The Art of the 5-Minute Shower
September 15, 2009 13 Comments
Something I’ve always found enjoyable is a long, hot shower. There is something soothing about the process of washing away the stress of the day yet I have begun to question the need for such “therapy”. I am beginning to see a long shower as nothing more than yet another form of consumption & waste, a pattern which I am attempting to eliminate from my life.
The decision to restrict my shower time wasn’t an easy choice to make; the thought of it brought about a mix of emotions. On one hand I knew that by taking a short shower I would be helping the environment by reducing my water consumption yet the thought of taking away such a simple pleasure kept me from pushing beyond the “thinking about it” stage.
Finally, after a long while of contemplation I decided to give it a try & see what happened.
First, I needed to determine a sufficient amount of time to get the job done & not have much time left to linger. Five minutes seemed fairly reasonable. I programmed my cell phone alarm 5 minutes into the future and jumped in the shower.
Usually this is where I would stand under the stream of hot water, letter the sweat, dirt and stress of the day wash away, literally and spiritually, but not this time. This was a business engagement & I had work to do. I grabbed my shampoo and washed my hair. After I had rinsed my hair it was onto scrubbing the cracks and crevices of my body. If I hurried maybe I would have time at the end of the shower to relax under the faucet.
I scrubbed from top to bottom and rinsed myself. I seemed to be doing well with time so I grabbed the razor for a quick shave (yes, I shave in the shower). I was able to finish my shave just as the alarm on my phone went off. I still needed to rinse off but all in all I did pretty well. After rinsing myself off I turned the water off and grabbed my towel.
I wasn’t able to get my moment of peace within the 5 minutes I was showering, but I was able to get the job done. This is my first attempt, so maybe there is room for improvement.
The idea of a short shower has long been something I’ve grappled with. I suppose it is not much different than someone who smokes. They know they should quit but for whatever reason they continue smoking. I’ve known for a long time that my long showers were doing nothing to help the environment and were a complete waste of resources & time. Even though a long shower is something which has brought me peace and comfort throughout my life, I know that I will find that same peace and comfort in another form; one which is not wasteful.
About Steven
Hm. Have you thought about turning off the water while soaping up, and using the running water only while you need to either wet or rinse? That would make it a little more leisurely while saving on the H2O.
My brother-in-law used to be on a nuclear sub and was limited to three minutes in the shower, plus had to conserve the water by turning it on and off. Nearly 20 years later, I understand that’s still his methodology.
Actually, this hadn’t crossed my mind! Thanks for the tip! A 3-minute shower!? Wow! I thought 5 minutes was short!
You could always take a 10 minute shower with a friend. Maybe retain some of the enjoyment of a shower? I think the on & off thing might be a smart way to go too. My shower is so finicky with the temperature it could be torturous. Would a cold shower save more energy, since it doesn’t get heated? Perhaps you could just add a day between showers…
I have been thinking about this since reading an article on the lack of water in the Australian outback. They stand over buckets & shower together, then use that water again to water plants. But I don’t know how far you want to take this shower thing. I personally would like to conserve more water with the way I do laundry. I look forward to someday owning my own-more efficient-washing machine & being able to line dry. Owning some things may not be such a bad idea, Steve!
The cold shower is something I’ve also been thinking about and I’ve been toying with that notion more than the 5 minute shower idea. I’ve actually been turning the temperature down towards the end of my shower & it actually feels great and is quite refreshing. Whether or not I could take an entirely cold shower for 5 minutes might turn the experience into something I dread more than look forward to doing but I won’t rule out the idea completely.
Cutting back on the number of showers I take during the summer is hard because I’m kind of the sweaty kid but during the winter a shower every other day wouldn’t be much of an inconvenience at all. Actually this summer while I was traveling there were times when I went 5 days without taking a shower. It wasn’t pleasent but I did it out of necessity more than choice.
I like Sheena’s idea when she suggested “You could always take a 10 minute shower with a friend”
Yeah, its not a bad idea. I just wonder if that other person would have a problem with me turning on & off the water all the time!
When you shower w. a friend you don’t turn the water off, you just switch who is under the faucet. While one is rinsing off the other is lathering up.
;-)
This summer, I went 5 days without showering. The friend I was traveling with was more than happy to put up with my rank self. In return, I did the same, as his shoes were quite possibly the worst smelling abomanation this side of Rush Limbaugh. However, I would like to point out that he was very willing to borrow me the $5 dollars it took to shower when we found one.
I guess you don’t really know someone until you’ve smelled them at their worst. Thanks.
Haha! Yeah, my shoes WERE pretty terrible! But I will say that it was definately worth the experience & wouldn’t trade that for the world!
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I have been using the “sailor method”, rinse off – wash hair, rinse – shave and then wash my body – rinse. I shut the water between each wash. I didn’t mind when I started this during the summer, but now it’s cold outside! When I come in from my run I used to like to stand and warm up in the shower…With the sailer method I imagine the water is on for about 3 minutes.
I know exactly what you mean about wanting to stand under the water now that the weather has turned cold. I find myself lingering a little longer as well. I like the “Sailor Method”. You can still accomplish everything without having to rush & waste water in between. Thanks for the comment!