Shower question

[Millymollymandy]

Blimey! What about the water bill?

[getting there]

At the moment the area where I live doesn't have water bills but it's coming soon because of the dairy farms polluting the water with nitrogen run off from their fertilisers.

[Jove]

In our shower we always put a bucket : before the water is warm it takes a few liters. I aim the shower into the bucket and catch the cold water. Every shower I save about 5 liters of water; that water I can use to clean or flush the toilet !

[ina]

In our shower we always put a bucket : before the water is warm it takes a few liters. I aim the shower into the bucket and catch the cold water. Every shower I save about 5 liters of water; that water I can use to clean or flush the toilet !

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who does that - although it's not quite as much I catch!

[Wombat]

In our shower we always put a bucket : before the water is warm it takes a few liters. I aim the shower into the bucket and catch the cold water. Every shower I save about 5 liters of water; that water I can use to clean or flush the toilet !

Yup, we do that too!

Nev

[ina]

Actually, my next step is to clean out one of the large tubs with sheep molasses stuff - they just fit into the bath tub, and should be large enough for me to stand in. Then - a) the feet get a good soak while I'm having a shower , and b) I can collect the water I have washed myself with and use that for other purposes...

[Moonwaves]

I don't shower every day either except for the three or four days I'm having my period - I could manage without the daily shower then as well but it's a comfort thing as well as a clean thing. Otherwise I shower maybe twice a week, once to wash my hair.

On days I don't shower I wash using a half-sink or less of water and a washcloth. Does just as well. Have been meaning to buy/find a bucket or basin to save the 'warming up' water as well, must do that this weekend - there are a few skips filling up on my road this week.

I stopped using shampoo over a year ago so that really cuts down on the amount of water I use when washing my hair. I frequently used to shampoo twice and then use conditioner, just because that's what my mum used to do. I have long, very thick hair so it could take a while to do all that and I rarely did it more than once a week. Now, a quick wash with just water is all it needs. Every month or so I'll also use a basin of water mixed with a cup of cider vinegar as a conditioning rinse - still far, far less water than I used to use.

[CaundleMama]

Its not just the water usage,you need to consider the energy taken to heat the water.
At our old place we had a combi gas boiler,no shower,I used to run a few inches of water for a bath. Yet here our water is heated by oil,so to heat an entire tank of water by oil for me to run a few inches off for a tub is madness so we all shower now,that uses electric but far less electric energy is used to have a quick shower than my few inches of bathwater if that makes sense? Theres nothing power about our shower either

If your water tank is under the roof another thing worth being aware of is that even on the cloudy days it will be warmer up there than in the winter when the wind was howling around,so if you use oil/electric to heat water then you should be cutting the time its running now,we have got it on for 10mins n the morning & 10 in the late afternoon(smalls still have a bath~when they can cope with the shower the afternoon 10mins will be offhurrah!)as the pre heated water is warmer it will take less energy to warm it

(have been on the sauce so hope that makes sense