How can I reduce the amount of time I spend in the lovely, hot shower?
The next Reduce This question from Alice:
I need help to get out of the shower quicker – I take long hot showers that actually use more water than a bath would, just because it’s so nice in there. Costs a fortune in gas bills!
Mmm, hot showers…
I could suggest getting a timer (or if you’ve already got some sort of music set-up in the bathroom, a playlist/CD of songs/ all about the right length) so you know when you’ve been in there a set amount of time – but obviously you’ll still need will power to get out ;)
Thanks to our then-broken boiler, our shower used to go icy cold after a couple of minutes – even though we knew it would get warm again eventually (usually after another minute or so), it was enough to get us out – no will power required. Is there something you can attach to boilers/showers that can mimic that?
Any other suggestions?
There is nothing like seeing how much of something you’re using to make you change your ways – if you’ve got a shower over the bath, leave the plug in one day and see how much water is being used. That along might scare you out of the shower quicker!
Just in case you haven’t tried this I’ll repeat the often repeated phrase. Wet down, turn water off, soap up, turn water on, rinse. This method will use the least amount of water and believe it or not you will be just as clean.
One thing I do that helps offset the water I do use is I stick a bucket in the shower while the water’s warming up. Then I use the water to refill the toilet tank next time I flush. (I tried keeping the bucket in while I showered, but kept tripping over it!)
Schedule something you love to do immediately after the shower. That way you will be excited about and and will hardly be able to wait to finish the shower !
Well, this may sound kind of dumb, but depending on the way your control is set up you might be able to just turn down the amount of water flow without changing how hot the water is. Often you can turn it down quite a bit without it feeling too weak.
If you can’t reduce the time you spend maybe you can at least reduce the water you do, right? Plus, I’ve noticed that since there’s less flow my plumbing has an easier time maintaining the same temperature since it’s not trying to use up hot water as fast.
1. See if you could install a showerhead aerator, like those ‘spa’ or ‘massage’ showerheads, so you could have just as satisfying a shower on less water.
2. Use an egg timer or mobile phone alarm to remind you when 5 minutes are up.
3. Always, always turn the tap OFF when you are soaping or shampooing.
4. Remind yourself that prolonged exposure to hot water could damage your hair and dehydrate your skin.
5. If it is heat that you want, reward yourself with a heat pack against your neck and shoulders after your shower.
This is Weird, but here goes… I live in a DINKY apt. known as an “efficiency unit”which is code for; “How to build an Apt. building on the CHEAP and keep your tennants constantly honing their MacGuyver-
like ingenuity skills.” Just like you, I love the hydrothermal bliss of a hot shower, but I have a 15 gallon hot water heater! My solution; I put a clean 5 gallon paint bucket upside down in the shower (fold a towel for a “cushion”) to make a seat. Next, I semi- sealed the shower with an extra shower curtain to keep in the steam, then I set my electric teapot on the floor; OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE the tub. I made a long tube out of aluminum foil (looks like a vaccume cleaner hose) and attatched it at the one end to the spout of my teakettle, then directed the other end into the shower to create my own personal saunna. After about 15 minutes of a glass of wine and some steam therapy I’m ready for a Quick COOL shower. I even went crazy and hung a bag of cedar chips (in a leg from an old pair of panythose) just to get that authentic spa smell. Well, then my neighbor got inspired but he doesn’t own an electric tea kettle so he used his Rival Crock Pot and threw some aromatherapy type stuff in there too. I thought his idea was even better than mine was so I switched to the crock pot setup. Our neighbors are all having a blast as this catches on, and everyone is saving money…..well except that wine consumption has increased!
Note; WATER AND ELECTRICITY DO NOT GO TOGETHER: USE CAUTION!
I once loved hot showers, but there’s an easy way to wean yourself off them. Go in with freezing cold water, endure that for a minute, then change it to warm. (NOT HOT) It’ll feel a lot better because ordinarily you would’ve thought warm was too cold but now that your body has recently experienced real cold, it feels like it’s a lot better compared to ice cold.
If you want a short shower, here’s some tips.
1. Use colder water than normal so you will get out faster.
2. Use a timer for the intended shower time.
3. Cut down on the things not needed in the shower time.
4. When you are halfway finished turn the shower to freezing to remind you to continue your shower. Do this every miunte.