Alas, the drought: You gather dew from the few blades of grass left in the yard, salvage moisture from your dish sponge to wash the car, and wonder if by Christmas you may be so short on water that you’ll have to drink your own urine. (Hey, it’s been done.)
Before resorting to those drastic measures, plunk down $10 or so and buy an aerator. Installed on your faucets and showerheads, low-flow aerators add air to the stream of water to keep the flow even and full. Showers account for nearly a quarter of water usage in the United States, but an aerator can reduce water usage and the cost of heating the water by as much as 50 percent. A typical shower uses 4 to 5 gallons per minute, but an aerator decreases the amount to 2.5 gallons in that time. Find one at your favorite hardware store.