Do You Have a Clue How Much Water You Really Use?

What common household fixture sucks up the most water – the shower, the toilet, or the washing machine?

If you're having trouble with this question, don't worry, you're in good company. Most Americans are ignorant of the true water needs of their household activities. At least that's the conclusion of Indiana University researcher Shahzeen Attari, who recently asked more than a thousand people to estimate how many gallons of water it takes to sprinkle the lawn, flush the toilet, fill the bathtub, and other common at-home water uses. Throughout the experiment, Americans showed a tendency to undervalue water consumption, on average guessing low by a full factor of two.