Water saving tricks

Well, there are plenty of tricks available; here a few that I found interesting (& use them myself):

- Take 1 or 2 plastic bottles (that are to be thrown as garbage), put cap on them tightly & throw them in flush. That way the amount of water to be used with each flush would reduce significantly. Experiment with no. of bottles suitable for your flush

- Use bucket for bathing instead of shower

- If you must use shower, then use the 3-minute rule: i.e. the shower should be in use for maximum 3 minutes. Water should not be wasted while you're applying soap / shampoo etc. If you feel that 3 minutes is too small duration for you then figure out the minimum time suitable for yourself (but keep in mind, lower the time used, lesser would be the water wasted)

- If you intend to use bathtub, then fill water only upto 1/3rd level

- Keep the taps closed while shaving / brushing your teeth. Open them only when you actually need water

- Don’t throw away the water after washing vegetables & clothes; use it in the garden

- Use washing machine / dishwasher only when they're loaded to full capacity. This would help with your electricity bill also

- Similarly, if you're changing water from your aquarium, use the old water for your plants

- Use bucket for cleaning your vehicle (i.e. don't wash your car/bike using hosepipe). Use body covers for car so that you won't need to wash the car daily

- Go for rain water harvesting or water recharging in your home (very very efficient way of sav
ing water). I know this because I live in a place where water is scarce; and after I got this system installed at my home 3 years back, I haven't faced any water shortage

- Teach kids about the importance of saving water. Kids could be very effective sources of wasting as well as saving water :)

Self Care - Constipation

This has been long pending. Many people have asked me if I've any tips related to constipation. So, here is a small list; compiled from various sources (including grandma's tips).

First, some of the common causes of constipation:
- Irregular eating habits
- Lack of physical exerices
- Inadequate water intake
- Lack of roughage in meals
- Regualr intake of spicy food, junk food
- Mental tension

Now, some techniques to help in constipation:

- Increase your water intake

- Increase roughage in your meals

- Have at least 2 glasses of lukewarm water in the morning; then walk for few minutes

- Soak a teaspoon cumin seeds in water for 10-12 hours; boil the water, strain it & drink (when it becomes lukewarm) in the night before going to bed

- Drinking hot milk with honey in night also helps

- Isabgol husk can also be taken with warm milk / water before bedtime

- Grapes also help in constipation. Alternatively, soak few kishmish (golden raisins) for few hours; later chew them and drink the water in which those were soaked

- Have Amla (Goose Berry) during its season to get rid of constipation