in the sink while you brush your teeth to see how much water you use. But I don’t find it that easy: it’s not just laziness, there’s a psychology to teeth-brushing which seems to be tied in with the reassurance of running water, drowning out the sound of the brush on your molars, etc…
Bristol, GB , 28 Mar 2006
Another similar thing that we do is to put a little plastic cup over the hot tap. It reminds us that if we’re not going to wait for the hot water to get to the tap, then don’t bother using the hot water! This saves us from running a bit of hot water through in to the pipes where it will just sit and cool down and get wasted.
06 Apr 2006
Trying really hard to remember this – sad to confess it seems my habit is to leave the tap running. Keep reminding the kids so they, in turn, are reminding me. Handy!
06 Apr 2006
Something I do. Cool. I guess it was UK water ban upbringing that made me do it. Honest Guv’. I even turn the tap on at the sink whilst shaving and when hot turn it off, ready for my shower
15 Apr 2006
We used to do this, but no one is remembering lately. We’ll give it a try again.
GB , 29 Apr 2006
I’ve been doing this for years now, and it’s completely unconscious now (good considering how unawake I am in the mornings!).
Little Green Fee, GB , 22 May 2006
This one’s already a habit for me. I was brought up with my parents telling me to turn the tap off & use a tooth mug for rinsing out my mouth. It bugs me that my man doesn’t do this so I’ve started going in when he’s brushing his teeth and turning off the tap for him!
31 May 2006
I vividly remember my Dad telling my sister and I to do this when we were little in the summer of 1976 and I’e been doing it ever since.
Gloucester, GB , 15 Jun 2006
definately do this – i’m on a meter!
17 Jun 2006
It’s the little things that count. I am being a lot more careful with water and wondering each time I use this precious commodity, do i need it? and how can I save more?
Stroud, GB , 18 Jun 2006
If you are in a house like ours where the water takes a while to ‘run hot’ why not use this water to brush your teeth with rather than using the ‘cold’ tap at all? – It does rely on no-one else having used that basin for about the last half hour (and on you doing your teeth BEFORe washing!)
31 Aug 2006
Ever since they told us to spit and swallow I’ve only used water to clean the toothbrush at the end. I don’t understand why you need water to brush your teeth.
05 Sep 2006
In recent months I have been doing this occasionally, but not yet consistently. It is so obvious and so easy! I am signing up to making a bigger effort to turn this from an occasional act into an established habit. (I heard somewhere that if you do something consistently on a daily basis for four weeks it becomes a habit. Let’s try.)
Luton, GB , 13 Sep 2006
I am surprised to find so many people leave the tap to run – it never occurred to me to do so, I can only surmise that I was taught to turn it off as a child so have never realised there was a different way! Glad I had the parents I did!
Brisbane, AU , 18 Sep 2006
Growing up in Australia had meant that this has been drummed in. I have now convinced my husband to do the same.
Egham, GB , 28 Sep 2006
I can’t belive there are people that don’t do this – why?
Edinburgh, GB , 28 Sep 2006
This is something that I have been doing for a while, but am still needing to take shorter showers!
Penzance, GB , 12 Oct 2006
At school, nearly 30 years ago, our geography teacher told us how much water was wasted in running the tap when we brushed our teeth, and that we should turn the tap off. I’ve done it ever since.
12 Oct 2006
Have also been trying to do this when washing my hands – I turn the tap off while lathering the soap on. It saves a heck of a lot of the wet stuff – just put the plug in and see how much you’d use otherwise.
Marlow, Buckinghamshire, GB , 14 Oct 2006
So important, and I have become a bit neurotic anout it. bought a washing up bowl and collect all scraps of water and use it for the garden, or to rinse stuff…makes me feel good anyway
Marlow, Buckinghamshire, GB , 14 Oct 2006
So important, and I have become a bit neurotic anout it. bought a washing up bowl and collect all scraps of water and use it for the garden, or to rinse stuff…makes me feel good anyway
Bromsgrove, GB , 02 Dec 2006
I thought I would start with a few ‘easy’ actions, this being one of them. But I’m so used to leaving the tap running that it’s actually really hard. I usually remember though and turn the tap off. I’m sure once I break the habit it will be fine!!
Thatcham, GB , 07 Dec 2006
I got told off by my Australian cousin for letting the tap run while brushing my teeth about 15 years ago and have made the effort ever since. I’m training my 3 year old to do the same.
22 Dec 2006
This automatically happened when we changed to a rechargeable toothbrush. If you remove the brush from your mouth whilst the bristles are still spinning, toothpaste goes everywhere, so you daren’t! The tap only goes on at the end to rinse. I know someone will groan at the thought of a rechargeable toothbrush but at least we only have to replace the heads now and not the handle as well. Also we bought one with interchangeable heads so we share the handle..obviously not at the same time though.
10 Feb 2007
Use Neways toothpaste which you don’t need water with it and it is toxin free, environmentally friendly and tastes great. As a family we have saved a huge amount of water just through this product. contact me to find out how to get your hands on it at trade prices. michelle.mcwhinnie@tiscali.co.uk
Newcastle, GB , 12 May 2007
I’ve only just added this but have been doing it for a couple of years at least – one of the first small steps I took when I began to think about more sustainable living.
Bristol, GB , 13 Jul 2007
I first heard of this action in a dramatic presentation in the primary school where I work. It seemed so simple and the very act of turning off the tap as I brush is a twice daily reminder of the need to conserve our natural resources.
London, GB , 11 Nov 2008
1st action attempted here. Mixed results thus far. I have however stuck a post-it to the mirror which seems to have done the trick!
Hawick, GB , 06 May 2009
We put in a small tap (like you get with filter systems) so that you have to press to get water.
It also means that you don’t have to run off the warm water in the mixer tap.
stoke on trent, GB , 22 Aug 2009
hi even my grankids turn off the tap i used star charts and gave them a star every time they did it now its natural to them kids are the future teach them its realy easy and they learn so fast
Croydon , GB , 20 Nov 2009
This website is addictive! I have been turning off the tap in between brushes and intend to carry on.
christchurch.dorset, GB , 08 Dec 2009
have been doing this for years,ever since my children were young after watching sesame street when they showed a clip of a boy brushing his teeth,whilst running the water and a fish in a fish pond was losing its water due to this boy wasting water.will keep doing it.