All faucets in modern houses have flow restrictors on them, but they are set at one to two gallons per minute, way too much these days, especially for washing hands. To set faucets in the bathroom (not the kitchen) to about a quarter of that flow, I got under the sink and partially closed the shutoff valves.

This is how you do it: With the faucets wide open on both the hot and cold side, turn the shutoff valves below the sink until the water seems to run about one-fourth less. This should be about one quart a minute. It is still enough to wash hands and face, brush teeth, and so on, and it saves a ton of water!

We invite readers to send us their water-saving strategies to share by emailing WaterSaver@independent.com.

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