Do you let the water run while showering?
@lordwarwizard (35747)
Singapore
March 31, 2007 7:37am CST
You just got back home from work and you are so tired that you can practically sleep at the door. You just finished scrubbing the pots and mopping the floor and you forgot how good it was to sit and do nothing. You just got drenched in a heavy downpour and all you want is to get out of this mess.
Welcome to the invention of a shower head. :P
No matter how much you might procrastinate before stepping into the shower, you are going to love it when you get there. If you would just close your eyes and imagine the soothing water washing over you, I can guarantee that you will feel more relaxed already.
I have a question for you. Do you let the water run while showering? Or do you stop it while you are soaping? I confess that I usually let the water run - simply because the feeling of water massaging my body is sublime. I know I am wasting water but I just can't help it.
Do you know that according to http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/fs21.htm#showers , an average shower head uses up about 15 litres of water every min? So even if you go for a quick 5 min shower, it would be 75 litres used up already. Can you imagine how many cups 75 litres can fill?
So are you guilty like me, or are you a paragon of virtue? Or do you prefer to soak in a tub of water that could be more enjoyable but ironically less water-consuming? Do share your thoughts. ;-)
40 people like this
134 responses
@charms88 (7538)
• Philippines
31 Mar 07
I always soak myself in the bath tub for an hour during nighttime before sleeping. If I'm in a real bad mood, I will add another hour or until I have cool down. During daytime, a quick 5 to 10 minutes of shower will do. I'm also guilty of letting the water run while showering. I'm kind of lazy turning the faucet on and off.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
31 Mar 07
Is it good to soak yourself so often? What if the rabbit skin comes off? *HORROR*
1 person likes this
@myempress (185)
• Philippines
31 Mar 07
No, i don't exactly let the water just keep on running while soaping coz i feel like im wasting too much water and i could scrub more if i won't let the water run.
@AmbiePam (92789)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Well, since I don't wash my hair every day (it gets too dry), I will take baths which can save water. But when I do take a shower, I let the water run. An average shower takes me 10 minutes, but the reason I let the water run, is because when I turn it off, it takes five more minutes to warm up again. So I'd be wasting water waiting to be able to finish my shower.
I do turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth or washing my face, and I never run the dishwasher unless it is a full load - likewise with the washing machine. But I'm not willing to take a cold shower - my poor arthritic joints can't take it, and I'm just 26! : )
5 people like this
@jolanda33 (720)
• Netherlands
31 Mar 07
same here! the water gets cold when you turn it of so i let the shower run! when i brush my teeth i never let it run because i use the cold water!
3 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
31 Mar 07
Strange.. why would the water need another 5 min to warm up again? Something wrong with your heater? :/
2 people like this
@maribel1218 (3085)
• Philippines
31 Mar 07
Most of the time I took shower wisely lol!!
I shampoo first my hair then I soap my body then close the shower kindda flashing in my mind the dam we have here that is drying lol!!!
I really value the water I consume but human as I am I do sometimes let the water run for a minute while soaping then close it I can't really let it run for long lol!!!
6 people like this
@kclaret59 (587)
• Philippines
31 Mar 07
i would let the shower on for about one minute or until i am satisfied and then turn it off while i soap and shampoo and then turn it on again for rinsing.. and it won't take me long in doing so..
6 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
31 Mar 07
Your information seems to be incorrect, depending on how long you use the shower for. ThamesWater says: "One bath is enough for two 5-minute showers. A bath uses 80 litres of water compared to only 35 litres used by a shower. Be careful though, a power shower can use more water than a bath!"
A while back I measured our household water consumption before changing to metered water and I can confirm that a bath takes 70-80 litres, while a 10 minute shower actually used about a third of that (less than quoted above). It is always more economic to take a shower.
Keeping the tap running while brushing your teeth is a big water waster (always fill a glass or beaker to rinse with) as is running the hot tap until the water runs hot (use that cold water to cool the hot, since one inevitably adds cold to a basin). It is also a good idea, if you don't already have a water-saving toilet cistern, to place a brick or a water-filled plastic bottle in your cistern.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
31 Mar 07
Yea... I was talking about about a power shower...
The volume expended differs from place to place, type of equipment used, etc. I wouldn't want to go into that. :P
And you sure sound like one who saves water. Well done! ;-)
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
31 Mar 07
My daily shower doesn't take longer that 5 minutes. On the weekend I love a long hot bath full of nice smelling goodies and listen to good music.
4 people like this
@ILANEDRI (1921)
• Israel
1 Apr 07
In my house it's realy a problem. Every time in the Winter season, the water are very cold, and I need to warm them up like 30 minutes before I get in to shower. Now, i'm a person thast love to sing, and I totaly forget about the water that i'm spending while i'm singing in the shower. So, like after 15 minutes my mom start to scream at me to finish, because other people in the house need to shower as well. So, after 30 minutes i'm going out, and then one my family member enter the shower, and start to scream because I finished all the hot water. It's realy funny, but kinda cruel I guess. It happend to me several times, and it's not fun at all. You need to get yourself out of the bathroom, to wear your clothes back, and to wait another 30 minutes for the water to be hot again.
3 people like this
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Whether I let the water run while I soap or not depends upon my level of pain. If my arthritis is acting up and my back and shoulder is killing me, then I stand wtih my back to the shower head and let the water flow over my back. If I am feeling pretty good, then I turn it off like a good, environmentally conscious citizen! I always turn the water off when brushing my teeth and washing my face at the sink though.
3 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
31 Mar 07
At least you are still pretty conscious about conserving water. ^^
1 person likes this
@buttons101 (325)
• United States
31 Mar 07
I very rarely take a shower.. I am a bath person..But when I do take a shower I let the water run..I never thought of stopping the water then soap up and then turn the water back on.. I let the water run when taking a shower..
4 people like this
@sapphiresage (431)
• United States
3 Apr 07
Yeah, I have to admit I'd never heard of turning off the water in the shower before you were actually done with it. The water is relaxing and it would just be way too weird to me to shut it off while soaping, etc.
1 person likes this
@jazzafrazz (910)
• Canada
31 Mar 07
I am very much guilty of this. i let the water even if I pay for it. Oh boy do I let it run constantly while in the shower. I abuse my own wallet when doing so. i should be punished for this, or maybe I'm doing that already when the bill comes. i don't think i could even care at the point of having that shower I so much enjoy. Let it run all over my body,.. bathing in the tub filled with water never comes to mind at all. prolly because I've never had a bath,.. just showers. Since I started bathing myself showers are the way to go. There's nothing more soothing than having one. yeah, sure I am wasting my own supply,.. but isn't it worth it when you get in there, waiting for the right temperature, hot.. cold not too cold,.. ahh just right! Thanks for your discusion!
4 people like this
@jencai (3412)
• Philippines
31 Mar 07
Good for me, we don't have a shower in our bathroom. We only use pail and some sort of cup for the water.
This way we conserve more water, we also recycle it, the remaining water will be use for plants in our garden.
Water cost too much in our place. So really we have to conserve water or else there would be nothing to use.
5 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
31 Mar 07
I guess we are more fortunate in Singapore... now I feel guilty. :P
2 people like this
@kgwat70 (13388)
• United States
29 May 07
I do let water run while I am showering. My showers are pretty short so I am not wasting too much water. We have to shower so we do not have much of a choice. I am definitely considering getting one of those energy star showerheads that does not use as much water. Baths are not good for those who have to rush to work in the morning. I like those at night when I want to relax and make myself sleepy for bed.
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
29 May 07
If it does help you save water, why not? :)
1 person likes this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
30 May 07
You sure know how to enjoy yourself! :P
1 person likes this
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Ummm yup, I let the water run before I hope in to make sure its nice and hot, then i leave it on until I finish my shower. My showers are 5-8 mins long, unless if I'm washing my hair then its a little longer. When I'm at the gym, my showers are a quick 2-3 minutes rinse and soap, as when I get home I have a soak in the bath. So yes, I waste a lot of water. It's funny though I don't like running the tap when I'm brushing my teeth, only when I'm about to rinse them out and clean the toothbrush. I only run the dishwasher and laundry when I have full loads LOL
@66jerseygirl (3877)
• United States
28 May 07
I shut the water off.Once i am in the shower,I wet my hair /body ,lather up the shampoo soap up my spongie thingy then I turn the water back on to rinse off.
@beaniegdi (1964)
•
28 May 07
I always let the water run and never thought of stopping it to rub in soap etc. It must depend where you come from. However we don't have water meters where I live so just pay the same price each month regardless of how much water is used. If we go on water meter I will do what you say as I really hadn't thought of this. Also I was under the impression that showers use much less water than baths so not sure where you got your information from that baths use less water, I am pretty certain it is the other way around.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
29 May 07
That gives me an idea. You can set up a drink factory in your house for little cost.
1 person likes this
@Rabi0322 (188)
• Pakistan
31 Mar 07
hahaha its funny to explain but its true that i usually take a long bath and its feels very comfortable if the water keeps on running but i enjoy bath more in winter season because of hot water sonetimes i also think that im wasting alot of water but i think after a long day of working a long bath with full shower does'nt matters :-)
