Brushing our teeth is something we all should do at least twice a day, but many of us will have missed a crucial message on several toothpaste tubes.
In our morning routine many of us reach for the tube without a second glance and brush our teeth as we prepare to face the day.
Many of us are guilty of keeping the water running while we brush away, but this is actually something to be avoided.
And it's something that toothpaste manufacturers warn us against on their packaging.
Several tubes display the message on the back of the packet which says: "Save water, turn the tap off while brushing"
Saving water helps conserve energy and reduce carbon pollution.
Colgate’s worldwide director of sustainability Vance Merolla said: “If you’re lucky enough to have water come into your home, someone has spent a significant amount of energy to clean that water, [it takes] energy to pump that water, and you may heat that water — and then when it goes down the drain, yet again, it usually gets treated and then waste water system uses more energy.
“All that embedded energy in the water is really what the carbon connection is.”
And turning the tap off while brushing is not only good for the environment, it benefits our pockets as well.
If you turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, you could save around 12 litres of water every time.
If each adult in England and Wales turned off the tap when brushing their teeth, we’d save enough water for nearly 500,000 homes or to fill 180 Olympic swimming pools every day.
