Sharing bath water

[UltimateLuxury]

Just that really.
For what it is worth we have a massive roll top bath which takes 15 minutes to fill
I usually offer out to rest of family when I am done.
is that okay or grim?

DH will hop into my bath water. We both wash every night before bed - neither of us do a physical job that makes us sweaty and particularly ripe.

He doesn't get in if ive shaved my legs or anything!

In summer we shower in the morning, bath after work and probably have a cold shower before bed too! So there's not much dirt!

Normal here, either OH or one/both of the kids will hop in after me. We won't run a bath for one person, we have a perfectly good shower that's far far cheaper to run (we have a large corner bath)

But this isn’t about sharing bath water with random members of the public. No one would want to do that. Unless your partner is ‘truly filthy’ what is so bad about it? Are you also against sharing a bed? What about kissing, you are literally exchanging germs with another person. You could argue that is dirtier than sharing bath water.

Not really, in this day and age when people are washing/bathing/showering a lot more frequently. Manual labour aside, most people just aren't going to get that dirty between baths/showers. It's not like when 'bath night' was a weekly event.

XP had a huge roll top bath.

We'd been seeing each other a few months when I said I'd be happy to use his bath water after him in preference over the 20 mins turn around to empty and refill.

He was having none of it. Thought it grim. Was shocked I even suggested it.

I still think that was his problem, not mine.

We had to do this as kids in the 60s…I hated it then, and would find it utterly grim now, as an adult 🤢

Saying that…it must be over 20 years since I had a bath, so it isn’t something that would likely happen (thank fuck!)

Gosh you must have a monstrous water bill!

My husband gets into my bath after me pretty much every evening. I run a very deep, very hot bath - seems wasteful to let it out and it’s not like I’m dirty, I’ll already have had at least one shower in the day.

We were made to share bath water growing up. It was awful, especially if you were the third or fourth person in it.

I usually have showers most of the time, and would encourage my children to do the same, once they were old enough- and capable- of using it on their own.

Tinky minky?

I go in after partner. He showers every morning anyway so is never that unclean. With the cost of water, gas etc there's no way we'd have one each.

Can't even think about this topic without being reminded of the Young Ones' rather too eco-friendly approach to sharing bathwater: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QmQkeNguULA

Same here. I only shower, in any case.

Grim. It’s how it was when I was growing up though.

I often get in after one of my kids if the water’s still warm. I don’t put my head in though, more of a Sitz bath to freshen up in the evening. I don’t get why so many people are repulsed by it.

Grim.

Better. I like ‘grotty’ best I think! Or ‘rank’! Though I do share bath water with my husband so I think it’s neither!

Its not at all grim! Its not like someone's shat in the bath before you! Yes I pop in the bath for 5 mins and DS has it after. First user doesn't wash hair, shave etc. Its totally fine and an efficient use of water.

We bathe and shower a lot and I will happily get in the bath after DH, or he will get in after me. DDs have the water excruciatingly hot. They use shower gel, so there's no grey soapiness and they've usually nicked my expensive bath oils. There's no way all that hot water and product is going down the drain after only one use.

This is one of those things I could never be objective about as an adult after being expected to share the bathwater after my mum and then after my brother. My mum used to smoke in the bath too 😖
I'd rather go without dinner than have to make savings on bathwater!

Urgh, not for me thanks,
I love a long soak in the bath and then get out for a shower to rinse off,
Fortunately I’m the only one in my house who likes a bath, everyone else just showers so not something we are likely to even ponder.
My mum has a bath, shaves her legs and then my stepdad gets in; just thinking about it makes my stomach churn!

This must be a cultural thing. I’m from Canada and have never heard, except maybe 50 years ago, of people sharing bath water.
Maybe it’s because where I live we have personal wells and you can’t run out of water? Even when I lived in the city and paid for water this would never cross my mind to do. Is it the heating cost? I really can’t understand why anyone would do this and find it pretty gross (and I love baths! Just with clean water!)

Im having a bath now, DH often asks me to save the water. (I dont if ive washed my hair)
I like boiling hot baths, DH likes luke warm baths so it works for us, I know MN have a contingent who thinks baths are grim/gross/vile though

Reminds me of Neil from The Young Ones taking a bath.

https://youtube.com/shorts/QmQkeNguULA?si=GoGABPIDxE5eg4TY

My mum would have grown up in a household where a bath was a metal one filled up with water heated on the stove (she remembered moving to a house with a proper bath and indoor toilet in her childhood) Our childhood home (1980s) had hot water from an immersion heater, so you could 'run out' of hot water, and I remember there was a lot of stress about 'putting the immersion on', I assume it was expensive, or felt expensive (single parent low income household)

Not worrying about hot water or heating is definitely a luxury I appreciate as an adult and don't take for granted.