Frugal Home Design
Discover the Truth About
Which Personal Hygiene
Method Uses the Least
Amount of Water. Is It a
Bath or Shower?






First, let's start with the facts about water use in the United States from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as quoted directly from their web site:

Americans use large quantities of water inside their homes. The average family of four can use 400 gallons of water every day, and, on average, approximately 70 percent of that water is used indoors

I don't think it's much of a surprise that the bathroom is the largest consumer of indoor water. The toilet alone can use 27 percent of household water. Almost every activity or daily routine that happens in the home bathroom uses a large quantity of water. By educating yourself about conserving water in simple ways, you can save money while conserving a precious resource.

In this article, as stated earlier, we’ll debate the big question—does it takes less water to take a shower or have a bath?
First of all, let’s take a look at a few facts:

  • A full bathtub holds approximately 37 gallons of water
  • Standard shower heads dispense 5 - 15 gallons of water per minute
  • Shower heads with flow retractors dispense 2 -3 gallons of water per minute

                                                               An average shower requires 26 to 50 gallons of                                                                    water. Depending on your showerhead and                                                                          whether it has a flow restrict in it and how long                                                                     you shower, the answer could oscillate either                                                                        towards shower or bath. The average shower of                                                                   four minutes with an old showerhead uses 21                                                                       gallons of water. With a low-flow showerhead,                                                                      only 10 gallons of water is used.

                                                               If you’d like to test the amount of water wasted                                                                     yourself, here’s an experiment you could try at                                                                      home. Put the plug in the bathtub next time you                                                                    take a shower (but not a stand-alone shower as you might spill over the lower shower wall). After you've showered, examine how much the tub filled up. If there is less water than you would usually have in a bath, then you will probably save money by taking a shower instead of a bath.

Although the chances of the contrary happening are unheard of, if it is the case for you, then in addition to the enjoyment you get in a bath, there is more good news for you.

A good, long soak in a bath can renew the spirit. Hydrotherapy, which loosely translated means ‘rejuvenation by water,’ enables bathers to revitalize themselves. Some modern systems even contain air jets that have been strategically placed to target the body’s pressure points, relieving tension and stress. Bathers can also enjoy the benefit of chromatherapy, which uses colored light in much the same way aromatherapy uses scent to stimulate different psychological and physical responses.

Bath time for a young family can be an important playtime and social occasion to be shared with other family members. A number of people find baths a calming way to relax in today's fast paced stressful life. Herbs and essential oils soothe aching muscles, tense nerves, and skin irritations; soften the skin; and ensure a good complexion.

The EPA, however, would recommend short showers, not baths. Based on its latest research, it claims that a 5-minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath and can save 20 gallons every time.

The time taken to take a shower is not the sole variable though. As previously mentioned, water consumed is also dependent on the type of shower you use. Power showers can use more water than a bath in less than 5 minutes! Low-flow showerheads deliver 3 gallons of water or less per minute and are relatively inexpensive. Older showerheads use 5 to 15 gallons of water per minute.

If you still believe that a shower cannot equal the gratification of a bath, then it is recommended to partially fill your bath in order to use less water.
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