Are you having to shower/do laundry less now? Cost of living crisis

[Nidan2Sandan]

Just curious really, as I know there is a subsection on MN who showers multiple times a day and washes a towel as soon as it hits bare flesh.

But with the cost to run the hot water, be it electric shower or gas heated water, and the electric to run a washing machine, can people really afford to keep up these habits??

I'm really keeping an eye on what gas/electric we're using, I'm still on a cheap tariff as I fixed before the increases but notice my daily electric use is currently around £3.50 but doing the laundry for 5 people over a day using a washing machine but not a tumbler will easily double that.

My gas is fairly low, not quite breaking £1 a day at the moment but we are very careful with our hot water and not all 5 of us will shower every day as it would take at least 2 tanks of hot water, if not more if we have had to run the hot tap for other reasons.

Seems crazy to be thinking about the cost savings of not showering as often, just curious what other people are doing and if the "I shower 3 times a day, wash a towel after every use" folk have had to make these unwanted changes also or if they would rather make cut backs in other areas.

I've wondered the same about people who use a lot of energy at home, like my brother's landlady who keeps the heating on all night in winter. Will she keep doing that?

We're on a fixed tariff for now but I'm practising going back the 'old ways' and having a sponge bath at the sink more often so it isn't a shock when the tariff comes to an end.

Rather than not showering when you’d like to, try wetting your hair and body and then turning the water off whilst you lather and wash. Saves loads of hot water. Old festival / camping hack.

Also, solar camping showers: you can pick them up really cheaply second hand, you let the sun heat the water all day outside, and in summer the water will be perfectly warm enough to use for washing yourself.

I tried doing less washing, but it’s not worked. But I do peg out more than I used to.
Im still catching the first cold shower water in a bucket and using it as a flush. Any clean water, like out of water bottles or what I keep peeled potatoes in, goes on plants.
Showers/baths I’ve tried to drop a couple, but I’ll have to go back to twice a day in the heat.

We are watching things carefully as our current priorities Entirely our mortgage over payments and savings. Very pleased that gas is currently down to 50p or under per day Electricity around £2:50. 4 bed semi. 2 DC under 6. Dog. 2 adults. Things we do -

1. 1 bath a week for DC - rest all showers.
2. washing machine only goes one once a week - we have loads of clothes for school and nursery for rough use to work with that schedule.
3. tumble dryer never used.
4. Oven-cooker never used - things needing job cooked in Instant Pot. Things needing oven cooked in Air Fryer.
5. Heating off since April and hot water 1 hour only morning and night.

we are with shell and the daily graphs of usage are pretty addictive on the app - and feels so good to be cutting down so much. Usage much lower now than their anticipated summer usage.

I have reduced my wash cycles by making sure it is a full load when I put it on, I also try to do it on a Sunny day so I can line dry and only use the tumble dryer for underwear and towels, again only on a sunny day due to having solar panels (not expecting they are helping much as they are basic ones installed by HA, but every little helps). I have also started showering my children rather than bathing them.

IMO there's far too much washing done far too regularly. Its so bad for the planet let alone the cost. All those fibres I'm the water ways. Carbon emissions from the washer and massive water use. The only things we wash every day is underwear. At the moment I wash DS1s t-shirt every day as he has horrendous hay fever. Otherwise we wear things for 2 or 3 days. Towels are once a week max. Bedding less. And I do not tumble at all. All dried inside (not out as hayfever)

Im still showering twice a day. I don't shave (laser hair removal) so Im pretty quick. I also don't like really hot showers so that helps. My gas and electric are ok but I will see what happens this winter.
I have 2/3 towels on the go and wash towels once a week/ten days.

I'm the same as you Lottsbiff. I'm amazed at the people who wash every towel and item of clothing after one use. Only my undies are in the wash after one day everything else gets 2 or 3 wears, also the DC's clothes.

We are trying to and are definitely more aware of what we are using, however our use is not all that high anyway. Feels quite unfair that the standing charges are rising so much. We are fixed for a while, but it is still feeling expensive and I worry about the next year or so. Would love to have solar or similar but it is just too expensive, I really think the govt should focus on more renewable and clean energy.

We’ve stopped having baths, just showers.
We also got some freebies from SE water, including shower timers - little timers (like egg timers), stuck on the wall, our showers are now 4 mins (which is actually plenty).
Hippo bags for the loos.
Two less washes a week (we wear things more 🤣🤣) plus gone from weekly bed changes to 10/11 days.
I’m using the oven less and the slow cooker more (did my jacket spuds in the slow cooker last week).
I’m not baking as much either.
I’ve also handwashed a bit more, doesn’t need spun because of the nice weather.
The biggest thing saving has been petrol, we’re walking more and using our bikes (not that my rather large ar*e is thanking me for that).

I have definitely been more aware of trying to limit how often we run the washing machine. I'd say we probably do a load twice a week as a rule. Always use the eco setting now. Also currently trying to dry our bedding and towels on clothes horses rather than using the dryer....we are in a flat so no outdoor space.

Also I've been more aware of using the oven for just a couple of things...I try and use the air fryer or frying pan more if possible.

I recently visited my DSis who lives in the south west. I hadn’t realised that the standing changes vary by area of the country, but she had apparently listened to a radio show about it. I looked it up and she’s right. Hers is higher than mine in London. As a result she’s paying about the same in energy bills for her alone in a 1 bed flat, as I do for 3 adults in a 4 bed house. It’s quite shocking.

Point being I think how much someone needs to economise will depend on their increase/overall cost. My bills are still reasonable (although aware it may change in October!) so currently I haven’t had to make any changes.

I'm trying to do only full loads of laundry and I've always air dried when I can.

We only have one shower a day each anyway.

But I still change my bed linen each week and we always have fresh towels.

This kind of demonstrates the bonker-ness of the current situation.

Suggesting instead of using my nice, home shower, I should use a camping shower (presumably in my garden??) With water warmed by the sun because of the cost to heat the water in my home! I mean, isnt that just a little bit crazy!

I've never been a shower every day person anyway as I have really painful skin which dries out easily and hair that if washed daily ends up a grease ball before the week is out. But I know people on MN are obsessed with cleanliness etc so I was curious if their outlook had changed given the cost of living issues?

I mean, laundry wise I have always gotten several uses out of towels and jeans can be worn multiple times before they need washing. But undies and t-shits i wash after each wear. But I'm more conscious of doing full loads and using the massive long eco wash rather than the quick washes.

Solar water bags can be tipped into the bath for bathing or the sink for washing up; you can also use the shower head over the bath just as you would your usual shower fixture. It’s not that weird, it’s free, green energy however poor or wealthy you are. Common year-round in sunny places e.g. Cyprus where energy is expensive because it all comes from the mainland.

TBH I doubt those who have always washed towels daily and had two changes of clothes a day are those most likely to be struggling.

I Bly showered every other day during lockdown and skip the odd day still now. Doing the same amount of laundry but I definitely do not wash towels every day! I do about two/three loads a week (me and one teenager).