Showers - how long?

[chillipenguin]

I can't believe it's come to this but I'm buying a kitchen timer for the shower. I have two DSD, a teen and nearly teen with long hair. They spend ages in the shower. Then there's me and DH and our shared LO.

Basically what I'm after is how long do you think is a realistic time to limit showers too.

A basic shower and a washing your long hair shower.

Obv turn water off after first stage!

Second this, it's a really nice leave in

Ah thank you this is handy.

They wouldn't have time to do it safely though. Maybe the navy shower technique is better for the DSC.

Funny enough I just had a bath (holiday let) & reckon I only needed about 20 litres. Which apparently is about same as a 2 minute shower. Maybe only 15 litres. I feel clean enough, btw!

At home we would reuse the grey water, too.

Interesting thread. I def need to cut my shower time down. Timed it the other day 8 mins I just seem to zone out!

Combi boiler account with octopus. Did the exercise. Two quick showers one evening one morning plus washing up water. Checked meter in the morning and again after evening shower with standing charge came to 98p.

I take a plastic cup into the shower for shaving. Fill cup with water from shower (or fill from the tap first) and then switch it off. Lather and shave one leg dipping razor in cup to rinse. Pour water out and switch shower on to refill cup. Switch off and shave other leg. Switch on to wash and rinse body

I sent off past week for a big box of free water saving devices from my water company. It's just arrived and contains a 5 minute shower timer that has a handy suction cup attachment.

Came on here to say this morning I had a strip wash in the bath using about 1/3 of a sink full of warm water - I really am as clean as I would be from a shower and it was very quick too! No shaving or hair washing, so not good for every day but if people switched 50% of their showers for a strip wash that would save loads of money and water too. And it wasn’t really any hardship. I still smell good and feel fresh, and it’s nice not to hang around waiting for the shower to get warm, and for the bathroom not to be damp afterwards.

Hardcore frugal shower:

Fill small houseplant mister bottle with water
Fill 2 litre plastic jug with water, warmed from kettle if preferred, or just go full Wim Hof.
Stand in shower/bathtub, spritz yourself over with water.
Lather soap over your body.
Rinse slowly from jug.
Dry your nether regions with a face cloth (so you don't have to put a huge bath towel into the wash each time to save on laundry)

I'm wondering what's cheaper. A 4 minute electric shower or a bath with a combi boiler?

I calculated the cost of a combi boiler shower from January prices using actual meter reading and it was about £1 for 15 mins!!!

How deep is your bath?

Saved for later in the winter when things ge though. Thank you.

How did you manage to make sure your armpits felt clean? I think becuase I use roll on I struggle.

I timed myself the other day out of interest.
long hair, shave under arms each shower.

my shower took 5 min. however only 3 of that was running water.
I wet my hair, switch off water, lather hair and all over, shave. water back on to rinse.

we are only using shampoo in the shower and for long hair a leave in conditioner afterwards.
partially to save water, partly because it suits our hairtype better.

8 mins for a hair wash
2 mins if not washing hair

legs only to be shaved on during hair wash showers

we have digital shower timer from Amazon

don’t use leave in conditioner at present but could do

however we do use dry shampoo to extend time between washes.

I sadly timed myself. I can do a normal shower ( no hair wash) in under 2 minutes. Face and body.
Hair wash and shower is 4 mins.
I shall be showering 4 times a week at the gym and dh can shower at work 4 days a week.

we have a crystal hair eraser which is quite a good alternative to shaving legs. Just run it under the tap or dunk in water once to use.

How did you manage to make sure your armpits felt clean? I think becuase I use roll on I struggle.

the magic of a flannel.
I use one in the shower to scrub as well.

when our hot water wasn't working we used a bucket bath: fill bucket with cold water, add a kettle full of hot water.
wet hair, lather all over with a flannel and then rinse using the rest of the water from the bucket.

There is only me in the house and I have no qualms about £6.55 a week for a shower. I'll cut down on my frothy coffee and croissants if I have to.

Yeah, a really wet soapy flannel is the ticket! I honestly don’t feel any less clean at all (because I’m perfectly clean tbh).

It really is absolutely tragic that we are having this type of conversation. We are normalising this sort of wartime spirit, make do and mend, whilst the fat cats get fatter and sleeker and take the absolute piss out of us.

depends how much you fill the bath.

if you fill it with a few inches of just-warm-enough water and use a flannel to lather then it's probably more economic than a shower.

but if bath for you means full to the brim with very hot water then the table turns.