The summer is often a quite enjoyable time of year. Unfortunately, the hot temperatures and lack of rain can lead to water shortages and even droughts. The good news is that there are some steps you can follow to avoid wasting water.

Pick a Good Time to Water Your Lawn: When the sun is at its strongest in the middle of the day, water evaporates rather quickly. To avoid this problem, water your lawn either in the morning or early evening hours.

Don’t Spend Too Much Time in the Shower: Who doesn’t like to take a nice, long shower? The problem is that such showers can really run up your water bill. When it comes to shortening your shower, a little bit goes a long way; reducing your average shower length by just two minutes can reduce your annual per-person water consumption by 1,750 gallons.

Avoid Washing Dishes By Hand: Not only are dishwashers more convenient than washing dishes by hand, but they can also serve to help limit your water use. Consider that opting to wash your dishes by hand can use up to 27 gallons of water. In contrast, using a top of the line dishwasher requires a much smaller amount (about three gallons).

Take a Trip to the Car Wash: As with washing dishes, washing your car from the privacy of your own home uses up a lot of water. In fact, you may need up to 100 gallons of water to get the job done by yourself. Getting your car cleaned at a commercial car wash will take only about 40 gallons, making it an efficient choice.