Yes, water covers about 70% of our planet, but only about 3% of that water is fresh water, and 2% of the fresh water is in the polar ice caps! What should this mean to you? It means you need to start conserving water. You do not have to completely change your lifestyle to conserve water. Just changing a few things can help. For instance, do not water your lawn in the heat of the day; turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth; and use a more efficient, low flow showerhead.

The problem is, while there is a government-backed program to help both businesses and individuals with energy efficiency – Energy Star – there is no such program for water efficiency, yet in the United States. Whereas you can go out and buy a refrigerator and know that it is energy efficient because it has an Energy Star sticker, buying a water efficient showerhead is not so easy.

You need to look for a low flow showerhead, but not all showerheads have any special stickers to tell you just how efficient they are. What you need to do, instead, is to check out the flow rate. Make sure that you get a showerhead with a flow rate of no more than 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm). A showerhead with a flow rate of 1.5 gpm is preferable.

In truth, any showerhead that you buy today in states like California will not have a flow of greater than 2.5 gpm (the Californian Energy Policy Act set the maximum flow at this level). But if you have older showerheads in your house, they very easily could be using 5 to 8 gpm! Also, no such act has been passed in most other states, so such water-wasting showerheads are still available.

Realize that using a more efficient showerhead will not just save water, it will also save energy. Just think: most of us like our showers to be hot, right? Well, heating up all of that water uses a lot of energy. Therefore, you should realize that using an efficient showerhead will not just save water and energy, it will also save you money! You will have lower energy bills when you use a more efficient showerhead.

Perhaps this is not enough of an enticement for you. Perhaps you think that low flow showerheads sacrifice the wonderful and relaxing shower that you crave. This is not necessarily true. Many low flow showerheads actually have excellent pressure and scope. If yours does not, it may not be a matter of the showerhead itself – rather, it could be because of mineral build-up. Also, be aware that showerheads with the same flow rate may have different spray patterns and water pressure – if you do not like one type, you might like another. Do not give up so easily.

The Environmental Protection Agency is coming up with a better rating system for showerheads and other appliance and items that use water. Currently, Australia has set up an excellent plan. Every water-using appliance, etc. in Australia has a water conservation rating that goes from A to AA to AAA. AAA is the best possible rating. With these ratings, it makes it easier for consumers to choose which showerhead (or other item) will save the most water (and energy!).

Because of these water conservation ratings, there are many more available efficient showerheads in Australia, and they are of better quality. And companies are more willing to provide ever-better showerheads – showerheads with air bubbles in every drop so that your shower will not feel “water efficient,” for instance.

Buying and using a low flow showerhead may seem like a small step toward water conservation, but any step helps. There are many more, in-depth reasons to conserve water that this article did not have time to list. For more information, check out the Environmental Protection Agency or other such useful websites.

When people think about remodeling a room, bathroom remodeling is often last on the list. We use our bathrooms all the time, of course, and so this is a little strange that it often gets left out of the make-over plan. One reason for this may be that bathrooms tend to be smaller than other rooms, and so even though they get used and even abused more than other rooms, they often get left behind.

Even though bathrooms are smaller than other rooms, there are still countless things you can do with them. In fact, because there are so many different elements involved in even the smallest of bathrooms, they are often one of the most interesting (and most challenging) rooms you could choose to redecorate. If you have the challenge of a small bathroom, one of the first things you’re probably going to want to do is make it seem larger.

Because we do spend so much time in our bathrooms, the quality of this space can affect how we view the quality of our homes overall. A nice, clean, large bathroom can improve the quality of your life. The problem, of course, is that some of us don’t have nice, large bathrooms to play with. Not to worry. Below are some tips for making any bathroom seem larger.

As was mentioned earlier, even a tiny bathroom has loads of things to play with, redecorate, move around, or simply get rid of. There are bathroom vanities and tubs and showers and lighting and tile and mirrors and sinks and storage spaces and on and on and on. There are also a multitude of accessories that can be found in any bathroom, even accessories that you may not even consider as an accessory, things such as bathrobes hanging on the back of a door, towels hanging on towel racks, and even little washcloths. All of these things are “exposed,” if you will, and so whether you want them to or not, they go into making up the overall design of your bathroom. The good news is that once you start thinking of them in this way, they give you more elements to play with in your design.

Although older homes have lots of character and lots of advantages, one of the biggest curses of an older home is usually, of course, a small bathroom. If you don’t have the time or finances to rip out walls and simply make the place bigger, there’s still hope. Even a little bit of color can help change the perception of a bathroom’s size.

One general rule about color and size perception is to stay away from very bold colors and very dark colors. A very bold or dark color is going to make any room seem smaller that it is.

However, a few splashes of color in a room that is overall light and soft can go a long way in brightening it up. Therefore, in general, a good idea for a small bathroom is to use neutral colors for the walls, and then liven it up with carefully chosen bright accessories – a nice, flashy shower curtain, or a few bold, bright towels. A relatively light-colored floor is also usually a good idea if you’re looking to enlarge the feel of your room.

Another thing to always consider, especially for a small room, and even more so for a bathroom, is lighting. Because bathrooms are built for privacy, this often translates into rooms with few windows and little natural light. There are exceptions, of course, but it usually takes a lot of forethought to get the proper balance between natural light and privacy, and unless you’re living in a modern, extremely well-designed home, you’re probably going to find that your bathroom doesn’t live up to that idea. Fortunately, of course, you can simply add more lighting to your room by putting in extra fixture. Some could increase the lighting in their bathrooms dramatically by making sure they’re using the highest watt bulb possible. That seems like a no-brainer, but many simply don’t think about it.

Another element of your bathroom that can cause smaller spaces to seem even smaller is the size of your fixtures. Of course we want comfort, but if your toilet and your vanity are hulking pieces that dominate the room, then you’re going to feel cramped every time you go in there. Some changes, while they may seem major, are not that big of a deal once you commit to them. One idea is to change out a large, cabinet style vanity for a pedestal sink. A pedestal sink will immediately slim down the whole sink area, and as a result, open up the whole room.

Of course, if you switch to a pedestal sink, you will need to then find extra storage space somewhere else, but there’s a good solution to that too – metal racks. Metal racks make great storage areas, and they have the advantage of feeling open, airy, and light. In addition, because the materials stored on them are open to public viewing, you can use their colors and shapes to add character to the room.

The last tip for making a small bathroom seem smaller is an old one – mirrors. Mirror have been used in this way for as long as they’ve been around, and they will always be used in this way for one simple reason – they work. Use more mirrors in your bathroom. You don’t have to limit yourself the one, simple mirror above the sink. Get creative. Use them as decoration. Use them in places that you won’t even be able to see yourself in. Once you’ve added a few mirrors around the room, every other element will be able to reflect it’s uniqueness over and over again.

Creating a stunning bathroom complete with all the luxuries from whirlpool baths, a double basin vanity to radiator towel warmers, finished off with glam bathroom fixtures and accessories for the ultimate dream bathroom is every homeowner’s desire. When starting to explore your options for creating your prestigious space you should start with a wish list of desired needs. The two points of interest at the top of your list will be budget and space, and then sub-dividing the list into two categories, “what can I live with” and “what needs to be replaced.”

Most often we tend to visualize everything brand new and over look the fact that by simply replacing small fixtures such as a new basin mixer tap can bring new life to an existing pedestal sink. When you look at the big picture, you not only save money especially if you are a do-it-yourself person, but you also save on having to purchase a new sink freeing up funds for other necessities such as a new bathroom mirror or new bathroom accessories.

If you are looking to give your shower a modern contemporary look, durable solid glass constructed doors is not only an affordable way to update the look of your bathroom, but allows you to do away with traditional plastic shower curtains and gives the bathroom a sense of spaciousness. Shower/Bath glass enclosures is also a fashionable way of dressing up your bathroom, they are easy to install and much easier to clean than cloth or plastic curtains. Finding solutions to meet both your needs and spending allowance for your bathroom remodeling projects, doesn’t mean compromising quality. Purchasing one good quality item, such as a whirlpool spa bath may mean looking at the “what you can live with” check list in finding items in your bathroom that can be refinished.

Refinish Bathroom Furniture and Save Money

New bathroom furniture does not necessarily mean the physical purchase of a new bathroom cabinet or wall mounted vanity, try refurbishing the cabinet or vanity instead. With a number of commercial products that can easily strip away old paint and wood finishes makes for an easy-to-do weekend bathroom project, with a little sanding and a fresh new coat of paint, varnish or wood lacquer, you will be surprised with the new look of your bathroom cabinet or bathroom vanity. Also determine who will be using the space, will it be a family bathroom or a tranquil place to relax and unwind. Setting clear goals will aid in deciding the bathroom design you are trying to achieve. If there are water works happening in your bathroom meaning children who splash around during bath time, then you most definitely want to think about using durable materials such as acrylics and ceramics. Baths that are filled with Stone Cast Resin with twinned skinned acrylic are far more durable than cast iron or steel where acrylic is less prone to cracks and scratches and pottery only bathroom suites are less susceptible to damage and stains compared to wood finished bathroom suites.

When it comes to space often rearranging the layout of your bathroom to either create the illusion of space or open the space for more functionality to accommodate the family is a workable solution. Today’s baths are available in a number of sizes and shapes, corner baths are an excellent choice for space conservation since they fit tightly into any corner of the bathroom creating a unique focal point and again are ideal for the price consciences consumer.

Turning a dull bathroom into an enchanting delight comes from inspiring ideas which can easily be seen on the internet or by taking a trip to a bathroom shop. Get advice from the experts and do some price comparison. If you are out and about shopping around for bathroom products remember to bring the necessary items to avoid several trips, paint swatches, tile samples, measurements including a floor plan, existing hardware if you plan to replace bath/shower or basin taps for exactness rather than guessing, and pictures of your existing bathroom, this will help with your selection and give you a visual sense of how the bathroom will look. Finally, while trying to get the maximum utility out of your bathroom, always balance out your needs with your bottom financial line and not to stray from your budget.

Written by Shelley Murphy on behalf of www.victoriaplumb.com an online retailer of bathroom furniture, steam showers, shower enclosures, whirlpool spa baths and bath related products serving the United Kingdom.