Why do i have to turn off my water tap, when i brush my teeth?

Question

Doesn't the water just go down the pipe and into the ocean, lake or what ever. I understand you should use little water as possible when watering your lawn and washing your car, but why do you have to turn of your tap when you are brushing your teeth, how is leaving the tap on while brushing wasting water, could some one please explain it to me.

Answer 1

well, it's hard to explain, but forget the water.  just think about all the ENERGY it takes to re-clean that water that didn't really need it. that's how i think of it.

Answer 2

Potable or drinking water is much more valuable than water used for irrigation and watering your lawn. Letting it go down the drain while you brush your teeth is wasteful but so is letting the water run down the shower drain while you're lathering up. There are devices you can install to slow or stop the water flow temporarily without turning off the taps but in this case just turn off the water, then turn it back on to rinse your mouth and brush. The fact that the water eventually goes into a lake or other water source only means that it's then available to process back into drinking water, but it would need to be processed before it's safe for you to drink or brush your teeth with.

Answer 3

Tap water is not a natural resource...drinking water <tap water> has been processed, it's gone through the water filtration systems at the water plant, energy is used to make this water drinkable.  It comes to your home and you just leave the taps on and waste all that water as you brush your teeth etc.  Then that perfectly good water eventually ends up back at the plant to get processed all over again using more energy.  Can you see how that is wasteful?

Answer 4

Tap water is safe to drink and ocean water isn't safe to drink in Big ammounts. Drinking water is limited and by not turning the faucet off when brushing your teeth will waste perfectly good water.

Answer 5

If nothing else.You should save water so u don't pay more $ when the bill comes.

Answer 6

because the availability of drinking water can be scarce.  you don't want to waste it.

Answer 7

You don't have to do anything. Leave the water on if you want- noone should be able to stop you.

Answer 8

I wash my car on the lawn; kill two jobs at once.   If you aren't using the water for brushing your teeth, how would it not be wasting water?   That water has to be pumped, filtered, treated with chemicals, pumped to your house, pumped back to a sewer plant, filtered, treated and pumped to wherever the final water goes.   Why do all that when you could have just shut off the water for a few minutes?