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How to Save Water and Save Money in the Shower
Saving Money by Saving Water
Many people think that saving money requires sacrifice and deprivation. They think that frugal people spend all their days shivering in blankets, with the heat turned down low, while cleaning and straightening out used foil paper.
They are probably expecting a post that tells you to only take showers twice a month. While this method will work to save money, it could potentially lose some friends, so I would not recommend that. I will say you shouldn't take more than one shower a day, because it is bad for your skin. But there are other ways you can save money in the shower that actually improve the quality of your life.
Turn Off the Water
The Japanese, and probably people from other cultures as well, turn off the shower after they have wet their body. They apply soap while the shower is off, and then they turn it back on to rinse off.
This method actually does not decrease the quality of your life like you think it might. Generally you don't want the water to rinse you off until you are ready so you have to contort your body into uncomfortable positions to keep the water away. Or you may move away from the stream of water, potentially causing you to slip or fall.
Turning off the water while soaping and shaving will save you on your water bill, your energy bill, and help protect natural resources.
Low Flow Showerheads on Amazon
Install a Low Flow Showerhead
A low-flow showerhead reduces the amount of water that is being used without reducing the amount of pressure you feel. This means you can save money without reducing the quality of your life.
The water savings will be beneficial to you since you will pay less for water, and the energy to heat it, and will be beneficial to the environment as well.
It is relatively inexpensive. Since you can easily save a great deal of money by installing a low-flow showerhead, it is a great investment.
The bonus of these shower-heads is that there are different settings which change the flow of the water, to adjust to your preferences. Also, since I got one that was hand-held version, I could use it to get water to all reaches of the bathtub while I was cleaning it. I did not have these features on my old shower head, so the quality of my life actually went up a little with the low-flow showerhead.
Shop Smartly
Make sure you buy soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors, and other toiletries while they are on sale and use coupons. Many of these items can be obtained very cheaply, even free, if you take the time to shop for sales. There was at least decade in my life - that is right, ten years when I did not have to pay for razors for the entire family, because there were so many different sales available, and I stocked up when they were free. I had to stop getting them because we couldn't use them fast enough.
Keep Down the Temperature
Some people like to take really hot showers. It can also burn you or your children. You can adjust the temperature on your hot water heater to make sure that the water that comes out is not scalding. This will keep your family safe from burns. Turning down the temperature will also give you peace of mind since you do not have to worry every time your child turns on the water.
Taking a shower with hot water will dry out your skin, making you uncomfortable. You will then require more lotion. You may even think you need to see a dermatologist about why your skin is in such bad shape. This costs money and time that is really not necessary. By turning down the temperature of your shower just slightly, you will be able to have comfortable showers that are also good for your skin.
Get Pumps for your Shampoo
If all of the members in the family are not willing to turn off the water while soaping, and even if they are, a soap pump is another great investment. It saves money, reduces energy, and improves the quality of your life. Picking up the old bottle, opening the lid, pouring the liquid onto your hand, closing the lid, and putting it back on the shelf take a great deal of time, and if you do this while the shower is running, you are wasting water and the energy to heat it.
Use them for your shampoos, conditioners, soap, lotion, baby oil, and anything else you regularly use in the shower.
A soap pump dispenser makes it much easier. No longer do you have to try to pick up the bottle with wet hands, and risk having it drop on your foot. No longer do you have to worry about pouring too much liquid on your hands and trying to figure out what to do with all the excess.
If you buy a soap pump that fits the size of the shampoo you regularly buy, then it will be a simple matter of changing lids when you put out a new bottle. If you get a dispenser, you will have to pour the liquid from the bottle to the dispenser, but this is generally not difficult, and does not have to be done very often.
There are some shampoos and conditioners that already come with a soap pump attached, although they tend to be more expensive.
Don't Use a Shower as a Respite
Probably the biggest money waster in the shower is that we use it to get away from the hectic household. We tell the children not to bother us while we are in the shower, and we can wash away the stresses of the day. I completely understand and have done that quite a bit. But then, it becomes a habit, and we take long showers not only because we are stressed, but because we are accustomed to taking long showers. Instead of cutting out long showers completely, maybe we can limit them to one or two a week.
There are other ways to get away without wasting water. You can read a book in the bathroom, or pamper yourself in some other way, like manicuring your nails or giving yourself a facial. You can also try to train your children to leave you alone while you are more comfortable reading in a bedroom. You could set a timer, and tell the children you will only be available after it goes off.
Inspiration
The inspiration for this hub was a Weekly Topic Inspiration about improving the quality of life.
Improve the Quality of Your Life While Showering
Saving money does not have to involve great sacrifice. By using the tips I have outlined, you can have better skin, spend less money, protect the environment, protect your family, and even increase the quality of your life.
Comments
Great Hub! It goes into far more detail than my own HubPage on the topic, although mine is about saving water in the bathroom rather than just the shower.
I will say it's hard for me to stop taking long showers though, I just love them. Since I don't have a bath anymore it's my relaxing time, although writing my article and coming across your's has made me think about stopping that, at least on most days of the week anyway ;-)
Some great suggestions we all should consider to adopt. Since I spend big part of my year in Greece, I had to learn from the very first day, that water was something I could not waste. Not so much to save money, but that water in Greece many times are scarce. So this "frugal" habit of mine goes with me wherever I go. Voted up and useful.
I've tried all of these things, and for the most part they work! If only there were a cure for spacing out...
Lots of useful tips here.
As far as turning off the shower goes - if you have a gas boiler (furnace) that heats the water up only as it used then this wouldn’t work because the water always starts off cold and takes a while to heat up. But whenever I shower at a swimming pool I do as you suggest.
I never actually thought about it but I do move away from the stream of water while soaping up. So you are right, I may as well shut off the water until I'm ready to rinse off. I'll have to try that next month when I take my next shower. Just kidding. Oh, and your suggestion to lower the temperature helps a great deal. I do that another way, by keeping the hot water heater set lower. Many people have it set so high that they need to mix more cold water in at the shower just to keep from being scalded. And all the time they are burning away unused energy by overheating the water.
This was a very worthwhile hub. Voted up.
I'll consider the soap pump and shower head but I'm still not willing to give up those showers! :)
Good suggestion about the pump soap! I can see how it does save time...and it's way more fun to use:) Voted up and useful.
Yikes! As great as these tips are, this is one of the few luxuries that I indulge in. I love long, hot showers. If I ever change my mind, I'll be sure to check back at these tips! :)
These are some really good and logical points. I'm big on saving energy costs, so this article helps me tweak my actions...like the pumps. Good job!
My father was in the Navy many, many years ago and they used to turn the water off while soaping up. He still does that today at 77 years old. I guess you can say it was a good habit that stuck with him a lifetime.
Interesting about water savings. I know water flow is 7 gal per minute where I am at . Its a lot of water. The only thing about shutting water off when you are soaping is you get cold...I think i am more fascinated by your ability to live off your savings and your hub challenge. WOW!
Good advice.I am pleased to say I do alot of this already.It becomes a habit when we are out on our boat & water in NOT an unlimited commodity.
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