If your water bill has suddenly spiked and you can't figure out why, the culprit might be hiding in plain sight.
In an Instagram post, realtor Caroline Rue (@carolineruerealtor) explains that your toilet could be leaking water around the clock — without making a sound.
Luckily, there's a simple test you can do in minutes to find out and avoid wasting hundreds of gallons each month.
The scoop
The trick requires only a small amount of blue food dye and a little patience.
Caroline says you can check if your toilet is leaking by lifting the lid on the toilet tank and adding a few drops of dye to the water. Then, wait 30 minutes without flushing.
If you come back and notice that the dye has appeared in the toilet bowl, it means the flapper — the small rubber piece that seals the tank — is leaking. If that's the case, you can usually fix it by replacing the flapper yourself or having a plumber handle it.
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How it's helping
The biggest benefit of this hack is how much money it can save. A leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day, potentially adding dozens of dollars to your monthly bill. That's money literally going down the drain.
On top of the nearly 1.5 gallons of water that are flushed away every time you flush your toilet, a hidden leak means you're wasting even more precious water without realizing it.
Catching the problem early means you'll waste less water, which conserves vital resources and decreases the pollution that comes from treating and delivering the excess water from a leak.
Simple changes like this one, along with weatherizing your home and switching to efficient appliances, can help you reduce your home's environmental impact.
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Every six months ⏰ What everyone's saying
Commenters were impressed by how easy — and eye-opening — this trick is.
"Brilliant tip!" one user said.
"Had to do this a couple of weeks ago and it was indeed leaking," another said, attesting to the effectiveness of Caroline's guidance.
With a few drops of dye and a half-hour wait, you'll know exactly where your water is going. Consider it your secret weapon against sneaky leaks.
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