PowerSwitch

Simple really

I'm a 3-5, the other half used to leave it on 10 minutes "to warm up" before even starting, but got her off that one.

I think about this before I get in, and plan to wash as quickly as possible, so usually 3 or 4 minutes. SWMBO, on the other hand, doesn't subscribe to my frugal philosophy for showering (though, to be fair, she's good about being frugal in other areas). Her record so far is 24 minutes, and she averages 19! The hair has to be washed and conditioned frequently, don't you know. I'm going to have to do something about it...

As the important thing is saving water and energy, not masochism, surely the poll should also ask how often people shower. A long occasional shower may be better that frequent long ones!

Indeed I only shower (5-7 minutes) when a bath is not an option.

At home we have no shower, and recently fitted a smaller bath. We fill it to about 6 inches and average (serial) occupancy is 2. In summer the water is heated by the sun.

I stay in the bath as long as I can get away with, or until the water goes cold.

We had visitors from Australia once. Although they were very quick in the shower, they each showered very frequently. Sometimes more than once a day!

I shower every second day but take a bit longer each time than they did. On average though I reckon I use less water/heat.

Sadly baths give me migraines as I love hot water.... so I don't.

I take about 10 minutes but I do turn the water off whilst applying the shower gel.

@JohnB:
Unless one is totally caked in crud (and I have been..) , I shouldn't think it would take much longer to wash off three days of dirt, than it does to wash off one day's. So maybe short AND infrequent showers are the answer. (Funny how I always seem to have a spare seat next to me on the train...)

@DominicJ:
Thanks for setting up the poll

Hmm. Looking at the poll results, I certainly seem to be at the lower end of the normal distribution. However, I'm quite light in the thatch department up top, so hair takes little time to wash, and even less time to dry.

Maybe we need a side poll; "how long is your hair?"

bigjim wrote:I take about 10 minutes but I do turn the water off whilst applying the shower gel.

Same here, but soap rather than gel - less plastic packaging!

We've an electric shower and, since we're on economy 7, time in the shower depends on whether it's in peak time or not. We also have a shower that is either solar powered or wood-burner powered so time in that one depends on weather.

Just as important is how much water you use. A short shower with the tap full on could use more water than a longer one with the water trickling. I trickle the water for the soaping phase and then turn the volume up a bit for a quick all over rinse. I've never noted the time I take to shower but I can go from dressed to dressed and going out the door in 20 minutes. Using the Pitrok deodorant does take a little longer to apply than an aerosol but is a lot better for the environment and my body.

Also, what you do with the water is important. All our grey water is used to irrigate a polytunnel so for three quarters of the year we use mostly solar heated water to water our vegetables.

We certainly didn't evolve to cope with regular washing with soaps and detergents. There is an idea that significant parts of our evolutionary history involved being on the beach, which could have involved a lot of getting wet so maybe we're adapted to showering. But all these modern chemicals...nah.

Too long.

That is all.

Only showers as an option?

What about those of us who only have a bath? (and those crappy tap add-on things that pretend to be showers, that don't work as an actual shower???? )