What’s Better: Showers or Baths?

Are you the type of person that enjoys sitting in a bathtub with your feet up, candles on, and a bath bomb bubbling in your tub with amazing smells and colors?

Or are you the type of person to turn the shower on, the water stream massaging your body, all while you try and hit the high notes to your favorite songs?

It all comes down to personal preference.

But which is better in terms of water conservation?

How Much Water Does the Average Bath and Shower Use?

Before we analyze anything, we want to say that every scenario can be different.

• Some tubs might hold more water than others
• Some showers might be longer than the average
• Not everyone will fill their bathtubs entirely
• Different showers will have different shower heads (that dispense at different speeds)

The average bathtub can hold roughly 35 gallons of water. However, it’s safe to assume it will be filled with about 25 gallons of water (because you still have to get in the tub).

The average shower head dispenses 2.5 gallons of water per minute.

Therefore, if you take a shower longer than 10 minutes, taking a shower will be more wasteful. On the contrary, if your showers are under 10 minutes in length, taking a bath will be more wasteful.

What Can You Do to Waste Less Water?

The first thing that comes to mind is of course — take shorter showers or don’t fill the bathtub up with as much water. However, there’s more you can do to conserve water during your daily showers/baths.

The main thing you can do is switch out your current shower head for a low-flow model. This can cut your water usage during showers from 2.5 gallons per minute to one gallon per minute.

Now you’ll be able to take longer showers, while wasting less water (but still remember to be conscious of your showering time).

You should also have any leaky faucets or pipes repaired by your local plumber. For those who think their home is leak free, you can never know for sure. Some leaks can occur behind walls and plumbing fixtures, so make sure you have your home’s plumbing system professionally inspected every once in awhile.

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