Photo: Thinkstock

You keep your shower time reasonable. You only run the dishwasher when it’s jam-packed full. You even turn the faucet off while you brush your teeth. Brava, water-saver! But did you know that minor leaks in the average home waste more than 10,000 gallons of water every year? That’s enough H2O to wash laundry for 10 months!

Determining if your toilet has a leak is quick and painless. “Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank,” says Stephanie Thorton, a representative with the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program. “Check back after 15 minutes and if the color has seeped in, you have a leak.” (Make sure to flush afterward, to avoid staining the toilet bowl.)

Fixing a leak is almost as easy as spotting it: The usual culprit is the toilet’s rubber flapper, which can decay over time. A replacement part costs a couple of bucks at any hardware store, and takes only a few minutes to install. Your reward for putting the brakes on that one small, sneaky leak? Up to 1,000 gallons of water saved every month—and the back-pat that comes with doing your part for the planet.