Reusing bathwater

[Westside1]

Just read on a money saving post how family of 4 reuse same bathwater each night, saving a fortune in the process.

6 & 3 year old gets bathed first, then mum heats it up for her bath and finally dad (as he is the dirtiest or so they say) adds hot water and has a scrub.

Omg, AIBU or is the the most gross thing ever.

dottie no problem. It happens all the time without having a tone of voice to rely on

DS always pees in the bath so no way I would get in after him. I'd let DH do it though!

Gross.

Swimming, hot tubs etc are not comparable. They’re often treated and I’m not swimming or in a hot tub to clean myself.

I’m quite surprised how many people do this, especially after reading so many threads about hygiene on here, sharing towels seems to be such a taboo thing but splashing around and washing yourself in the family soup seems fine. I had to reuse bath water from my parents as up until I was a teenager and it really made me feel disgusting and upset every time.

Swimming, hot tubs etc are not comparable

Yeah, it's a stupid comparison.

a) they have chlorine in
b) the aim of a pool is not to get clean, I always shower after I swim
c) I don't have any choice! I can't choose to swim in my own private pool because I don't have one! If I did, I would. I certainly can choose to bathe in my own private bathwater though.

I once read a stat that if you are vegetarian, your diet uses so much less water that it's the equivalent of leaving a shower running 24/7, 365 days a year. So if you're really worried about water use, that's a good option.

Three of us use ours some nights. Never DH, he'll only use a shower. The DC (4 & 7) will share bath water and I might then pop in after and top it up. Or I'll have a bath and they scramble in after. I shower in the mornings so the bath is usually just for my joints and not to wash or shave. I don't think sharing with my two very young daughters is weird

If I have a bath, DP will get in after me. We haven’t been down the mines so the water is not filthy.

And yet people are happy to share a swimming pool with goodness knows how many other people. People who have shitty arses or not bathed all week and none of them showering beforehand. And let’s not even talk about all the shit, dead bodies and goodness knows what else that floats around in the sea whilst you’re all happily splashing about on your holidays. Sharing a bath is the least of your worries

Disgusting. I have to have a shower after a bath to properly rinse my hair out and make sure I’m clean on any dirt that’s come off in the bath, I can’t imagine getting in a bath full of someone’s sweat and dead skin cells

How on Earth can you get clean in dirty water?

I think wasting water is more disgusting

We do this every night and I don't think its remotely grim!!. My young daughter first, she leaves water in, husband tops it up and I then bath later. If water has cooled quite a bit I let out about half the water and then top it up with hot.

We are all clean people (husband showers in am) and the water is not horribly soapy. I think it is so so wasteful to empty and refill the bath for each person.

I think wasting water is more disgusting

That's why I have showers and not baths

Well growing up we always did this. Our hot water tank was small and had no choice. It was grim looking back. Especially as we got older and more dirty (sweat etc). Thankfully my parents put an electric shower in which solved the problem.

I have a partner and 2 children. Generally we don’t really re-use bath water but occasionally it happens. Often my 9 year old will fill the bath right up with hot water (he likes the bath hot) and to not waste the water sometimes partner will jump in but generally no. I tend to shower anyway.

@Moooooooooooooooooo - baths are not chlorinated, the swimming pool is - that is the difference.

Been doing this for years. Not every night, and not so much now the teens tend to shower, but still several times a week. Not to save money, but just not to be wasteful, plus our tank doesn't hold a lot of hot water.
I didn't grow up with running water and actual baths though.

@hetanom

I think wasting water is more disgusting

That's why I have showers and not baths

Ditto.

I used to have a bath with my kids when they were toddlers. Unless they are filthy it's no big deal and it's good for the environment!

Oh and it's always been baths twice a week here for the DCs, which I or DH will use after (1/3 hot water added) plus the odd shower for DH and I after sports/messy work. Teens now getting to the smelly stage so encouraged to shower when they like so probably every other day.
Apparently that's appalling.
I don't actually care. I grew up in caravans with no hot water on tap and all water had to carried by my mum in a bucket from the farm across the road. We'd get a bucket wash once a week (occasional bath at a neighbour's house was a very rare treat).
So I have low standards and I hate water waste!

[quote SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]@Moooooooooooooooooo - baths are not chlorinated, the swimming pool is - that is the difference.[/quote]
Oh well, as long as it’s chlorinated! Surprised they haven’t chlorinated all the rivers, seas and oceans too. Let’s hope no-one swallows anyone else’s body hair whilst they’re swimming in those lovely chlorinated pools eh, as well as all the other ‘bits’ floating about from all those people. But it’s ok, because it’s chlorinated.

Nothing wrong with that.
We often scoop up a kettle full after a bath to have a hot drink. No point in wasting that warm water when a quick blast of the kettle should make everything fine. The kettle does have a little filter thingy in the spout before you ask!

Here's another money-saving tip - if you keep your undertogs on in the bath they rarely need washing - I now only discard mine once the elastic has stretched beyond the point that a clothes peg can no longer take up the slack.
Happy Days

We do that now, me plus 2 kids (10 and 12). It is not to save money/hot water, as we have loads of hot with solar panels - it is to actually save the water and re-use it. We then use it to flush the toilet afterwards so the water is not wasted. OK maybe we're the weird ones now ... (Before anyone says have showers to save water - our shower is over the bath and I kept the plug in for a 5 min shower to test it out and it practically filled the bath, so actually us having one bath between 3 saves far more water).

Common occurance in the 80's too, I didn't die from it .

I do remember as an 8yr old being a bit when I stayed the night at my besties house and I was told to have a bath after her two younger brothers had been in first. I splashed the water a bit, but didn't get in. I wasn't going to be sharing bath water with non family thank you very much.

Having said all this though, I don't share water now though and wouldn't do it.
I don't do hot tubs for this reason

You lot are hilarious with your competitive cleanliness. Brought up in the 70’s/80’s in a council house, where it was standard to shout up the stairs “leave me the water”. As much for speed as money saving as it would take ages for the water to heat up again. When ds was little we often shared water. We don’t do it now as we only have a shower in this house until our decent bathroom is built.