Would you compromise hygiene to help save water?

Question

Would you do things like take fewer showers, wash your hands less, wash clothes less, etc?

Answer 1

No.  If you got sick because of poor hygiene, the cost of making you well would far exceed the cost of the water "saved".

ESPECIALLY don't omit handwashing.

Answer 2

Yes.

I take a shower every day, but I am in and out in less than 5 minutes.  I can still maintain my hygiene and not use as much water. I have installed low flow fixtures, so that I can save even more water.  I also brush my teeth in the shower, to save water use.

I sometimes will wear the same pair of pants, if they are not dirty. I opt to use hand sanitizer instead of washing my hands as much. And when washing clothes, I make sure it's a full load, that way less energy and water is used to clean clothing.

I also go by the rule "If it's yellow... " (I think you know what I mean). This saves water, besides, the main constituent of urine is water.

Saving water does not mean you have to sacrifice your hygiene.

Answer 3

I would.

Answer 4

There is a little difference between preservation and conservation. Conservation is to use the water in way to avoid wastage or use in the way that in minimum amount of resource max. benefit could be utilized.

Hygiene is necessary to maintain the health. One should not compromise on that. But one can adjust the requirement for that. Like you can take shower once a day. in 5 minutes. etc.

Answer 5

No, but I have done NAVY showers.  The special shower head works to save water.  I do not always wash hair twice.  I ate on napkins and had sandwich topping from squeeze bottles, etc.  Grilled out on foil at most.  No pots.

If you really have a problem with little water available, you may not need to bathe full baths every day.  In the nursing homes, a bath is required at least once per week and is needed.  We so partial baths with a wash cloth, towel and basin to give general hygiene.  This would also save on clothes washing.  Change dirty clothes as necessary.  Use aprons to protect clothes.  Do not pass on washing hands.  This is a major way to spread germs.  When you wash your hands, it is important to rinse the water off while tipping them to the sink to wash off dead skin and bacteria to the drain.  Cross contamination happens most often with poor hand washing.  Use paper towels that cut short as do a few major brands to dry hands and dispose.  You may also use cheap cloth wash clothes, but you will have to do them on a small laundry load with chlorine bleach and dry them on high heat to sanitize them.  This does take water.

Turn off water between rinsing items as in brushing teeth.  You can prewash with a dip method your dishes and rinse them the same way catching the final rinse water for doing the kitchen floor cleanup by adding chlorine.  This is done if you have no other options.  The rinse water contains no food residue as it is a second rinse with a slow stream.

You can add a brick to the toilet if it is not a low flush system.  Fix any leaks in your water system.  Use flow restriction valves.

Answer 6

Yes. Most of us don't need showers every day if we're just going to an office or some other sedintary job. I don't dirty many dishes, so I wait a couple days to wash dishes to make better use of the sink of water. Wash full loads of laundry, etc. Most of all, I never water my lawn. Grass is used to wet and dry spells, and watering less means mowing less, so I spend less money on gas for the mower. I do keep my vegetable garden watered, though. But that's a matter of having good stuff to eat.

Answer 7

one can take a good bath for 3 liters of water

how i wish there are faucets that have the size of soda straws and pour water minimally for cleaning the hands

Answer 8

No I would not. I would stop watering my yard before any of that. About half of all water used in the country is used to water grass and flowers.

Answer 9

I have and it's not too bad! such as sticking to only one cup and plate for a day ofcourse washing it but doing that to eliminate using different plates,glasses.

Also taking 15 min showers that is when I wash my hair I would also like just letting water hitting my back but I cut down I am guilty of once a week maybe just standing there and relaxing.

I have to wash my hands pretty often but I just turn on water when Iam rinsing. Clothes I only wash once a week with cold water unless Iam washing my covers after a cold I do wash with hot and I wash after 7p.m and hang dry in my bathroom then when certain items don't dry as soon as the sun comes out I put them out to dry.

Answer 10

Are you saying that we should be more like the French?

Answer 11

Depends on how many showers you are taking in the first place. Generally, I like to follow the "wear it until it smells or looks dirty" rule, and I shower every other day without smelling. What drives me crazy though, is that my room mate will shower before she goes to bed as well as when she gets up in the morning - stuff like that can definetly be reduced. Laundry wise - I try to do as big a load as possible instead of frequent, smaller loads - all sorts of measures like this can add up to save water.

It has also been suggested, that one reason the developped world is susceptible to diseases such as asthma, is because we are so clean, and so even the smallest particles or germs can be very iritating, so maybe a bit of dirt is actually a good thing for us, and not just the environment.