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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Just got our first daily water use info for our water meter

252 replies

Motnight · 21/02/2022 14:14

It's 1180 litres. I am gobsmacked.

3 bedroomed house. 2 of us living here permanently, occasional visits from a 3rd person! Both working mostly at home. Around 10 loads of washing a week, dishwasher used once a day. 2 showers and 1 bath a day (bath is deep). Bath is taken by husband who has a life long illness which leaves him in lots of physical pain, which is helped by a bath.

Is this normal? The useful info provided says that a typical 2 person household should use around 270 metres a day. Do we have a leak or are we just using appalling amounts of water? If the latter, any tips on reducing this? Thankyou.

OP posts:
Otherpeoplesteens · 22/02/2022 10:24

We are a family of four - two adults and two preschool DC (one in nappies, so no flushing yet). We are all at home all day, and ever since DC2 was born in 2020 we have consistently averaged just over 310l a day. The two adults shower every day and we bath the kids together two or three times a week.

Your usage does, on first glance, appear profligate although it can't possibly account for anywhere near three times what we use. I agree that you must have a leak somewhere, or are being metered for everyone else's.

Four loads a week on bedlinen and two on towels? We do one for each. Our washing machine uses anywhere between 29l (40 degree eco wash) and 80l (20 degree cotton wash) so it does make a big difference which programmes you use. Unfortunately it's often a trade-off between water and energy use, and I know which is costing us more right now.

Dishwasher on every day? We can usually make it last two. When it was just two adults, pre-kids, we'd easily get three days and often stretch into the fourth. Our dishwasher uses 9l on the eco cycle. Do you wash stuff up in the sink as well? That's another 10l or so there.

What kind of toilet cistern(s) do you have? I read decades ago that about 70% of all domestic water supply is purified to drinking standard then flushed down the bog, and I could believe it with some of the monster mid-20th century or earlier cisterns at 10l or more each per flush. Our dual-flush cisterns use either 3l or 4.5l.

How long are the showers? We're in and out in well under five minutes, but I once lived with someone who thought nothing of spending half an hour in there.

I'm guessing that at the moment you're not watering the garden or filling 500l paddling pools up regularly - the other two massive and increasing demands on water.

Rewis · 22/02/2022 11:03

It's always fun to read mumsnet. I'm always really surprised to find what a disgusting u hygienic human I am. Don't shower everyday, don't change and wash linen every week, don't change and was all the towels every week.

RedToothBrush · 22/02/2022 11:10

Our bed linen takes up 4 loads and our towels 2.

Wtf!

How often are you changing your sheets and towels?!

Easterbunnyiswindowshopping · 22/02/2022 11:14

7 of us. 3 loads a day.
More at week ends..

OinkyO · 22/02/2022 11:16

Glad the6 have identified the leak but Our bed linen takes up 4 loads and our towels 2 how much bed linen do you have?!!

Rosehugger · 22/02/2022 11:43

We have four beds - two x king size with superking duvet covers, one x double with kingsize duvet, one single with double duvet, so the bed linen is easily four loads. Our bed I tend to split into two loads as well. Not every week though.

This why I change it pretty infrequently

RedToothBrush · 22/02/2022 12:05

@Rosehugger

We have four beds - two x king size with superking duvet covers, one x double with kingsize duvet, one single with double duvet, so the bed linen is easily four loads. Our bed I tend to split into two loads as well. Not every week though.

This why I change it pretty infrequently

OP has two people living in the house.
melj1213 · 22/02/2022 12:18

I have read all the messages about using the washing machine and dishwasher so much. I am in awe of people who only use their washing machine a few times a week. Our bed linen takes up 4 loads and our towels 2.

Towels I can just about understand yanking up two loads but how does one beds worth of bedlinen take up four washing machine loads unless you're washing your sheets multiple times a week?!

My parents have a king-size bed with a super king duvet and they still only need 2 loads (duvet cover in one, sheets and pillow cases in the other) and that's only every other week - sheets and pillow cases are changed weekly, duvet cover is changed every other week - so how are you getting 4 loads a week?

deadlanguage · 22/02/2022 12:20

How on earth can you get 4 bedding loads and 2 towel loads a week for two people? 2 bath towels, a bath mat and a hand towel doesn’t even fill my machine once.

Chestofdraws · 22/02/2022 12:34

Must be over blankets or something also being washed weekly. Can’t understand it either.

melj1213 · 22/02/2022 12:40

If the OP is washing things like blankets every week then that is just wasteful - blankets will need washing periodically but not every week

OinkyO · 22/02/2022 12:43

Do you have a power hose for your horse?

Blondeshavemorefun · 22/02/2022 14:58

Ours said 470 a day

Tho was over summer when had hot tub out

Sure don’t use that now

tealandteal · 22/02/2022 15:25

Maybe you have a small washing machine? I could put one full bed set in the washing machine but I usually split it up and mix with other things. This is due to drying space though rather than washing space as we don’t have a tumble dryer.

Gwenhwyfar · 22/02/2022 16:21

@SleepingStandingUp

I don’t get all the people who only run their dishwasher every other day. I run mine daily and it’s always full, two people. it's not so much the fullness, but I wouldn't want dirty stuff sitting in there for several days drying on, if I need to rinse it all that thoroughly it can sit for three days I might as well wash it by hand and I don't have enough plates etc to not wash them daily
You have to get over this thought of them sitting for a few days. Yes, it makes them slightly harder to wash, but that's life. You only put the machine on when it's full. I have a small machine so only two 'shelves'. I put it on when it's full whether that's 3 times a week (wfh) or only 1. I have enough plates, but if I do need something specific I just get that thing out of the machine and wash it.
Gwenhwyfar · 22/02/2022 16:27

@Curlygirl06

There's 2 of us here and I do bloody loads of washing! One hot white wash- sheets, my towels, white underwear. One hot dark wash- towels, dark underwear. One white and light colours, including my work shirts. Two dark washes at least for mine and dh's uniforms. Usually another dark wash for jeans, t shirts, jumpers etc ( and yes I do wear jumpers and jeans more than once). Add in anything like duvets, occasional coat washing etc and I can see where it all adds up.
And these are full loads every week? I've never seen the need to separate darks and colours and never had an accident. It's only whites and the delicates that need to be separated and I wouldn't have a load of them every week.
Bromse · 22/02/2022 16:27

I don't put my dishwasher on every day because I live alone. I wait until I have a few bits in the sink and then load. Having said that, I am a messy person Blush.

gogohm · 22/02/2022 16:35

@Motnight

That's good news that they are sending someone. I would consider more compact bed linen though, mine gets in one load (9kg washer) with enough room for work shirts

Curlygirl06 · 22/02/2022 17:14

@Gwenhwyfar yes, full loads always! If I've not got enough for a full load of one lot of particular stuff, the washing machine gets a day off. To be fair I do wear 2 jumpers every day, which I don't change every day, t shirts are always changed every day, as are pants and socks, darks and coloureds are mixed, I also wash my grandson's school shirts in my white wash as his parents don't have enough for a white wash weekly so it goes in with mine. Dh has a clean work shirt every day (dark) I have a clean shirt every day I work (light/ white wash) so it soon adds up.

chesirecat99 · 22/02/2022 17:15

@deadlanguage

How on earth can you get 4 bedding loads and 2 towel loads a week for two people? 2 bath towels, a bath mat and a hand towel doesn’t even fill my machine once.
My washing machine has a max load of 6kg for a cotton cycle but only 3kg for a quick wash/synthetic wash/drying, 1kg for wool and delicates.

My bath sheets alone weigh 1.5kg each so that would be a maximum of 2 towels on the quick wash programme.

Maybe OP has a useless washing machine too.

chicagononsense · 22/02/2022 17:34

Our superking bed needs two loads to wash it. The first is a fitted sheet, flat sheet and 5 pillow cases. The second is the duvet cover. It won’t all fit in my 8kg machine in one wash.

1ofeach2 · 22/02/2022 19:46

Have you got a stopcock? Does the usage go down if that’s turned off? Sometimes properties share one so if it’s connected to a neighbour it may turn their water off.

SleepingStandingUp · 24/02/2022 08:20

You have to get over this thought of them sitting for a few days. Yes, it makes them slightly harder to wash, but that's life. You only put the machine on when it's full.
Its OK @Gwenhwyfar I 1) have enough kids to make enough washing up to fill it at least daily 2) no dish washer

ukborn · 24/02/2022 09:55

I have a narrow (45cm rather than 60cm) dishwasher and for two of us it goes on once every other day. Are you running it half empty?
If your husband has a daily bath does he need a shower too? I skip one shower a week (like a weekend day when not going out). My daughter only showers every other day.
Reduce your laundry by half - I just can't see how you are washing that much. I had for kids at home and we did about 5 a week. Wear things more than once.
The great thing about meters is exactly this - you are realising how much over the average you are using and want to take active steps to reduce it.

Gwenhwyfar · 25/02/2022 19:02

[quote Curlygirl06]@Gwenhwyfar yes, full loads always! If I've not got enough for a full load of one lot of particular stuff, the washing machine gets a day off. To be fair I do wear 2 jumpers every day, which I don't change every day, t shirts are always changed every day, as are pants and socks, darks and coloureds are mixed, I also wash my grandson's school shirts in my white wash as his parents don't have enough for a white wash weekly so it goes in with mine. Dh has a clean work shirt every day (dark) I have a clean shirt every day I work (light/ white wash) so it soon adds up.[/quote]
If you wear a strong deodorant you may not need to change your t-shirt every day in the winter.