Take Shorter Showers
Water is one of our most precious finite resources—we literally can’t live without it. Did you know that nearly 20% of our indoor water usage is spent in the shower? It’s easy to shorten your shower and save water, energy and money!
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
Did you know a 10 minute shower can use over 25 gallons of water? Heating water also requires a lot of energy use. Shorter showers can really save on water, energy and money! There are a number of crafty ways to make shorter showers easy.
Time yourself. To get started, time yourself to get a baseline. The average American showers for about eight minutes. Are you shorter or longer? You can use your phone or a kitchen timer in the bathroom to help keep track of the minutes.
Shorter showers:
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Save precious water resources, energy and money
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Save time
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Reduce climate and air pollution
1 Tips for shorter showers
Get setup to shower less:
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Set a goal. After you figure out your baseline, set a goal to reduce your shower time by 1-2 minutes (or more!). Continue timing yourself until you get a feel for your new shower time. If you cut your shower time back by four minutes a day, and you gain an entire day every year…
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Be prepared. Have everything you need ready and on hand, so you won’t spend time looking for something after the water is hot and ready. Soap, shampoo, washcloth—check! Towels ready—check!
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Know your shower dial. If it takes a few tries to get the water flow and temperature just right, consider marking the dial at the correct position.
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Shave before you shower. You can save a lot of water by shaving before you shower.
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Go Navy! Saving the limited water supply on a Navy ship is extremely important. The Navy Shower: Get wet all over, then turn off the water while soaping up, and then turn the water back on to rinse off. Navy showers can use as little as 4 gallons of water and you also might save money on coffee—it will really wake you up!
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Health benefits. Showering strips our skin of natural oils and healthy bacteria that can strengthen our immune system and help us fight disease. Showering too often can also make your skin dry and itchy and makes some people more prone to problems like eczema. Showering less can actually make skin look and feel healthier.
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Consider your unique needs. If you have dry skin, you can probably shower a bit less often. If your skin is very oily, a daily shower might make sense. If you have a physical, labor-intensive job, go to the gym daily, or live in a hot, humid climate, a daily shower also probably makes sense.
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Fight the flu. If you ride the subway often, go to the gym daily or have a job where you come into contact with many strangers or children, a daily shower might lower your risk of getting sick during the cold and flu season.
Washing your hair. Washing your hair daily can strip it of natural oils, just like our skin. Proper care to remove dirt and oils is important, but may not be required as often as you think. Talk with your hairstylist or dermatologist for more information about what is best for you.
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Some hair stylists recommend that if you have normal to dry hair, or if your hair is tightly curled or coarse, oil builds up more slowly and you can wash a few times a week.
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If you have oily hair, or your hair is straight and fine, or you work out daily or live in a hot humid climate, oil builds up more quickly and maybe washing every other day or daily makes sense.
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If you use a hair conditioner, wash your body while it’s working. If you leave your conditioner on for more than 1-2 minutes, consider putting it on after the shower then just rinsing your hair when you're done.
Post a Reminder! Changing routines can take some commitment and reminders! Post a note on your bathroom mirror to remind yourself to be prepared and of your new showering goal.
Share tips and ideas with other members in your household and encourage everyone to try a new showering goal. Make it a game! The person with the shortest showering time that week gets a prize…
Extra credit: Install low-flow showerhead. Save even more water with a low-flow showerhead. A good low-flow showerhead will provide just as good water delivery and could save up to $50 a year in heating costs. Check out the Install Low Flow action to get started.