to ask if you run water while brushing teeth?

[Mxyzptlk]

A suggestion from our Water Board is to save water by not running the tap while brushing teeth.

Does anyone actually do that? The running water thing?

did you know that suppose you brush your teeth for two minutes, each time you brush your teeth with the tap running, you are wasting at least 10 litres of water. And if your children are doing it as well..do the math.

No, I don't put the brush under the tap before brushing so the first time I switch it on is to rinse at the end. Doesn't anyone else just go for it without diluting the toothpaste? Should I post in AIBU?

Nope. I switch it back on at the end to rinse the brush but I don't rinse my mouth anyway

@FourCriedChickensDryWhiteToast if they are in another country how are they going to water from the UK?

It is an irrelevant argument. A more feasible one is if you get use to wasting water and you are in a region with water problems, then you can't complain if you end up having to ration your water.

Of courses I don’t I brush my teeth for two minutes so would never leave the tap running.
Terfsup - you can’t imagine a reason to do so, are you being serious?

No. Only put the tap on to rinse my toothbrush after. Don't pre-wet brush or mouth rinse.

I never have.

knowledge I do that sometimes. Multi-tasking.

No, I don't put the brush under the tap before brushing

Not even to rinse off the fly poo?

18yo now does this. He learnt it while in Army. (sigh) The words "I didn't raise you like that!" actually burst out of my mouth.

I notice people do it like crazy at work at kitchen sink. Full flow waste while they chat away, wave hand in water to check temp, stand around some more, finally rinse, chat some more, another rinse, chat some more, finally crosses their mind to turn the tap off. I scurry away quickly before I say something very sharp.

people who are saying they don’t rinse...so you brush your teeth, spit out the remainder and just leave it in your mouth? i mean...why?! isn’t that weird?

No-I learned not to from blue peter in the 80s!
You’re supposed to brush with a dry brush anyway and not rinse your teeth so the only time the tap needs to be used is to rinse the brush and clean the sink afterwards. That only takes seconds

No

Guilty-yes -except there’s not that much left. It’s much better for your teeth that way

It's the supposed best advice, Guilty. Keep the most fluoride on the teeth for longer, so don't rinse, just spit the excess out.

Not rinsing gave DH chronic mouth ulcers; only way to avoid them was use v. expensive toothpaste so he started rinsing out again. His teeth are 100% perfect, btw. I loathe toothpaste. I couldn't make myself brush at all if I couldn't rinse.

@chipsandpeas

Er, do you brush your teeth in the kitchen sink or take the dog bowl into the bathroom?

Terfsup - you can’t imagine a reason to do so, are you being serious?

What an odd question. I stand by what I wrote: I cannot imagine why someone needs to leave water running while brushing their teeth as it wastes water and serves no function whatsoever.

I always leave the gap running otherwise it can knacker the tap in, mind you I also use a hosepipe to water the gardens (not under a hosepipe ban)

@PamsterWheel - yeah i do my teeth in the kitchen, makes my morning and night routine a bit more smoother i find

I notice people do it like crazy at work at kitchen sink...I scurry away quickly before I say something very sharp.

I am in the same situation. I have to bite my tongue to avoid saying anything.

My other half does this. Sooo annoying. Also starts up shower 5mins before he's in it

No, nor do I leave the tap running when I wash my hands. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I developed much less wasteful habits when we moved into a house with a water meter.

I clean my teeth in the shower while my conditioner is on in the morning too.
At night I clean my teeth without the tap running at the sink.

I thought it was recommended not to rinse but I use mouthwash after brushing.

Yes, never thought about it, or been asked about it.

I don't get the how can you waste water when kids are drinking dirty water world wide. It's like that argument of eat your dinner because there are starving kids in Africa your parents used to trot out.

Fine to say it wastes water. I'll switch mine off in future, but not because I think it means some kid in Africa will have clean drinking water if I do. That's bonkers. Just like eating all my dinner didn't make an Ethiopian child less hungry.

I used to then I saw something on Blue Peter about it and stopped 🙈

No. Dry toothbrush going in, no rinsing my mouth out afterwards. I only use water to rinse the toothbrush at the end.

I have lovely teeth, not a single filling. I'm 43, i've been brushing my teeth like this for at least 20 years.