I’ve researched past threads to find polite wording for asking guests to respect our water challenges in our county. Our droughts make the headlines. Even in times of no drought, my bills are $250 or more a month when I have guests. I found one hots’s way of wording this. Does anyone have others? And do you post the request in the bathroom or in the HR? Ty : )
If they are in the HR, you can “enforce” them, but it’s pretty unlikely the guests will ever read them.
I’ve printed out small (no larger than 4 by 6 inches) signs in an attractive font, then put them in clear acrylic stands around the house. Used a little Blu-tack to hold them in place. I only have a few on things that are really important - or unfamiliar to the guest.
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Great. Thank you! Could you help me out with wording?
Things in writing are going to get ignored or at the very least will be minimised in the guests’ brains.
I always mention any matters of importance during the house tour. If I was remote hosting, then I’d make sure that the co-host mentioned it.
They often lead to interesting conversations anyway when you can find out more about the guests.
“XYZ county frequently experiences droughts, as you may have seen in the news. Kindly help us conserve precious natural resources by doing A, B, C and D.”
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People often remember pictures. Is there a shocking photo from the news that shows the worst effects of the droughts? You could put it above your polite request to minimize water usage.
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The only one I could find was from 2016, so guests would dismiss it : )
Now that you’ve said you have an roughing it type place where people bathe in the lake or heat their water over the stove (although I’m wondering now if I’m being pranked about that) the title of my listing would make it clear. “The 2 gallon retreat,” then in the description tell guests they get one gallon for cooking and drinking and one gallon for bathing. I’ve seen places that literally provide no amenities and people pay to stay there. You just have to make it clear up front what is on offer.
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How would the guests know that a picture was from 2016 and how would they know it might not be still relevant?
True, MHG : ) All I could find were articles with the pics being our white-haired town counsellors. There was one vague photo of cracked mud. Our town water system actually supplies 6,600 people, so we have quite a crisis in summers with all the tourists. I’m assuming the high-end ABB’s don’t want to inconvenience their city guests and don’t mention conservation measures…sadly the rest of us residents/farmers take the hit for city-standards water use.
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I put it in my rules. And it works.
Excellent. I’m asking that folks share their wording. ARe you okay with that?
“Utilities in Hamilton are costly. We are proud that our guests take a conservative approach to them. Please turn off everything before you leave, and limit your showers to a total of fifteen minutes a day. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
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@mypictonhouse I meant to post this yesterday. I have this device for personal use instead of a low flow showerhead. I also have this in the Airbnb room but no idea if any guests use it. Once it got pushed to the off position while I was cleaning and then the guest had to message me for help because the shower wouldn’t turn on.
I like it because I can have a full force shower when I want one but can also reduce pressure when I don’t need it, or for dog baths, other uses or shut off completely. I have it together with a hand held hose.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JQDKTUS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QDEA15Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cool! It’s on my list. Ty : )
I would not put it in the house rules, I would invest in technical measures to reduce water use.
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you can adjust the amount the toilet uses to flush by adjusting the height of the floater.
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use flow restrictors on all taps. They add air to the water so the feeling stays the same. We cal them “perlator” I do not know the English word.
https://images.app.goo.gl/GxufeZHXZLeSdodr9
- use low flow shower heads. They also add air and reduce water flow.
Do you have any other water users? I installed a drip watering system for my plants. (250 plants in 80 boxes on all balkonies).
This reduced my water use for plants from about 150 liters per day doing it by hand to 10 liter per day with the automated system.
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This can lead to toilet clogs and double or triple flushing.
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Or put a housebrick in the cistern 
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An actual brick is a bad idea because they can break down and leave debris in the tank. Put something like a plastic bottle filled with water
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There they are … always finding a problem for every solution.
No, adjusting the floater just a bit does not clog pipes or induce triple flushing.
Most floaters are set way to high. Just no one pays attention to them. By adjusting you can easily save 10% per flush without any problems.
If 10% reduction clogs the pipes, you have a completely different problem and shouldn’t be doing STR at all.