How long is a reasonable shower?

[MigratorySheep]

DD is spending ages in the shower each night. Basically I'm worried we can't afford it, it's getting beyond a joke.
I think 10 minutes max should be enough. DH reckons 5 - which I think is doable and what I aim for - but I don't think she will manage this unless I stand there and personally shower her.

I'm going to start setting a timer! What do you reckon is fair?

No need to discuss your DC's shower habits. A simple number of minutes will suffice!

I assume that the people who spend 30 minutes in the shower must have Combi boilers or very expensive energy bills if they've got electric showers?
We've got a boiler and hot water cylinder which runs our shower (used by 2 adults) and an electric shower (used by adult DS). DH and I are both quick showerers so we don't use all the hot water (it's on for 1 hour in the morning) whilst the KWH on DS's electric shower sends the Smart meter into overdrive!

There's a difference between how long you spend physically in the shower and how long the water is running. Water on get fully wet, turn off, shampoo hair, water on to rinse off, apply conditioner, water on to rinse hands, water off, shower gel body, water on to rinse hair & body. I think I run the water for less than 3 minutes and on a non hair wash day it's under 2.

Don't you get freezing cold though? When you turn it off?

How big is your body and how long is your hair? Cos I think I’d need to wash everything at least 3 times to even come close to needing 25 minutes!

For me, ten minutes minutes with a hair wash. Five without. The water wouldn’t be running all the time. Extra time if I need to shave anything.

Totally depends on the water pressure and temperature.
If the water pressure is shit, its going to take longer as I'm basically having to manually pull conditioner off my hair.
Also if the house is bloody freezing. My mums always was, to keep the bills low, but that meant you stayed in the shower for warmth as otherwise you never got warm in the mornings!
It's quite hard to tell yourself 'think of the bills' at 6am in January when you are half asleep and when the heating has only been on an hour a day since November and the bathroom window has to be open for airflow.
It's 5- 10 minutes here, but it was definitely closer to 20 at my mums.
Also a couple of people have mentioned already - but if you are short sighted or have any injuries or disabilities then it can take longer!

About 15 mins.
Our shower is rubbish so my hair isn’t even wet through properly in 3 minutes, it takes ages to rinse out the shampoo etc. as well.

25 minutes to wash hair and body? I can’t understand how it takes so long unless you’re moving very very slowly, or have a lot of body to wash.

I have long thick hair and can do a hair wash shower in just under 10 mins (I also stop the flow when I’m lathering up, applying conditioner etc) I only wash my hair once a week though so most of my showers are about 5 minutes. I usually brush my teeth in there too.

Can’t believe some would be willing to get into debt so that people can have really long showers. That’s madness to me. I also think some people clearly still don’t give a fuck about the environment. Infuriating!

As long as one wants. It’s unreasonable to time anyone’s shower.

It is entirely reasonable if money is tight and you are the one paying the bills.

@GoodChat no not really, I've been doing it for years. You just kind of get used to it and it becomes ingrained especially when you think about the financial and environmental benefits.

We received a pack from our water supplier

It contained an egg timer for the shower for 4 minutes

It contained an egg timer to use while brushing your teeth

We use them

Ah fair enough! I suppose that makes sense

This 👆🏻
I'm in the shower for 30 minutes. My water pressure isn't great which doesn't help but when washing my hair it takes a while to rinse properly to get the shampoo and conditioner out. No way I could do it in 5 minutes even if I tried to rush. Aside from that, the daily shower is costing a matter of pence.

Out of curiosity I timed myself this morning. Into shower, washed hair twice, conditioned, shaved armpits, washed body, washed face. Then rinsed soap suds off the shower. 5 mins 20 secs.

Aside from that, the daily shower is costing a matter of pence.

78p for a ten minute (electric) shower according to Ideal Home. Around 40p for a ten minute shower on gas.

www.idealhome.co.uk/house-manual/money-matters/how-much-does-it-cost-to-run-a-shower#

@NBLarsen

30 minutes?!

There's no way a shower needs to last 30 min.

Even if it's just coming out in a trickle

Aren't you bored standing in there for half an hour?!

@Botw1 Lol, no, I don't get bored in my shower, I'm busy washing my hair and my body, it just takes me longer than others, plus I find it relaxing. Although I'm not sure this thread is representative of everyone, I know plenty of other people who take longer showers too.

All these multiple daily half hour showers with no worries about the cost are the new MN stealth boast.

We have a 10.8 kW rated electric shower. That's close to £4 an hour to run. So a 10 minute shower is 60 p, a half hour one £2.

But it really adds up if you have multiple people showering daily.

If you have 4 people each having a daily 10 minute shower, that's about £70 a month just on showering.

Let's be honest, 10 minutes is more than enough to have a wash, a light shave and hair condition. Anything more is luxuriating and pissing about.

Which is fine if you're the one paying the bill and you're happy to let your money run down the drain.

But if not, its perfectly reasonable to ask the household to be a bit more conscious of these things.

This is how dh and I do it. (Teen boys, alas, leave it running. We allow the odd 10+-minute shower but generally expect them to keep it to less than that, though we don't time them). Nobody actually needs to leave the water running all the time. Yes, it gets slightly chilly, but we heat the bathroom a bit before showering.

I've become more utilitarian as I get older & pay the bills. As a teenager I'd be in there for hours & my parents would be banging on the door.

So it's usually max 5mins of the shower going - if I have to put any hair or scalp treatments on, I turn the shower off as despite my best efforts I always get some of it in my eyes...

After over balancing in the shower once, and it was quite painful, I now shave my legs in the basin before I get in the shower.
Damp flannel over both legs to exfoliate, lots of Bulldog shower gel & job done.
Plus I can see what I'm doing more easily so it's usually a better shave.

If I'm going to have a bath then I'll always have a quick shower & exfoliate before so I'm clean & in theory not lounging around in my dirt & dead skin cells...

I suppose of you have a gas shower with a thermostatic lever it's easy to just push it in and out if you're waiting for conditioner.

But I wash face, then hair, then put conditioner on and wash body. Then the conditioner has had a couple of minutes to work so can be rinsed off, no waiting as such.

If O spent 30 minutes 30 minutes in the shower there would be a queue of unhappy people wanting the toilet or to brush their teeth etc... do you not live with anyone?

It explains why some houses have more bathrooms than bedrooms though!

Younger DD is the longest showerer in our house... about 15minutes... but thats after Rugby when there's a lot of mud to scrub off!

@NBLarsen

I honestly don't get how it can take you 30 min.

2 min for hair and 2 for body max.

I mean I could maybe push to 10 if I fannied about but 30?

No chance

20 minutes if shaving.

Those of us with curly hair can also take longer in the shower, esp if following the curly girl method.